Moron? ATF? Or both?

K

Kevinw

Moderator
I posted an HK USP .40 for sale about a week ago and last night I got this in the mail.
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Hi,

I'm from *Norway*, and wonder if you're interested in selling it anyway. No
FFL's or anything, you just ship to my address and I take the full risk of
it being discovered by the customs or something.

Payment via VISA (www.paypal.com or similar?) up front or 2/3 up front
depending on how serious you sound regarding such a deal.

I'm anonymous now because I'm fairly confident that you're not interested,
but if you are you would get my full name and address (and non-anonymous
email address).

I'm willing to pay around $800.

Thanks anyway,
Bye!
--

Now this pissed me off a lot. I think gun laws are stupid but this is such a blatant disregard that I thought I was going to scream. He/she sent it from a Hotmail account. I guess they don' know that hotmail accounts are not that hard to track. I will probably get flamed for this but I got the IP and have turned it over to the FBI contact we have at work and the ATF. (I work at my ISP) I hope this prick gets busted hard.
 
Geez....just what ya need, getting set-up as an illegal international arms dealer. This is a big deal being discussed at the UN Small Arms project. They'd absolutely love to start frying small fish as examples

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"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes" RKBA!
 
Kevin, you did the right thing, I would be a little suspicous as well. If it was the ATF I am sure your off their list now
biggrin.gif


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We are as one as we all are the same fighting for one cause -Metallica
 
Well, if he is really from Norway, the ATF and FBI can't do anything to him. They could contact Norwegian law enforcement, but I am not certain whether the guy broke Norwegian law as I don't know what Norwegian law is about conspiracy to comitt a crime. The ATF and FBI could have him indicted in the US and ask for extradition but I doubt they would as that would be expensive and lengthy and the most they could give him is a slap on the wrist.
If he is American, however, they may decide to nail him.
 
50-50 odds you were being set up. ATF used to run ads asking for, or offerring to sell, full auto parts. It was classic entrapment, which is their style.
 
Call me an idiot, but I wouldn't have tossed him to the FBI. He was stupid, yes, or maybe entrapping, but it really IS a stupid law. Not breaking it is one thing, sending his info to the FBI is another.

On the other hand, he put that power in your hands by making the offer and will just have to live with the consequences. I doubt that will amount to much.
 
Don I do tend to agree with you. And normally I would not even think about reporting it. But teo thing happened. One: the shear stupidity just pissed me off. The assumption that I might do this. I do not in any way agree with the law. But this. No. this was just stupidity. Secondly I am working on a relationship. A future. A real life. And this moron is asking me to ruin that s he can have a gun. There is probably a reason that this person can not have a gun. and I would bet it is a good one. Thank you but no I would not want to be responsible for arming someone like that. Call it gut instinct.
 
Let's see here. He offers to participate in an illegal activity and offers a price higher than market to make the deal attractive, to entice you to commit a crime. Doesn't that have ALL the marks of entrapment? Surely ATF would not try something that obvious, the case would fall flat on its face. You may know it is illegal to sell through the mail to an individual, but how would you know the State Department regs on exporting war material?
 
Similar things have happened to me on more than one occasion. Back when I was on AOL, I'd go into a chatroom and there'd sometimes be a discussion on guns and stuff, and sooner or later I'd get an instant message asking me if I knew where/how to get class 3 stuff with no paperwork, etc. I've often wondered if any of them were F-troop trolls. I definately wouldn't rule out the possibility.
 
A friend of mine had an FFL but gave it up because he didn't have a storefront. He mostly had it to get guns at wholesale prices.

He was approached at work by a subordinate who started asking him all kinds of questions about guns. The conversation drifted into full auto arms and sound suppressors. My friend told the subordinate he knew about those things and advised him to not get involved in such things. The subordinate approached him a few more times but my friend rebuffed his attempts to talk about full auto and suppressors.

I asked my friend if he ever suspected he was being set up by a BATF snitch. He said he didn't at the time, but the more he thought about it the more it made sense. Prior to the conversations the subordinate showed absolutely no interest in firearms whatsoever.
 
Just for curiositys sake.....where did he acquire the information that you had a pistol for sale???....fubsy.
 
Fubsy, Kevin posted the sale here, apparently. Which means this goof is reading TFL. Doesn't that just make ya feel better.

And no Kevin, I never meant to suggest you should arm the fool.
 
This story reminds me of something strange that took place at the Knob Creek machine gun shoot. I was at the shoot and was watching the firing line. At the firing line this guy comes up and we start talking guns. We decide to leave and up to this piont the conversation has been completely normal. I was a little excited and probably rambling on a bit. Then in a way that just did not make any sense in the conversation at hand, this guy I do not know says something to the effect of " Well I would not buy a full-auto I would just convert mine and not tell anyone." This was a major change in the way the conversation was going and stood out. I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and I got a real weird feeling. At this time I ended the whole conversation and walked away. This was probably just John Doe Citizen but I have always wondered if maybe, just maybe he was BATF.

Later
Daren
 
That was the ATF. Norway has the most lax firearms laws in the world, actually requiring every household to have an automatic weapon, and 100 rounds of ammunition, all government supplied. Want a gun in Norway, go to the store and buy one, no questions asked.
One of the other favorites the bat men use( if you have an ffl) is to send some guy to you who's obviously intoxicated, to see if you'll sell to him.
All in all a spendid group of individuals, modeling their code of ethics after the commander in sleaze.

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Liberty or Death......... without compromise.
 
If I am not mistaken, it is Switzerland that requires every able bodied male to be part of the militia and have an autorifle in their house. Norway has good gun laws, however, for a European nation.
 
Hey I have one for only $700. No questions asked.

Should I tell em it’s a piece of wood with the letters
{HK USP .40.} carved on it or just forget the last 3rd
of the payment.


[This message has been edited by jeffer (edited April 01, 2000).]
 
I recall back in school I had a prof that told us back in his protest years they could always tell who the undercover police are. They are the ones who will always suggest to blow up something. Or steal, break in, rob, or etc.
It is still this way. I understand Randy Weavers "friends" asked him to cut the shotgun barrel right HERE. The point just happened to be just shy of legal. "opps"
It is the easy way to advance your career. Entice someone to break the law.
 
Why would someone in Norway buy a .40 handgun? I don't even think they have .40 bullets out there.

Hmmmm, now what type of person would be interested in an HK USP .40 - especially since they get to keep the gun after making the arrest.
 
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