Your paperwork is not in order. I've been sent to straighten you, I mean, it, out.Well, folks, here I go again. David Codrea's Examiner column here (please click and read) cued me to this threatening letter sent by ATF AD Carroll to Tennessee FFL holders. His blatant disregard of the Tenth Amendment offended me and motivated me to write the following. Hope you like it.
Mike
III
An Open Letter to Carson W. Carroll
Assistant Director, BATFE
Washington, DC 20226
Dear Carson,
I am in receipt of a copy of your "Open Letter to all Tennessee Federal Firearms Licensees," dated 16 July. (Found here: http://www.tfaonline.org/downloads/ATFfirearmsfreedomact.pdf)
I just have one question.
I am not an FFL holder. I never wanted to put myself at the mercy of your unconstitutional, bully-boy agency whose malfeasances, misfeasances, perjuries and deadly misadventures are legendary. I have observed first hand your agency's ability to cow FFL holders into not fighting you in court when you violate your own rules. Your agents often push the line of what constitutes statutory compliance with the threat that they will come back with a raid party if the FFL holder doesn't knuckle under. Having my business, my livelihood, my family's safety and my life at the whim of brutal thuggery such as exemplified by "Waco Jim" Cavanaugh at the time of the Trader's Gun Shop raid here in Birmingham, or Jody Keeku's railroading of David Olofson, never interested me.
Indeed, I never thought of becoming a firearms manufacturer before, but now that Tennessee has bravely followed Montana's lead in exercising their Tenth Amendment rights and you have doubled the incentive by issuing your plainly unconstitutional threat which is itself an offensive stench in the nostrils of all liberty-loving Americans, I wonder if you might answer this question:
If I move to Tennessee and open up a firearms manufactory (I like the name "Weapon Shop of Isher"), procuring all of my components from within the state and selling only to Tennessee residents as per the Tennessee statute, what are you going to do to ME? I am, after all not one of your tame FFL holders you are used to bullying about. You may threaten them as you like, I suppose, you are certainly used to it. And they have already made the fatal compromise when they bought into your tyrannical system. But what will you do to me?
Awaiting your reply with great anticipation.
Mike Vanderboegh
The alleged leader of a merry band of Three Percenters
PO Box 926
Pinson, AL 35126
GeorgeMason1776@aol.com
sipseystreetirregulars.blogspot.com
PS: Do make your answer in a timely fashion so I can begin lining up investors and hunting a suitable property in Tennessee to open up my new business.
27 comments:
Mike, will you actually go to TN and open up shop? How serious are your plans to line up investors?
They might want to upgrade to helmets instead of ski masks if they start throwing their weight around again.
Sorry Young Anonymous,
Your comment has not been posted. We don't do threats around here, especially to agent's families who are, after all, innocents. If part of our criticism of this agency is that they can become, and have been, out-of-control baby killers, how can we morally justify resistance if we become baby-killers ourselves?
Also, your spelling is atrocious.
Mike
III
Good show, Mike! If we fight without honor, we become that which we despise. Non-combatants must be accorded safe passage until they pick up a weapon and demonstrate their intent to use it against you.
Also like the fact that you called the non-posted commentor out his spelling ability, or, in this case, his lack thereof.
If TN doesn't pussy out, and there is about a 99% chance they will, you really need to go up there and open up a shop. Weapons shop of Isher sounds like something out of Lord of the Rings! Then freedom loving people of from all around TN should join you in the battle against ATF Orks. Unfortunately the real fight right now is trying to get the state not to tuck tale and run. I'm sure they will and in the end all you'll get will be an "interagency" raid with "local heroes of law enforcement." The media will worship lick the boots of the "heroes of law enforcement" and make you out to be an absolute nutjob. People of TN and MT, stand up and FIGHT! Don't even show up in court.
Well, it's going to be an interesting pissing contest. I've read the "letter" (thinly veiled threat), and I see where the BAT-FE is going.
If the FFL holder is willing to keep two sets of books, that may work. At least, up to the raid.
Or, for the intra-state firearms business, it may require someone totally new, not now & never been licensed with the Feds, totally licensed only within the state.
Someone, anyone, in Tenn & Montana, hurry up & start a firearms & ammo manufacturing business.
B Woodman
III
If Alabama would grow a set we could open up shop here, Mike.
The blueprints for the 1911 are freely available on the net and I suspect the AR-15 is too.
I'd sign on to be your IT department.
Just for an idea of what can be done check out this site: http://www.cncguns.com/
Where do we send the money to buy a place in the line to purchase stock in your future company?
emdfl
Not Tolkien, orc bane, A. E. van Vogt. Expand your horizons.
Non-combatants must be accorded safe passage until they pick up a weapon and demonstrate their intent to use it against you.
Just a point, that's been the problem. The weapons these "non-combatants" use are not the common tools we use. Theirs are pens, indoctrination, lies, stealth, complacent watchdogs, bribes, distraction, and terror.
Those things have brought us to where were currently find ourselves, firmly between a jackboot and a hard place.
Another thing, while innocents should probably be left alone, it can just form a feedback loop as resentment and hatred that get handed down. Look to the south's feelings towards the fedgov after their last trouncing of the constitution.
All those "innocent" people will not "go to canada" as they promised for 8 years, nor will they forgive you for fighting for your rights. They will bitterly cling. As Adams said, "It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people's minds." That sword can cut both ways.
I'm with you on principle because idealistically leaving the innocent unharmed separates you from the monsters we fight, but I feel you may guaranteeing a bloody repeat of history, inviting coups against a government that has finally been restored to its place.
I'm writing this only for you to think about. I may not be right, maybe I am. I honestly don't know. I just want to know, or at least prepare for, the new hells that may be beyond the goals of returning to limited constitutional government in such a manner.
"What will you do to me?"
That's been established, break the doors, shoot the dogs, stomp the kittens, roust the Mrs. out in her night gown, and rough you up if you're lucky, shoot the whole family if not, and burn the place to the ground.
Wow, The Weapon of Isher. I dug up my battered copy.
FINE WEAPONS
THE RIGHT TO BUY
WEAPONS IS THE
RIGHT TO BE FREE
The window display was made up of an assortment of rather curiously shaped guns,rifles,as well as small arms, and a glowing sign in the window stated:
THE FINEST ENERGY
WEAPONS IN THE
KNOWN UNIVERSE
Inspector Clayton of the Investigation Branch attempted to enter the shop but the door seemed to be locked. A few moments later,CJ McAllister, reporter of the Gazette Bulletin, tried the door, found that it opened, and entered. Inspector Clayton attempted to follow him, but discovered that the door was again locked.
GUNS: USE THEM OR LOSE THEM
Reinhold
"THE RIGHT TO BUY WEAPONS IS THE RIGHT TO BE FREE."
Few wiser words have ever been written in a single sentence, and most of those are in the Bible or Talmud. Reagan maybe had a couple of good quotes.
When people understand this simple idea, tyrannical government will end because people will simply refuse to pay attention.
have lathe and small mill can i rent some space??
Mike I'm a Tn. Resident and have been kicking around this same idea for a few weeks, personally I'd love to be on the ground floor of this sort of thing but I'd like some sort of assurance that the State will actually stand behind any one who ventures into this uncharted territory. And by stand behind I mean send a "State of Tn. Hwy Patrol SWAT team" to block any illegal interventions by any Federal Agency's.
Dr.D
Dr. D,
Retain a lawyer and then the two of you inquire of the state AG for an opinion in writing as to where they might stand on the issue.
Thanks for remembering The Weapon Shop of Isher. I recently re-read A. E. van Vogt's masterpiece - it still holds up.
If only. The crux therein was the number of people who went about as free men and, like in this place and time, caused NO PROBLEMS if left alone.
Surely the state of TN did some thinking about the consequences of this legislation when they drafted it. I think I would attempt the contact the state legislator whose brainchild this was, and attempt to guage the depth of support the state government has (or has not) for any FFL attempting to try this out!
Dr.D,
Contact your County Sheriff. Have the Sheriff & deputies read ALL of Sheriff Mack's writing.
Really points out the actual responsibilities and duties of The Sheriff!
We will see soon enough how the states intend to handle this. Personally, I am fearful that they will chose to fight their battles only court, as the seemingly civil, and legal way to handle such conflicts. This is foolish.
http://cottonrevolt.blogspot.com/2009/07/what-matters-is-badge-not-law.html
I do hope that you receive a swift reply to your legitimate question from our friends at the Bureau, and repost it to hear exactly how they intend to ignore the law, and in what capacity.
Also, thank you for reminding me of the author, as ive been looking for the original short story i read, for years, but never seemed to be able to locate it, as the title was so generic, and i did not realize that there was an entire novel that came from it. The best piece of science fiction ive ever read, and one of my favorite short stories, I will be looking for the novel in short order.
I fear that the TN law is vacuous. Unless the iron ore is mined, smelted and forged within TN, the feds will cry inter-state commerce. Other materials used in modern firearms such as cromium, molybdimum, plastics, etc. would have to be created within the borders. I do applaud both TN and MT though.
FYI, the MT law has language in it about non-seralized components such as barrels.
"Non-combatants must be accorded safe passage until they pick up a weapon and demonstrate their intent to use it against you."
Absolutely. Innocent until proven guilty.
"The weapons these "non-combatants" use are not the common tools we use. Theirs are pens, indoctrination, lies, stealth, complacent watchdogs, bribes, distraction, and terror."
Ok. And? These weapons leave evidence trails, and "follow the money" and "who knew what when" are evidence-based approaches, correct? So there should be no problem proving the use of these weapons in open court.
""Non-combatants must be accorded safe passage until they pick up a weapon and demonstrate their intent to use it against you."
Absolutely. Innocent until proven guilty.
"The weapons these "non-combatants" use are not the common tools we use. Theirs are pens, indoctrination, lies, stealth, complacent watchdogs, bribes, distraction, and terror."
Ok. And? These weapons leave evidence trails, and "follow the money" and "who knew what when" are evidence-based approaches, correct? So there should be no problem proving the use of these weapons in open court."
And who says that quislings and traitors will ever make it to a court trial? Yes, it sounds harsh, but if there is an all-out war of attrition, who will have the time or can afford to expend the energy or can wait for a court trial? Just something to be considered and thought about for the future (which future I hope never comes).
B Woodman
III
"Yes, it sounds harsh, but if there is an all-out war of attrition, who will have the time or can afford to expend the energy or can wait for a court trial?"
If you descend to infringing peoples' rights with torture, horrible jails, censorship, tariffs, conscription, lack of due process, burning cities, or taxes, then you're just as bad as who you're opposing. You avoid these things because, at the moment of doing them, you lose.
You lose unless your goal is merely to take over the top dog spot yourself, and become the new ruling elite. In the case, you should trumpet how your new "constitutional" government won't repeat the mistakes of the last tyrant. Then show you mean business by banning accurate criticism of your regime, and have your winning general crush a tax rebellion with a huge army. When you capture the ringleaders, arbitrarily kill some in jail, execute some, and pardon others to demonstrate your will is the law.
Love it! lol
Post a Comment