Gun Owners of America (GOA) has once again uncovered proof that the FBI has been coercing Americans into signing away their Second Amendment rights—without due process and under duress.
Thanks to a FOIA request, new documents reveal that the FBI was systematically using a so-called “NICS Indices Self-Submission Form” to strip individuals of their right to own firearms, often using intimidation tactics. This alarming revelation further solidifies concerns that federal agencies have been weaponized against gun owners.
But with new leadership at the FBI and ATF, there’s hope for reform.
The FBI’s Secret Gun Grab Scheme
The FBI’s NICS Indices program, first exposed in 2019, allowed federal agents to pressure law-abiding Americans into signing a form that voluntarily classified them as permanently prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. Shockingly, this action bypassed any legal adjudication or due process—meaning no court ruling, no judge, and no ability to appeal.
The recently obtained records show that armed FBI agents visited people’s homes and workplaces, presenting them with these forms and coercing them into signing away their rights. The forms targeted individuals by labeling them as mentally unfit despite the fact that many had no official diagnosis or court ruling against them. In one disturbing case, even a high schooler was forced to sign.
GOA Senior Vice President Erich Pratt described the program as “just the latest example of the FBI going rogue in abusing their authority to the detriment of Americans’ constitutionally guaranteed rights.”
AmmoLand News Has Been Reporting on This Since 2019
While GOA’s latest FOIA request has shed new light on the FBI’s misconduct, this is not the first time the NICS Indices Self-Submission Form has been exposed. AmmoLand News broke the story in December 2019, revealing that the FBI was distributing these forms in secret. Further reporting in 2022 and 2023 uncovered even more disturbing details, including evidence that the FBI had been using the form in medical facilities since 2011.
According to John Crump’s investigative reports for AmmoLand, the FBI partnered with hospitals in New Hampshire, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma to pressure patients into signing away their gun rights. Many of these individuals sought mental health treatment but were unaware that they were permanently forfeiting their Second Amendment rights by signing the forms.
“Any time you have evidence of private entities coordinating with federal agents to strip Americans of their rights, the public should be alarmed and demanding answers and action,” said Aidan Johnston, federal affairs director for GOA.
At least five cases were confirmed in FOIA responses, but the true scale of this operation remains unknown. The FBI claimed to have discontinued the practice in 2019, but new evidence suggests that the forms had already been used for at least eight years prior to their supposed termination.
Congress Responds – But Will It Be Enough?
Following GOA’s exposure of the NICS Indices program, a group of lawmakers led by Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene demanded that the FBI purge all records obtained through this unconstitutional practice. They also called for a full investigation into how many Americans had been affected and whether any efforts were made to restore their rights.
However, previous attempts to force Attorney General Merrick Garland to release additional FBI records were blocked by Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee. While some steps have been taken to hold the FBI accountable, the federal agencies’ lack of full cooperation remains a major concern.
New Leadership at the FBI & ATF: A Turning Point?
With the FBI’s reputation in free fall, President Donald Trump has appointed two strong Second Amendment advocates to take the reins: Kash Patel as the new FBI Director and Dan Bongino as Deputy Director. Both have made it clear that reforming the agency and stopping unconstitutional overreach is a top priority.
Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and outspoken defender of gun rights, has criticized the FBI’s politicization and vowed to return the agency to its crime-fighting roots.
“How amazing would it be in four years to look back at a high-quality, reformed FBI, free of woke culture and DEI nonsense, making big arrests of real bad guys destroying your community?” he said recently.
Meanwhile, Patel, who has also been named acting ATF Director, is expected to clean house at an agency long accused of targeting gun owners. One of his first moves was the firing of ATF General Counsel Pamela Hicks, a known advocate of aggressive firearm regulations. Calls are now growing for Patel to remove other anti-gun bureaucrats from the ATF, including Deputy Director Marvin Richardson and Assistant Director Megan Bennett, both of whom were instrumental in pushing unconstitutional firearm restrictions under the Biden administration.
What Comes Next?
The exposure of the FBI’s secret gun grab is a chilling reminder of what happens when government agencies are allowed to operate without Congressional oversight. But for the first time in years, the tide may be turning.
With Patel and Bongino leading the charge, gun owners have reason to hope that these abuses will be rooted out. GOA is calling for the following actions:
- A full public disclosure of all records related to the FBI’s NICS Indices program.
- Immediate expungement of all names wrongfully entered into the NICS database.
- Restoration of rights for individuals who were coerced into signing away their Second Amendment protections.
- Accountability for those responsible within the FBI and ATF.
The fight is far from over, but with gun rights advocates in key leadership positions, the days of unchecked government overreach may be coming to an end. The question now is: will Patel and Bongino deliver on their promises and truly clean house?
Stay tuned as AmmoLand News, in partnership with GOA, continues to expose the truth and hold government agencies accountable. If you want to take action, contact your representatives and demand that Congress end these unconstitutional abuses once and for all.
Leaked FBI Document Shows How People Can Self Identify As Prohibited In NICS
Trickery and deception is what drives these clowns at the FBI to do away with the second amendment. They want to be the only ones who possess guns so they can load us into the train cars without resistance.
Putting the ATF under the control of the new FBI is a good start. There are many who still work at both agencies that are using their positions to disrupt this current administration. It comes as no surprise that the deep state the ghost workers in every government agency have been working against we the law abiding Americans. I find it disturbing that Americans who follow the law are berated by those in government not elected they were appointed & continue to break the law to advance the agenda of the deep state. Trump and his administration have there work… Read more »
putting atf out of law enforcement and return them to paper work only would be a good start
My .45 ACP will answer for me !
If we lie to Congress’n’Alphabet Boys, it is a felony. If they lie to us, it is just politics’n’goodtraining. That which is alloowed for government goons, but not allowed for citizens is tyranny.
We’ve caught you guys censoring free speech on this site many times before. Same type of people–bad people who hate freedom and selfishly desire to control others.
If the GOP doesn’t at a minimum clean up the FBI and ATF, and stop things like this, the mid terms will be very bad for them.
That’s the thing about Constitutional Rights: they cannot be “surrendered”. Those forms are worth less than a single sheet of Charmin…
What was done in secret let it be shouted from the rooftops. Full disclosure. Then prosecutions of the individuals who participated in these Civil Rights violations against innocent Americans. WE need to make examples of public servants who violate their oaths and declare war on the very people they are sworn to defend.
I can sign a form relinquishing my rights but I can never get those rights back? Didn’t we define rights as something God given that the government cannot remove? So it stands to reason if I can voluntarily relinquish my rights I should be able to voluntarily reclaim those rights. Here’s an alteration to the form to do just that: BY SIGNING THIS FORM, I DO NOT AUTHORIZE DISCLOSURE OF MY MENTAL HEALTH RECORDS TO THE FBI NICS SECTION AND I DO NOT WAIVE MY RIGHTS TO PRIVACY UNDER THE PRIVACY ACT OF 1974, THE HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY & ACCOUNTABILITY… Read more »