WASHINGTON, D.C.-(Ammoland.com)- In April of 2021 AmmoLand News obtained a leak from the ATF showing that the Bureau was monitoring people’s firearm transactions that MIGHT commit a crime in the future. Using the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) the ATF kept tabs on over 1,000 American citizens. These law-abiding Americans have not committed any crime and are not under investigation. These are people the ATF or FBI believe are at risk of committing a crime in the future.
Gun rights activists have long worried the government would target law-abiding gun owners using NICS. It worried Gun Owners of America to the point they filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The goal of the FOIA was to determine how many Americans the ATF and FBI are tracking.
“It’s outrageous that our government is spying on law-abiding gun owners, who have committed no crimes,” GOA Senior Vice President Erich Pratt told AmmoLand News. “Congress needs to rein in the ATF and put a stop to this immediately.” “This is like the movie Minority Report, where the government targets those who might commit a crime. There are multiple problems with what the ATF is doing here, but let me use an analogy that even anti-gun Leftists should comprehend. What would they have said if the Trump administration had spied on illegal aliens who might vote in an election? Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer would have been calling for impeachment hearings.”
The FOIA found that in May of 2020, the ATF was monitoring the firearms purchases of 525 people using NICS. That number has exploded to 826 individuals as of April 2021. The current trend is to monitor more instead of less law-abiding Americans. If this trend continues the ATF will be monitoring every American who ever legally purchased a firearm using a NICS background check.
The same FOIA also revealed the number of firearms purchases monitored by the FBI dropped in the corresponding period. In May of 2020, the FBI was watching 255 people’s purchases through NICS. That number dropped to 241. The drop can be attributed to the outlier month of June 2020 where the Bureau deleted 35 people from its search. Excluding that one month, the FBI also increased the number of Americans it is monitoring. None of the documents provided in the FOIA explains the drop in people monitored by the FBI for June 2020.
These totals (from May 2020 to April 2021) put the number of law-abiding Americans monitored by the federal government for practicing their Second Amendment right at over 1,000 people. The FOIA did not explain why the FBI and the ATF have chosen to monitor these gun owners. GOA and AmmoLand News both have vowed to keep digging until we uncover the truth.
AmmoLand News has reached out to the FBI and the ATF in an attempt to get clarity on who the people being monitored are and why the government has chosen to watch them. So far, the government has not responded to AmmoLand’s request for comment.
About John Crump
John is a NRA instructor and a constitutional activist. John has written about firearms, interviewed people of all walks of life, and on the Constitution. John lives in Northern Virginia with his wife and sons and can be followed on Twitter at @crumpyss, or at www.crumpy.com.
Abolish the unconstitutional ATF.
Looks like the FBI may need to be abolished or slimmed down considerably. I keep hearing how the FBI has time to investigate fake claims against presidents and interfere with parents using free speech against leftist school board members. Must not be much in the way of real crimes to investigate. Actually sounds like they are headed toward becoming the KGB.
The Fat Boy Institute has been corrupt since J. Edgar Hoover. Their lab has been caught many times manufacturing or modifying evidence. Their expert witnesses discredited. Abolish them.
you left out this was expressly forbidden in gun control act, you can bet anyone who has a lawsuit where the fbi is defendants oath keepers fbi has been a part of democrat political machine forever,if not lbj would have gone to jail
The omission is my bad. Thanks for filling in the blanks!
Heading towards? The only DIFFERENCE is the three letters. FBI should mean FEDERAL BUREAU OF INSTIGATION.
“The individual is handicapped by coming face-to-face with a conspiracy so monstrous he cannot believe it exists.”
— J. Edgar Hoover
Since 1993 I’ve called them Federal Baby Immolators.
oh but they DID foil the plot to kidnap Governeor Wretched Whatsmore up there in Michigan I think it was…. easy to foil, however, because THEY were actively promoting and planning and encourageing the plot to unfold. But she did NOT get kidnapped… (this time) That was their Hero Move this year.
And I thought we lived in America, not russia or china or north korea. Wherever I am, when I get back to America I am going to warn them what happened to the British when they tried this kind of crap two centuries ago. Maybe my history is a little bit fuzzy but I thought the British got their ass kicked and America, the UNITED STATES of AMERICA, became our own nation where things like illegal search and seizure are illegal. Just another of many reasons why the atfe and the fbi should be arrested, prosecuted and jailed. If someone… Read more »
and theft by government fbi in name from safe deposit boxes, civil asset forfeiture is a crime
Paul Roberts and Lawrence Stratton wrote a terrific book about the evil of civil asset forfeiture and how easily abused it is. The book is entitled, “The Tyranny of Good Intentions”.
Good intentions? It was always about blatantly robbing people under color of law. No due process. Explain the “good intentions” to me.
Seems like the whole country is filled with apologists and Stockholm Syndrome sufferers.
You have to read the book because there is not space here to recite the legislative history, but I promise you a good read. Riveting and eye opening. You can get it for free from your local library or for cheap from thriftbooks.com
Again: https://www.educate-yourself.org/cn/communistmanifestortenplanks12sep06.shtml
Yup, we DID kick their behinds off the southern part of this continent. General Cornwallis loaded his defeated troops onto his ships and cast off for England, home, and shame for their defeat. They came back a couple decades later and tried to take us back.. and we kicked their tails all the way down the Mississippi until they went back home in shame again. In may ways they are STILL trying to dstroy us but this time are being stealthy about it. It was MI6 that were responsible for the russian collusion hoax, the Steele Dossier. The Brits suckereed… Read more »
Excellent reporting. Folks, this is what a rogue federal agency or agent looks like. This is exactly what our Founders warned us of when they talked about the power of the states as independent and sovereign republics to resist rogue federal agents and agencies. They could not have imagined our technology and resources but they certainly did imagine and understand the ability of the corrupt and the power of corruption by power of the state to destroy liberty. There is nothing new under the sun. Our technology simply expands our ability to do evil or good. The choice is yours.
It is also one of the main reasons that “they” made sure the first 13 words of the 2nd amendment became of no effect back in 1905 with the Dick Act. Once they did that…we were no longer in control. 1913 with the Federal Reserve act was the coffin being nailed shut on anything that the people wanted happening.
Edward Snowden is a former Booz Allen Hamilton federal contractor employee who disclosed information regarding the NSA’s blanket surveillance of U.S. citizens through a secretive data-mining program that collects the phone records, e-mail exchanges, and Internet histories of hundreds of millions of people around the globe.
Spot on. Although he is a dysfunctional human being sometimes God calls upon the flawed to do the righteous. That is the case here. Snowden did us all a great service. And this is yet one more example of why you should never, ever and again never talk with federal law enforcement at any level for any reason without counsel present. They are all corrupt. All federal law enforcement agencies are what our Founders would have judged rogue federal agents. Resist.
answer a question with a question about the question
leo’s are not your friend. didn’t your momma tell you to never talk to strangers? take momma’s advice, get a lawyer before talking to police. they won’t make statements without their legal counsel, so why should you? remember scotus said leo’s can lie to you to obtain information, but you cannot lie to them or you will get charged with a crime.
Excellent U-tube on all the reasons not to talk to police.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkZf6_jK3Zs&feature=youtu.be.
Snowden is a “dysfunctional human being”? So his 180+ IQ makes him dysfunctional? Give me a break.
Except for that part of your statement, I agree and gave you an up vote. Do a little more research on Edward before calling him dysfunctional. We should all be that dysfunctional.
by the edicts of society (people with an IQ between 45 and 65) I doubt he can think down to their level so that would be dysfunctional.. You yourself, write like you have a 100+ (current 200+) so I bet you have a hard time with a lot of people. Remember too they changed the way they measure IQ so they could bring US average to 100 yeaaaaa the classic terms idiot , imbecile and moron had IQ numbers associated and were meant to denote functionality ,now they just describe government @CourageousLion
Yup. God even used a donkey to tell his owner/rider who was some gummit agent going to do something very bad…. when the donkey balked and refused to go on, he began to beat the crature, at which point the beast opened his mouth and TOLD the lout that what he was planning was wrong. Interesting that Edwar Snowden ended up fleeing into Russia for asylum, the safest place he could identify. Its still a wonder he’s not been “Arkancided” even there in Russia. No question in my mind many US and probably Brit gummit aydjents have tried repeatedly to… Read more »
Edward Snowden’s a true American hero. Why do you call him dysfunctional?
this has been happening since the 80’s. nsa has been scooping up all electronic data available and archiving it to sift through and do back tracing.
That is why I keep a land line and always mention that it is a land line telephone call at the beginning of the conversation. They still need a warrant to seize a land line conversation. Mention that it is a land line during the conversation and they (and the judge) are on notice.
Nope, not every communication, only the electronic communications impulses that travel through the air can be seized. The electronic impulses that travel by telephone wires can not be seized in the same way. The FCC claims that the federal government owns the air waves.
Nor can illegally seized evidence be used agains the defendant in a court of law.
It matters very little. Dynamic load routing computers will choose the most efficient method for routing your calls. Most of the hardline systems have long since transferred over the old analog two-wire into packet protocols once it hits their digital systems and fiber optics backbones. Then dynamic algorithms will split those packets apart and send them to the destination where it is bumped back down to analog for final delivery. Even though you might be placing a call to your next-door neighbor, those packets can be routed hundreds and even thousands of miles around the system before arriving at the… Read more »
I must be up there near the top of the shit list.
they steal our money and call it tax, then they use that money to violte our privacy. I would think such “monitoring” is a constructive SEARCH. For how many of those thosand CITIZENS did they get a warrent, upon probable cause, stating the thing to be found and the place where it is to be found? None.
End BATF. And jail their top brass.
fbi needs to go too, violate judges order and steal peoples property. government has more criminals than the streets even in comifornia with all the shoplifting
“Do ‘universal background checks’ really work to reduce gun-related crime?”
Never have. That’s not their intended purpose anyhow. Defacto registration.
Followed by confiscation.
Like the article said…a real life example of Minority Report. I MIGHT commit rape, so maybe I should be castrated now. I MIGHT stab someone in the neck at the supermarket. I MIGHT rob a bank. I MIGHT do this or that or whatever…
There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. ~Ayn Rand
did not stop hunter biden
I’ll bet you won’t find Hunter Biden on the list.
That’s because all of the Animals at the farm are equal. It’s just that some are more equal then others.
Remember, according to the Biden administration, only the law abiding are the domestic terrorists.
The “law abiding” today are not patriotic. They are cowards and sheep who are aiding and abetting traitors.
Start the armed rebellion then. I’ll have a place for you to hide out, after you post bond to get out of the US Marshal’s lock up.
Does anyone really believe that the FBI or BATF is actually doing anything other than making sure they are fully funded for the next fiscal year? Surely we understand that at the Federal level, the safety and security of the American public may not be the last item on their agenda, but it is not far from it. Self preservation, job justification, Congressional funding and career advancement are the ONLY things that actually matter to the membership of these two agencies, and just about all other Federal agencies.
Nothing but over paid glorified welfare recipients that offer no goods or services to the economy. Well paid psychopathic control freaks that will burn your church down with 17 little children inside, shoot your 14 year old son in the back and your wife in the head for victimless “crimes”. Makes me SICK. Pisses me OFF.
And shoot your dog, just because he is running around on your property and minding his own business.
and wakes you up at 6:00 am and when you answer the door, you have 50+ red dots on your chest, along with all the other letter agencies BTDT
Yes, more and more this has become common for FBI and ATF, and the judges (their friends) approve search warrants for anything they ask…See: 40 FBI Agents Hold 11 Year Old Girl at Gun Point Because Parents Attended Protest at Capitol https://newspunch.com/40-fbi-agents-hold-11-year-old-girl-at-gun-point-because-parents-attended-protest-at-capitol/
if that were true, WHY and HOW do theyhave a few hundred citizens in solitary confinement no bail pending the kangaroo court “trials” for being present “somewhere near” the Caitol Building nine months ago? Cell phone tracking records have their phone half a mile from the “breached building”, but NO ONE has proof it was in “Charlies’ pocket. Or what Charlie was doing there, why he came, nor what he actually DID that might oave broken some well hidden law.. yet there he is, stewing on solitary, helpless defenseless waiting for his OWNERS to deem it is time for his… Read more »
So what’s the problem? Everybody knows all potential or present gun owners are closet criminals. Everybody has something to hide, if you believe Hollywood or any other treasonous gun-grabbing politician.
In fine British fashion, guilty until proven innocent!
Wasn’t it one of Stalin’s guys that said, “Show me the man. I’ll show you the crime.”?
And Stalin famously said, “Better a thousand innocent men be executed, than one guilty man get away.”
What are the bureaucrats becoming?
Again: There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. ~Ayn Rand
Mr. Crump, Thank you for this very well written article. Based upon what probable cause does the FBI or ATF have tom monitor law abiding citizens gun transactions to see if these people may or will commit a crime in the future? Could be the possibility of a lawsuit for violating law abiding citizens rights .What is this thinking based upon, ? Fraupolian logic? being sarcastic with that. They can’t even keep up with the real criminals who are actually committing crimes or violation federal laws or other mattes that really need their attention. Upper echelon in both agencies and… Read more »
https://www.educate-yourself.org/cn/communistmanifestortenplanks12sep06.shtml
I’m pretty sure everyone reading this article had the same thought as I did. Is my name on the list? It’s outrageous. If they’re dangerous, we want to know. If they’re spies, tell us and we’ll help catch and dispose of them. If they’re not, it’s not the business of government.
Well, we have all commented, here.
@wjd – Are you making purchases from private individuals? If so background check is waived regardless. If you purchase from FFL, they don’t ping NICS but you are dreaming if you think that keeps your info private. It’s a convenience and cost savings for you and the FFL. That’s pretty much it.
I keep my LTC current, too, and for the same reasons.
ask your ffl if atf has audited them the atf is running the nics on ALL un run forms @wjd
Good intel! Apparently those people have not gotten around to my FFL holder, yet.
The citizens being spied on need to know. This is outrageous.
Im betting more than one list, one is a white list but followed people they think they can use,the other is people they fear because their oath is true
Courageous Lion,
Thank you for posting the link yesterday Saturday October 23.,2021
GOA needs to pry those names from these govt. criminals so a class action lawsuit can be started.
Hmmm maybe that explains a lot about something I noticed the last 4 times I bought ammo.
will the atf has been going in gun shops and running nics checks on all the people who were waived ask your local ffl if he has been audited by atf
florida has concealed weapons includes knives tasers pepper spray ,all manner of fun is covered so any one asks because i often have what could be misconstrued as a weapon in my car or truck
Tyranny is here. Learn about jury power as intended by the framers, cut the mindless authority worship, get on juries, use the power. “‘Bushel’s Case’ was one of the most influential events in the history of our imperfect species due to its impact upon the writers of our Declaration of Independence & Constitution. It was spontaneous, unlike any other great charter of liberty. It arose from the people. It is the trial of William Penn, whose offense was preaching Quakerism in spite of a ‘law’ proscribing all religions except the Church of England. The jurors suffered 9 weeks of torture [jail,… Read more »
Edward Bushel, Penn, Mead trial memorial.
Downvoted by copsmoking infiltraitors.
Over the target, mission accomplished!
LOL!
Wow, you sure trigger a certain libtard with multiple sockpuppet accounts!! Keep up the good work!
You too. It’s a hoot. Loser copsuckers live for upvotes, assume everyone else does too. LOL
The story and plate inspiring.
https://fija.org This is the outcome of the 10th plank communist manifesto government school system. They do not WANT the people to know about the power of the jury. Judges LIE to jurors and tell them they can’t judge the “law”. One of the very purposes of the jury is to judge the law. This is from the 1812 American Dictionary of the English Language by Noah Webster JU’RY, noun [Latin juro, to swear.] A number of freeholders, selected in the manner prescribed by law, empaneled and sworn to inquire into and try any matter of fact, and to declare the… Read more »
and make the judges look like fools as they scream you cant do that to jury and then post their own ruling which makes the whole proceeding invalid , which then brings double jeopardy rule which they try to avoid by making up new charges which are found to be fake, and no one punishes them but a reporter that did record such a proceeding was jailed for not turning over the recording for review before it was aired
juries these days do not comprise twelve “bumbleheads” any more. Sad they don’t The selection process is so rigged, the pool is contaminated, no one can “get on a jury” at will. They take names at random out of the voter regitration lists and send summonses when there is a triel pending needing jurors. Most folks that would conduct themselves like these folks did would either not respon,d opt out with an excuse, or simply fall off the list. I’ve not been called for some six or eight years now, was on the list for a trial upcoming, in the… Read more »
True, but most conservatives & libertarians I know try to evade jury duty. That needs to stop.
Instant copsmoker downvotes. How many government agents are on AL pretending to be pro-gun?
I still think it’s a certain commietard with several sockpuppet acct’s.
No problem believing that, but I can’t see who’s doing it. Don’t much care. Imagine a copsucking commietard butthurt enough to troll me for downvotes. LOL
Then I’m gonna troll you with upvotes. Fuck you who ever is doing that you filthy fucking commie. Got nothing better to do with your time you pathetic weasel?
FTA: “The FOIA found that in May of 2020, the ATF was monitoring the firearms purchases of 525 people using NICS”
Thanks Trump!
You Sir, need to comprehend the “leaders” in the ATF/FBI were all appointed by Mr. Soetoro. This means they were all Demokkkrats doing the underhanded things that come naturally to COMMUNISTS!!
Maybe Laddyb0y can remind us who appointed Ruby R1dge B1ll Barr? Wray? G1na Ha$pel? Matt!s? E$per? Tillers0n? M!lley? Kelly? The Three “Federal!st” St00ges?
Who banned bumpstocks & gave D!Fi a lickj0b in a WH gun control presser?
It’ll be ironic when your fellow enforcers arrest you, since you believe in ‘qualified’ immunity to enforce gun control.
Like I said, WillTEX, it’ll be ironic when your fellow enforcers arrest you, since you believe in ‘qualified’ immunity to enforce gun control.
Some folks just don’t understand where you are coming from. So maybe I’ll help. IF WILL IS A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICER, HE BELIEVES IN QUALIFIED IMMUNITY. So if he gets ARRESTED for some “gun crime” by “fellow” law enforcement it will be ironic. Does that HELP?? Geezzzz
1,000 ? Lol – best lie of the day more like 100 million or so. LMFAO The Emperor of the Empire has no clothes Empire/Emperor = UK Britain – City of London Cestui Que Act of 1666 – Lost Souls at Sea … Empyrean of Rome Fiat (currency/$/Money) = Power/Force Lux = Light Fiat Lux (Let there be light) Fiat & Spirit are the MAGI-Transistor aka Rosicrucian Womb of creation. Inventor & designer English Rosicrucian Doctor Robert Fludd. . Robert Fludd, also known as Robertus de Fluctibus, was a prominent English Paracelsian physician with both scientific and occult interests. He… Read more »
I’m sure there is something that was attempted to be said there. Can someone please take a stab at deciphering that block of word salad? I’m curious what the point of all that is.
A book for you might be Perceptions of a Renegade Mind.
I have read a few of his books, but was unaware of this new one. I’m sure it will be a good read, but the knowledge of the book doesn’t help decipher the post above by @tank. Thank you @CL for the info.
Yes good book. There is a whole cacophony of Gnosis & epistemological origins of knowledge out there. It’s obvious many people here don’t read that much. Sure they read books by former corrupt politicians or celebrities but that’s not how the world actually works & runs beneath the surface sub rosa. Many of the books are not mainstream & because of this it causes cognitive dissonance & cognitive bias elicits those responses.The books of Forbidden Knowledge (especially alchemy) hold many occulted keys to how the meta verse works & is coded. Therefore the typical response is hurled back with the… Read more »
the point is that YOU responded.
TANK TAKE YOUR MEDS