Help us find Annie
Nine most dangerous words in the language
If you are not a gun-rights fanatic/activist/whatever, you may have missed the continuing saga of how the BATFE has declared war on a fourth-generation family owned gun shop in Twin Falls, Idaho. The name of the place is Red's Trading Post, and the current owner is Ryan Horsley. Mr. Horsley has been brave enough to document all the harrassment he has suffered at the hands of rogue government functionaries. You can find information about his situation at the Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership web page, or Horsley's own blog.
As you might expect, others who have found themselves similarly misused have been sharing their stories with Horsley, and this one in particular bears being repeated here in its entirety. I do not know the name or location of the narrator of this horror story, but I'm doing my best to track it down, and I'm more than 99% certain it's legitimate. Read, and be outraged:
My house burned down about a year ago. I almost died trying to find my dog in the smoke and flames, but I could not find him. The fire started in the garage from faulty electrical wiring. and the flames had engulfed the entire garage within a couple of minutes.
Unfortunately, I had just filled 3 bar-b-que propane tanks that day and set them in the garage. When those exploded, the additional heat caused my hunting ammunition and cabinet full of paint cans to explode. All of that was bad enough, but then my oxy/accedaline [sic] tanks exploded and the blast shook the neighborhood.
After the fire was out, I had the painful task of burying my dog. I could hardly see the hole I was digging through all the tears in my eyes. I had just laid him to rest when an ATF agent walked up and started asking me questions. He said that he had just listened to the 911 calls that had come in from the neighbors when the fire started. He said that there were 14 calls, and 8 of them reported bombs going off inside the garage. I explained that the neighbors simply heard the paint cans, ammunition, and black powder exploding from the heat. At that point he said, "Tell me more about the black powder, because as it stands you are facing 10 years." WHAT? Ten years for 10-20 lbs. of black powder? I told him that the law allows an individual to keep 50 lbs at home, and I had no where near that amount. He told me that in "His Town", he expects a phone call if I keep as much as a firecracker at my house. Since I had not been in contact with him, he said he was inclined to believe that my black powder was intended for bomb manufacturing. I told him a jury would hear the truth and see that the whole thing is absolutely ridiculous! He then told me that jury's are simply decorative ornaments in court cases the ATF is involved with, because the Federal Government does not lose. After two hours of questioning me and threatening me with prison, he wrote me a $500 "fireworks" citation. He told me I better count my blessings and be happy with just a citation.
When he handed me that citation, I was absolutely stunned. I said, "last night I lost my house and all of my possessions to the fire, I just buried my dog that I loved like a child, and you are writing me a $500.00 "fireworks" citation for having 20 lbs of black powder in my garage?" His response, again, was "yes, count your blessings." Before he left, he said, "Be aware that the ATF knows who you are now and where you live.....You better not cross paths with us again".Cross paths with them??? My house burned down for God's sake! I didn't cross paths with those evil bastards. They found me, and then victimized me when I was at the lowest point in my life! I don't have as much as a traffic ticket on my record, but the ATF is "watching me" now?"