ATF door knocking and checking serial numbers?

[digitalpoodle]

Saw on a Facebook group that an ATF agent came to a member's home and asked if he still owned and could verify a rifle and its serial number.... Legal? Don't they need warrents or anything for that?

[baldeagle]

Saw on a Facebook group that an ATF agent came to a member's home and asked if he still owned and could verify a rifle and its serial number.... Legal? Don't they need warrents or anything for that?

No LEO needs a warrant to ask you a question. You can refuse to answer and tell them to get a warrant, if you want to. You can also answer the question, if you want to.

[texanjoker]

Saw on a Facebook group that an ATF agent came to a member's home and asked if he still owned and could verify a rifle and its serial number.... Legal? Don't they need warrents or anything for that?

No that is merely a consensual contact. You can talk to anybody. They don't have to answer, but there could be many reasons for that contact to include that the gun may have been recovered at a crime scene and traced back to him.

[AEA]

Saw on a Facebook group that an ATF agent came to a member's home and asked if he still owned and could verify a rifle and its serial number....

Exactly where did this happen?

[digitalpoodle]

Harlingen, Guy still has thee rifle bought in '11, but atf came to his door to and asked if he still owned said rifle and if they could see it. He is on the fence about letting them see it. The best answer he got from them was, "you were stereotyped by our system" I know hispanics with clean records have been suckered to make straw purchases for criminals, so i can belive the comment.

[EEllis]

"you were stereotyped by our system"

If that is the best he can get from them I would say no then call up their boss and my congressman, well senator since I live in Greens district but he has been pretty good on gun issues. I really don't care if they want to check but come on that reason is beyond absurd and seems to stupid to be true. They might as well of said "Profiled" with all the bull that includes. That may be what's up but I can't believe that they would admit it. I'm thinking the guy is a bit off on these details.

[jmra]

"Hum, I don't recall. Here's a piece of paper. Write down your name, phone number, badge number, and the reason you need to know and I'll get back with you."

[Purplehood]

"Hum, I don't recall. Here's a piece of paper. Write down your name, phone number, badge number, and the reason you need to know and I'll get back with you."

And point my i-phone at them and say, "smile!".

[anygunanywhere]

"Did you ask Eric Holder the same question?"

Close door.

Anygunanywhere

[RPBrown]

"Did you ask Eric Holder the same question?"

Close door.

Anygunanywhere

Sad but true.

Any LEO outside of my son in law or a few friends want to come in my house and see my guns better have a warrant or they are not coming in.

[texanjoker]

Harlingen, Guy still has thee rifle bought in '11, but atf came to his door to and asked if he still owned said rifle and if they could see it. He is on the fence about letting them see it. The best answer he got from them was, "you were stereotyped by our system" I know hispanics with clean records have been suckered to make straw purchases for criminals, so i can belive the comment.

Lets remember this is a post you read on Facebook..... wait everything on FB must be true as this is the internet

[Beiruty]

I would say, ask my lawyer.

[gthaustex]

Harlingen, Guy still has thee rifle bought in '11, but atf came to his door to and asked if he still owned said rifle and if they could see it. He is on the fence about letting them see it. The best answer he got from them was, "you were stereotyped by our system" I know hispanics with clean records have been suckered to make straw purchases for criminals, so i can belive the comment.

Lets remember this is a post you read on Facebook..... wait everything on FB must be true as this is the internet

Wait for it......Bonjour....

[VMI77]

Nothing new here...this has been going on for years. I took my CHL class at a small gun shop. One of the people in my five person class had the ATF come by his house asking the same question. He refused them entry, but showed them the rifle from a distance, not allowing them to read the serial number. The shop owner said the ATF had looked through his records, recording the addresses of those who had recently purchased AK's, and the rifle serial numbers. Their intent was to visit selected homes and verify the rifle in possession. Holder may have been concerned about competition with his gun running program into Mexico. The officer who took our fingerprints also had a visit from the ATF for the same reason. His wife was home and he was at work but she also refused entry telling them her husband was a police officer on duty. Just one of the reasons all the talk about not having a registration database is dubious. Yeah, there isn't an official and "universal" registration database, but the Feds are collecting data using various methods. I just don't believe they are destroying the data they're collecting like this.