1911a1 w/restamped Serial Number on Gunbroker

[Scott Gahimer]

The BATF doesn't have to buy anything or stage a sting to make an arrest. Possession alone is illegal. Noboday has to to buy or sell anything to commit a crime. All they have to do is possess an illegal piece.

[imarangemaster]

Keep in mind that I spent 20 years in full time law enforcement, and spent that time chasing real criminals. BUT let me tell you about how Kalifornia DOJ tried to sting me. (I also had an FFL for over 24 years.)

Back in the day, late 80s in Kalifornia, I did gun shows pretty much full time in Kalifornia and NV under my orange US Armory banner, and my licensed premises was in Kaslifornia. (I was on extended disability leave for several years). They had passed the assault weapons ban in Kalifornia and were looking for evil dealers to hang. I had several weapons I registered when the law passed. I was set up at a Reno show at the Nugget, and was fairly well known at the time on the circuit. I sold mail order in shotgun News.

A guy comes up to my table with a mint, NIB AP15 Sp1 Colt green label. As I did mostly black gun stuff then, that was not unusual. He offers it to me at $450 (first clue something is wrong) saying he was hard up for bucks. He was a little too well dressed to be hard up. I told him "No, I can't sell it or take it as I am based in Kalifornia, etc" He pestered me and pestered me. I refused. He came back up to me several times during the day and kept pushing. I also noticed he was only offering it to other Kalifornia dealers. Being a cop, I could smell a sting. I finally told him "Yah, I would take it!" He got a triumphant look, until I told him " I can put it on my books of my manufacturer's license and keep it at that premises in Sparks NV (It was not generally known that I had two licenses, the one in Sparks was to produce a line of commemorative ARs that never took off. Never produced a single gun)

He immediately got angry and demanded to see my license for the NV premises. (Odd behavior for a man desperately selling a gun). I showed him a copy. He grabbed it, looked at it, crumbled it up and stormed out the door, AR in hand.... He knew he had been burned. It is a sad day when they have to try to badger people into breaking the law...