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ATF youtube sting operations??

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Joey_the_Wolf

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This is the second time someone on youtube writes me asking me to violate one or several gun laws by sending them gun parts which are not legal (for them).

The first one was a while back about a guy who not only made it obvious he was under age, but requested that i send him the frame of my beretta 9mm pistol to him in California. I told him no black and white, and after a few messages back and forth, he finally shut up and left me alone.

Today, I get an email on youtube from someone claiming to be a British citizen, asking me to send him a barrel for a pistol. He also made it pretty obvious that it was not exactly kosher for me to do this. I'll post the message and my response below. It makes me wonder if the ATF or it's British counterpart is trying to conduct online "sting operations". I use the quotes because anyone with half a brain and a bare minimal knowledge of gun laws can see right through it.

I wanted to know what you all thought of this. Anyway, here is the letter and my response:



His letter:

I saw your video for a field strip on the 92f or is it 92s,anyway I really need to find someone to help me out and send me a barrel from the states,what do you think I would pay handsomely for this,no law enforcement nosiness of course,I could use any of the folowing,Barrels for Ruger P89DC,Smith & Wesson 4516-1 45 Cal..or a P22 4 inch plinker barrel,I would get this myself but I cant fly due to an accident,you could post in a padded envelope,lets see how much of a Ninja you really are eh?Hopefully ur pal an urban warrior...


My Response:

Jeeze... If that's the best that the ATF agents have to offer, then I'm truly ashamed of them...

Let me be blunt. Your question tells me one of two things. One, either you are an "undercover" ATF agent who is posing as a British subject in order to arrest me for selling gun parts over the internet illegally (I am pretty sure exporting gun parts without an export license is highly illegal), OR two, you are a member of the British criminal underworld who ran out of black market gun parts and has to resort to asking people online for help. In any event, I have no need to have the ATF party van show up at my door and arrest me. While I FULLY support the right of honest people to keep and bear arms, and while I am COMPLETELY against the British government's Draconian and oppressive gun laws, I can not partake in illegal activities that would probably result in me getting arrested and thrown in jail. While I find your situation sad, I encourage you to try to get your gun laws repealed, and fight for your gun rights (legally) instead of partaking in unlawful actions, over the internet of all places. This could possibly land you in quite a bit of trouble as well, as gun laws in England are very serious business indeed. Thank you for your understanding, and I wish you and your fellow countrymen luck in getting these un-just laws repealed.
 
It's probably an actual British citizen with a replica gun looking to convert it to a real gun. You probably wouldn't be prosecuted on our end, but you'd be in violation of a crapload of British laws.
 
If you felt it was innocent ignorance I would breifly infomr them it is not legal and refer them to the ATF or local state law web site. If you think it is not ignorance then I would not reply and just forward their message to the ATF and local police and let them deal with it. If it is ATF they will probably stop when they see the local police are being dragged into it and they won;t have a deniable paper trail.
 
Some of our government agencies have a habit of soliciting crimes. There was one year, in the 1980's I believe, in which the federal government was the biggest distributor of child pornography in the United States. They seem to skirt the edges of entrapment a lot.
 
Exporting gun parts, just about any gun parts, except maybe screws and springs is illegal without an export license. An export license is required to export things like triggers let alone barrels. It wouldn't surprise me at all that ATF would have someone snooping in various places to snag folks who either don't know or don't care what the law says. :eek:
 
ConfuseUs said:
Although I do wonder what the guy in the UK would think if you helpfully mailed him a barrel blank that would need to be bored out, rifled, and chambered.
Click to expand...
My first thought was that it's fun to imagine sending him a steel ingot and a note reading, "Here you are; all it needs is a bit of finish work."

My better thought was, "No, let's not even go there."
 
My first thought was that it's fun to imagine sending him a steel ingot and a note reading, "Here you are; all it needs is a bit of finish work."
Click to expand...

But then that's not only "Conspiracy to convert a firearm", it's "Conspiracy to manufacture firearm parts!"
 
I kinda doubt ATF has the time or money to set up random stings on Youtube.
You did the right thing though, if for what ever reason it was found in the mail, I'm sure it would come back to you.

Better to not mess with that kind of trouble.
 
Do you morally have a problem with someone asking for some gun parts?

You shouldn't have responded to the message. You shouldn't report him to the ATF either. Just ignore it. The ATF is not on your side. They'll take your guns with hysterical glee.

Here's a general statement about crime generally. In the highly unlikely event you were arrested for being involved in this situation, whatever you said in the response could and would be used against you. You may think that your response is noble. It doesn't matter. If there is anything that could be used against you, it will be. It would be your defense attorney's job to defend you. The ATF is not on your side.
 
Given the resources government agencies devote to minor-league sting/entrapment operations, I wouldn't be surprised at all to see them trolling YouTube (or THR, for that matter).
 
Good point Jake. I think you are right, just do nothing in response and then there is nothing to be used against you. You never know how things can be taken out of context, or just the fact that you replied (without mentioning the content) could be incriminating.
 
I think you'd have been better off to just hit the delete key. If it is the ATF, they're just going to keep trying, and your response won't help you in court, even though it was well written.
 
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