It's a shame that Biden's ATF/IRS has so many legitimate gun dealers running scared. Dick's, and its political correctness, was erased off my shopping locations long ago - Looks like BPS may follow suit. I have purchased firearms from both Sportsman's Warehouse and Academy in Pinellas County with no problems. No need to drive all the way to Brandon. BPS's prices are usually way higher anyway, but they don't have the "big box" monopoly any more.
Ok, perhaps you could clear this up for me. In Florida Statute 790.335 section 2 - PROHIBITIONS.—No state governmental agency or local government, special district, or other political subdivision or official, agent, or employee of such state or other governmental entity (or any other person, public or private), shall knowingly and willfully keep or cause to be kept any list, record, or registry of privately owned firearms or any list, record, or registry of the owners of those firearms.
.
And under section 3 Exceptions, subsection D, it states - governmental entity or any other person, private or public, shall accumulate, compile, computerize, or otherwise collect or convert such written records into any form of list, registry, or database for any purpose.
.
So then, how is Bass Pro Shops legal in this particular database for prohibition?
In Illinois a valid Firearms Owners Identification Card or FOID is required and must be presented to purchase arms and ammunition in Illinois. Our local Bass Pro requires the FOID Number be entered as part of the purchase of magazines also. Management could not supply a logical answer. Magazines are now purchased elsewhere.
Bass Pro is now Dick’s too! It’s bad enough they charge full retail or above, but this is next level lunacy. I’m not going to write them off yet, but they better start clearing up a whole bunch of stuff. Starting with their little database. Is this list being shared with ATF?
This really isn't Bass Pro being more stringent than the ATF, it is the ATF strongarming all FFL's to act in this way. How? By going through the records and looking for denied purchases and then cross referencing them with approved purchases by either the customer identifying information or the firearm information.
ATF compliance is what I do for a living and I have seen these actions first hand. They find a denied sale, look up the customer information and cross reference it by customer last name and address. So, someone who lives on your block tries to buy a gun and is denied and you come in later and buy a gun. ATF says, "Look it is a straw purchase" months or years after the fact and their first idea is to revoke your FFL for it.
They expect the FFL to know it was a straw purchase because reasons and if they don't know then they aren't responsible enough to have a license.
How shady are they about it? Shady enough to send people into FFL's to set up a sting in order to revoke licenses. How well does it work? Unfortunately it works well and costs money to fight it. But it helps to know the local law enforcement. We had a situation that was clearly a setup by the ATF and they were going after our license. But because we know the local police and the local prosecutor we got to play the game with the ATF on our terms.
When they sent us the notice of violation it included the customer who was denied and the customer who made the "straw purchase". ATF wasn't going to do anything to them but the local prosecutor said that if the ATF called it a straw purchase then someone needed to go to jail for the crime of lying on the form 4473 and trying to purchase a firearm while a prohibited person and the other for buying a firearm for a prohibited person.
Let me tell you the ATF absolutely shit kittens when they found out their 2 "informants" were sitting in jail on felony charges. All of a sudden it was no longer a "straw purchase" and they didn't want to revoke our license any more. But it was too late for that. Both customers were charged with a crime and both were convicted. The previously convicted felon had his parole revoked and served 5 more years on his sentence and the other got a felony conviction but served no jail time other than what he served while awaiting trial.
"...a gun dealer can refuse to transfer a firearm to anyone for any reason. In fact, they don’t need a reason to refuse a sale."
This seems ripe for abuse by a dealer who would discriminate against disfavored groups or persons. What if they refused to transfer a firearm to an otherwise-qualified Person Of Color, or with nonbinary sexual identity, or with specific political affiliations, or sagging pants, or a speech impediment, or green hair and tattoos and bejeweled body piercings?
Why haven't enthusiasts for Social Justice and Identity Politics started riots over this legal loophole that creates an opportunity for such blatant discrimination? Why are the courts not flooded with lawsuits seeking relief?
This (almost) exact scenario happened to me last year (when they added the 2 new confusing ass questions to the AFT form). Also, they treated my wife and I like we were career criminals, and tried claiming "straw law", despite both my wife and I having valid FOID cards (live in IL) and I hold a CCL, while trying to purchase a firearm for myself. If one person accidently answers a question wrong when filling out their application, they ban ALL members who share your home address from ALL Bass Pro and Cabela locations for life. For this, I hope Bass Pro goes out of business, fuck them. Anyone looking to purchase a firearm, stay clear from Bass Pro, go support an FFL who cares about their customers and doesn't treat them like a P.O.S criminal over a simple (common) mistake.
Ok, fine, Bass Pro is dead to me, just like Dick's.
ME TOO!!!!!
It's a shame that Biden's ATF/IRS has so many legitimate gun dealers running scared. Dick's, and its political correctness, was erased off my shopping locations long ago - Looks like BPS may follow suit. I have purchased firearms from both Sportsman's Warehouse and Academy in Pinellas County with no problems. No need to drive all the way to Brandon. BPS's prices are usually way higher anyway, but they don't have the "big box" monopoly any more.
We need retailers who are committed to the 2A, not looking for reasons to infringe.
Why buy from corporate giant dungheaps like BassPro and pay their exorbitant prices when you can support an actual family owned business.
Corporate giants are crushing main street, and the only way it doesn’t happen is for people to pull their head out.
I was fired from basspro for this exact reason, I believed a customer didn't live with a person who was prohibited, and they fired me for it.
Wow.
Ok, perhaps you could clear this up for me. In Florida Statute 790.335 section 2 - PROHIBITIONS.—No state governmental agency or local government, special district, or other political subdivision or official, agent, or employee of such state or other governmental entity (or any other person, public or private), shall knowingly and willfully keep or cause to be kept any list, record, or registry of privately owned firearms or any list, record, or registry of the owners of those firearms.
.
And under section 3 Exceptions, subsection D, it states - governmental entity or any other person, private or public, shall accumulate, compile, computerize, or otherwise collect or convert such written records into any form of list, registry, or database for any purpose.
.
So then, how is Bass Pro Shops legal in this particular database for prohibition?
In Illinois a valid Firearms Owners Identification Card or FOID is required and must be presented to purchase arms and ammunition in Illinois. Our local Bass Pro requires the FOID Number be entered as part of the purchase of magazines also. Management could not supply a logical answer. Magazines are now purchased elsewhere.
Good call!
Bass Pro Shops needs to be "Bud Lighted."
Support your local gun stores, not the big box stores like Bass Pro or Cabelas.
Besides, their prices are way too high on firearms, ammo, and reloading supplies.
Bass Pro is now Dick’s too! It’s bad enough they charge full retail or above, but this is next level lunacy. I’m not going to write them off yet, but they better start clearing up a whole bunch of stuff. Starting with their little database. Is this list being shared with ATF?
This really isn't Bass Pro being more stringent than the ATF, it is the ATF strongarming all FFL's to act in this way. How? By going through the records and looking for denied purchases and then cross referencing them with approved purchases by either the customer identifying information or the firearm information.
ATF compliance is what I do for a living and I have seen these actions first hand. They find a denied sale, look up the customer information and cross reference it by customer last name and address. So, someone who lives on your block tries to buy a gun and is denied and you come in later and buy a gun. ATF says, "Look it is a straw purchase" months or years after the fact and their first idea is to revoke your FFL for it.
They expect the FFL to know it was a straw purchase because reasons and if they don't know then they aren't responsible enough to have a license.
How shady are they about it? Shady enough to send people into FFL's to set up a sting in order to revoke licenses. How well does it work? Unfortunately it works well and costs money to fight it. But it helps to know the local law enforcement. We had a situation that was clearly a setup by the ATF and they were going after our license. But because we know the local police and the local prosecutor we got to play the game with the ATF on our terms.
When they sent us the notice of violation it included the customer who was denied and the customer who made the "straw purchase". ATF wasn't going to do anything to them but the local prosecutor said that if the ATF called it a straw purchase then someone needed to go to jail for the crime of lying on the form 4473 and trying to purchase a firearm while a prohibited person and the other for buying a firearm for a prohibited person.
Let me tell you the ATF absolutely shit kittens when they found out their 2 "informants" were sitting in jail on felony charges. All of a sudden it was no longer a "straw purchase" and they didn't want to revoke our license any more. But it was too late for that. Both customers were charged with a crime and both were convicted. The previously convicted felon had his parole revoked and served 5 more years on his sentence and the other got a felony conviction but served no jail time other than what he served while awaiting trial.
Mess with the bull, get the horns.
"...a gun dealer can refuse to transfer a firearm to anyone for any reason. In fact, they don’t need a reason to refuse a sale."
This seems ripe for abuse by a dealer who would discriminate against disfavored groups or persons. What if they refused to transfer a firearm to an otherwise-qualified Person Of Color, or with nonbinary sexual identity, or with specific political affiliations, or sagging pants, or a speech impediment, or green hair and tattoos and bejeweled body piercings?
Why haven't enthusiasts for Social Justice and Identity Politics started riots over this legal loophole that creates an opportunity for such blatant discrimination? Why are the courts not flooded with lawsuits seeking relief?
This (almost) exact scenario happened to me last year (when they added the 2 new confusing ass questions to the AFT form). Also, they treated my wife and I like we were career criminals, and tried claiming "straw law", despite both my wife and I having valid FOID cards (live in IL) and I hold a CCL, while trying to purchase a firearm for myself. If one person accidently answers a question wrong when filling out their application, they ban ALL members who share your home address from ALL Bass Pro and Cabela locations for life. For this, I hope Bass Pro goes out of business, fuck them. Anyone looking to purchase a firearm, stay clear from Bass Pro, go support an FFL who cares about their customers and doesn't treat them like a P.O.S criminal over a simple (common) mistake.