ATF conducting house to house gun searches

[Mannlicher]

In Houston Texas, the ATF is concentrating on tracking down 'suspicious' gun purchases, and going house to house to see the guns, conduct interviews, and snoop around.

The BATF is prohibited from maintaining a data base on gun owners, so how are they able to do this legally?

I believe this is a test, and soon they will be going to everyone's home that fills out a form 4473.

link to story (http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6505651.html)

[rjm713]

Hi, They wouldn't need a database. The article says they are going around to dealers which means they are using the dealers "bound book" record of sales to make up their list of people to visit. Those never expire and in fact are required to be turned in to BATF if the dealer goes out of business I believe. Happy thoughts Ralph

[BluegrazzGuy]

Sounds like good police work to me. Nothing different than looking at pawnshop records and looking for suspicious items to look for theives. If they knock, you don't have to open the door. If you open the door, you don't have to answer. These agents are trying to track down illegal straw purchasers, mostly running guns to Mexico.

[kenhwind]

This seems like BATFE earning their paychecks and not a "door to door search for firearms".
Doesn't look like a "Big Brother" crackdown on Joe gun owner.

[Aguila Blanca]

These agents are trying to track down illegal straw purchasers, mostly running guns to Mexico.
That might be true ... if significant numbers of the drug cartels' guns were coming from the United States. Which, by the way, they are not. If this exercise is not a smoke screen or trial balloon, then it's a monumental waste of time and resources, because the net effect south of the border (or noth) is going to be very close to zero.

This seems like BATFE earning their paychecks and not a "door to door search for firearms".
Doesn't look like a "Big Brother" crackdown on Joe gun owner.
How is trying to blame Americans for Mexico's drug and gun problems earning their paychecks? They are showing up, without a warrant and with no probable cause, and "asking" to snoop around. If you know anything about the way gummint agents operate, I sincerely doubt that many of the people whose doors get knocked on even understand that saying, "Not today, thank you" is an option.

[kenhwind]

Well I read the link and it certainly didn't appear that ATF was searching Houston TX "house to house" looking for Joe the Gun Owner.
When they do that you'll know it because they will be wearing Ninja Suits and carrying machine guns, and a Black Huey overhead ready to disintergrat you home.