Recently, the Small Business Administration (SBA) held a "Regulatory
Fairness for Small Business" forum in Boise, ID. Ryan Horsley
of Red's Trading Post -- which has been the victim of repeated BATFE
abuse (see our page at http://www.jpfo.org/filegen-n-z/redstradingpost.htm
) -- asked if he might testify at the forum about his issues with
the BATFE. The SBA agreed.
In support of Red's and to clarify exactly why what the BATFE is
doing to Red's is unfair and unjust, JPFO sent the following notes
to the SBA forum:
- The ATF has altered the meaning of "willful" to
fit its own interpretation.
- There are no fines or suspensions for dealers, they only recourse
is revoking their license
- The ATF have no written procedures or guidelines for dealers
- They are enforcing policies that are constantly changing and
different inspectors have different interpretations
- The appeal process consists of all ATF employees who report
back to the Director who revoked the license to begin with, this
is not a fair process
- The ATF demands 100% compliance in their inspections
- No severity of violations, the ATF will nitpick over St. vs.
Street, or Y or N vs. Yes or No.
- Everything is a citable offense from not having trigger locks,
Youth Handgun Safety Act Poster or Pamplet
- Congressional Representatives are excluded and not allowed to
question or intervene with the ATF
We received a response from the SBA assuring us that they had
referred our comments to the BATFE for a high-level review and response.
You can view the SBA's letter at http://www.jpfo.org/pdf/redssba1.pdf
.
The ATF responded, all right. As you can read on Red's latest blog
entry at http://redstradingpost.blogspot.com/2007/09/and-yet-another-atf-auditenough-is.html
(or http://tinyurl.com/284wpn
), Red's was just audited AGAIN!
As the BATFE regularly violates the rights of American citizens
with impunity, other federal agencies are watching ... and learning.
Soon it won't be just the BATFE destroying your business, or your
life. That is why it is imperative that this abusive, vindictive
agency be stopped. It must be brought down. It must be totally abolished,
or abuses like these will become even more commonplace.
For more information on what you can do to help, visit http://www.thegangmovie.com
. No one should have to endure the endless harassment Red's has
faced for over two years.
- The Liberty Crew
