Opinion
Virginia – -(AmmoLand.com)- Virginia Citizens Defense League member Chris Weaver sent me this email about his positive experience turning in his bump stocks to the BATFE in Chesterfield, VA for safekeeping until a final determination of the legality of the ban could be decided by the courts.
I wanted to share my good experience with ATF on surrendering my Bump Stocks.
I called the Richmond office (actually Chesterfield) and spoke with Justin Jacobs about surrendering my bump stocks. He was very professional and courteous. He seemed to empathize with my situation and went out of the way to make it convenient for me to turn them in. I expressed concern that ATF would come looking for me and he said he had a lot of other work and that the powers-that-be had not formalized any process.
I mentioned I would not be surrendering them to be destroyed, but only turning them over to avoid any legal issues. He completely understood and told me he’d place them in the evidence safe and not execute a surrender document.
Very professional, caring and compassionate individual.
Chris followed up with another email. Here are the pertinent parts:
[Mr. Jacobs] escorted us into the conference room where we were joined by another agent. We had a nice chat about the process.
I produced my letter with pictures of the bumpstocks to document their condition at turn in (protects both of us). The other agent commented that he had turned his bumpstock in the week before. I was told that there were several agents in the office with similar situations.
Mr. Jacobs completed a transfer sheet, we both signed and the other agent witnessed. Mr. Jacobs asked if he could give my daughter a “badge”, which of course I said yes to. He went to make a copy of the transfer sheet and brought my daughter a lapel pin with the ATF logo. She was super excited. We chatted a few minutes more and then Mr. Jacobs escorted us to the door.
Both agents were super friendly, courteous and compassionate. They certainly do not deserve the picture of gun haters that we often think of when we talk about ATF agents. [Philip Van Cleave: Just another reminder that we should never paint any class of individuals with a broad brush. The bad apples make us forget about the many, many excellent government employees that serve us, from the BATFE to the IRS, and all the agencies in between. My limited experience with the BATFE in the Richmond area has always been very positive.] The whole process took around 15-20 minutes.
All in all, a very nice meeting with a great couple of Agents. I was very pleased with the process.
About Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL):
Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL). VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to defending the human rights of all Virginians. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms is a fundamental human right.
For more information, visit: www.vcdl.org.
In Washington state, there has been at least one FOIA request made for the names and addresses of those who have surrendered bump-stocks. This information was then going to be published online so that those who surrendered bump-stocks would be known to anyone who cared to find out. The attitude of the requestor was that people who owned bump-stocks are undesirables and should be subjected to shame (or worse) in their communities. Food for thought when contemplating going on the record.
The BATFE may have employees that are human, but it’s controlled by bureaucracy, which was invented by Democrats to circumvent constitutional law will little to no accountability. The BATFE, on paper at least, is supposed to be enforcing the laws of legal gun and property ownership. However, as stated, it is controlled by Democrats. And they use it in a “secret police” way. Proof of this is Operation fast and furious. Where the Osama administration (shit I always get those guys confused, my bad) literally used the BATFE to sell guns to cartels through a complex scheme. This scheme, masked… Read more »
“Mr. Jacobs completed a transfer sheet, we both signed and the other agent witnessed. Mr. Jacobs asked if he could give my daughter a “badge”, which of course I said yes to. He went to make a copy of the transfer sheet and brought my daughter a lapel pin with the ATF logo. She was super excited. We chatted a few minutes more and then Mr. Jacobs escorted us to the door.” Who’s a cute little sheeple begging for tyranny? Oh *you* are you cute little thing you! And here’s a little badge for your little lamb so she knows… Read more »
You’ll be the first one onto the boxcar.
Federal employees may be kind and courteous when dealing with you, as has been my experience with any IRS rep that I speak with. Make no mistake, though; when it comes to breaking down your door and arresting you at gun point (if you are fortunate and are not shot), they will execute their orders whether they feel it is ‘constitutional’ or not. I lived in Virginia for a good while, and knew never to mess with law enforcement, especially State Troopers.
He may be wishing he kept the damn thing someday soon. It seems that the Economic Migrants are flooding in down at New Mexico these days. They know that some parts of California are blocked, but they know there are thousands of miles of border to pick a crossing from. Everybody’s attention is fixed on California where Trump has troops, but it seems they are coming across in droves in other States. The other day, a small group of armed militia stopped a group of 300-400 South Americans. The militia asked them to sit down and wait for the Border… Read more »
Will you be as polite when you turn in your AR-15?
A “nice chat”?!…’we’re from the Gov’mint and here to help you”
Lion to the Mouse comes to mind, like Spider to the Fly!!!!!!!! Opens a whole new way to limit any accessory to up grade any firearm, just food for thought, but don’t choke on it, they will keep jamming it down your throat, saying we will keep you safe with our rules???????? The Bump-Stock ruling has to be over turned or it will forever change the better mouse trap in upgrading manufacturing parts!
How nice the agent was nice to you as you were deprived of your property without recompense.