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A Texas man who posted on Facebook that he was selling his own guns was placed under warrantless surveillance by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). The ATF investigated the man, found no evidence, yet gave his information to the FBI to monitor him for at least six months.

According to internal documents reviewed by The Epoch Times, two ATF special agents interviewed the Hispanic man who admitted to “advertising” his personal firearms for sale on Facebook. He stated that he had a “habit” of purchasing new guns, tinkering with them, losing interest, and subsequently selling them. The man told the agents that he never made a profit.

“I kept waiting for the part where ATF identified something illegal, and it never came,” Eric Olson, a lawyer for Gun Owners of America (GOA) told The Epoch Times. GOA obtained the records through its ongoing Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the ATF and FBI. This production is more heavily redacted than the previous ten, with entire pages covered in black.

“They are monitoring this guy for doing what millions of other hobbyists do—selling part of their personal collection. That’s not a crime, but apparently ATF doesn’t like people turning over their guns at a high rate,” Mr. Olson said.

— Emily Miller in FBI Carried Out Warrantless Monitoring on Man Who Posted Guns for Sale on Facebook

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128 COMMENTS

  1. Hope they monitor them with the same diligence they do terrorist that hit us time and time again. Hope they use the same hard line tactics they used on BLM during the riots. Hope they use the same code of enforcement they use for the current administration.
    We all know that if they don’t like you they’ll get you and if they are told to do or not do the will like the good little minions they are. Nothing new

  2. Let’s see who gets targeted? Person making the History of Gun Control an embarrassing problem for Gun Control zealots or the gutless wonders on this forum who bark at The History of Gun Control?

    It’s just like hypocrites who use their Made In China devices to bark at firearms Made In Turkey. I hate to rain on the parade of such gasbag stupidity but all firearms are evaluated from the outside in and the inside out. Barking at product origin and using hot air to call something junk is pathetic; it really must hurt when a product that deserves success succeeds.

    • What in the world are you babbling about?
      The point of the article is warrantless surveillance on legal gun owners.
      Not whether or not your Chinesium knock offs fall apart upon first use, or if enthusiasts laugh at you for buying junk.
      #PoorsBeingButthurt

    • Uh-oh, Debbie, you just described yourself as one that will be targeted.

      I’m safe, though, since I just bark at The History of Gun Control. Arf! Arf!

    • It’s not so much where it comes from that makes it junk, junk is junk. Pakistan makes good knives too if you know how to tweak them. Out of the box they are pretty much junk.

      • possum…If you knew anything about the ins and outs of firearms you would have purchased or assembled the M1A you said long ago you were saving for…Being as I have built Match M1As and worked on many I was willing to assist you with M1A info that any person in the position of saving for a M1A would need. When I asked you recently about having acquired an M1A your reply was maybe and maybe not or some bs along that line. In other words when the day comes you sell on Gun Broker a M1A you built from a stripped receiver and the buyer invites you and yours to his two states away home for a cookout all expenses paid then you can talk to me about what is junk and what is not.

        • If you must know, No I never did get the M14. Other bills with more priorities.
          Some day, ,,,maybe, maybe not.

    • I’m about 80% sure Debbie is a bot. Its posts take little bits from the topic at hand then spin off into nonsensical unrelated sentences. I wish the mods would ban this bot.

    • Deb you nasty crunt if you despise the people here so much why don’t you just leave ?
      I for one am tired of your never ending babbling

      • tired…You sound like a tiredturd who has a problem with women. Try tying some popsicle sticks around it shorty.

        • I have no problem with women. I do have a problem with nasty crunts that babble on and on about the same worn out things.
          You complain like a old twat that never gets laid and I understand why. oh and shove your popsicle sticks up your…eeewwww that almost made me puke…

        • tired…You are the problem you ignorant gasbag, you really do need those popsicle sticks…shorty.

    • “I hate to rain on the parade of such gasbag stupidity…”

      If there’s anyone who’s an expert at gasbag stupidity, it’s lil deb the ding-bat. She’s just like the moron who used to babble on-and-on in here about autism caused by life-saving safe medicines.

      Dance, ding-bat. I order you to make a complete fool of yourself, yet again… 🙂

      • Looking back it is a shame such trolling was as effective as it was derailing legitimate discussion on whether number and various types of vaccines were medically beneficial, necessary, safe, or effective at various stages. Many probably are fine but it is absolutely nonsense that manufacturers cannot be held liable for defective products (when they occur) and they are effectively mandatory unless you really do not interact with publicly funded institutions. Ah well score one for corporate astroturf on that topic.

      • oldsht…Not only have you slandered POTUS DJT numerous times exactly like a mealy mouth democRat would you slandered his voters too.

        After I called you out 4 times for slandering POTUS DJT and his voters your spinning responses were nothing short of your same old joe biden level tough guy imitation.

        You had plenty of prior opportunities to state who you voted for. That said if you think I believe you voted for POTUS DJT in 16, 20 and will do in 24 as you said then your pathetic lowlife lying azz must be dreaming.

        • LOL and you miss the joke like a retard misses the point. By the way you have any relevant content re fighting tyranny or are you still on the despot bad virtue signaling kick there darkie?

        • void…You couldn’t fight your way out of a wet paper bag much less fight tyranny…A little democRat lint licker like you thinks the world began on the day you were was potty trained. By your own History bashing anything related to tyranny is out of your wheelhouse you History illiterate twit.

        • LOL Deb you have yet to post anything that 40cal hasn’t gifted you. You have failed to articulate how any of your ramblings are relevant let alone accurate. And when anybody points this out you go for typical hole attacks at their genitalia because in the end you are a vapid attention whore that found a niche. Now either prove your words or degenerate further. Nobody owes your crazy ass shit especially when they actually contribute more than baseless attacks when their assertations are questioned.

    • Back in the good old days there was a guns section in the classifieds of my local newspaper. I sold a couple that way. There’s nothing wrong with selling guns on Facebook. You’re basically letting the ATF tell you what to think.

      • Lol.

        Last time l tried classifieds l got a handful of calls – from folks just across the State line who wanted me to drive up there to show it to them, or “needed to buy one from out of their home state”, or wanted one as a Christmas present for their nephew, who lost his cause he “got caught shining deer”, etc, etc.

        I doubt any of these calls were real.

        l finally gave up.

  3. The FBI should have been monitoring the ATF.

    The ATF signed documents verifying that thousands guns were destroyed by them. Later, those guns supposedly destroyed by the ATF started turning up at crime scenes and on the streets in hands of criminals, and accounted for ~87% of the guns recovered at crime scenes or from criminals.

    • One of the most corrupt agencies in the federal government should have been monitoring one of the other most corrupt agencies in the federal government? Don’t make me laugh.

        • It was a bit extreme but you are essentially a spam bot so while I do not support your being banned I understand where he is coming from. Now go post something stupid for my entertainment.

  4. We all, in the gun owning community, are taking the wrong approach. We should be asserting that having guns will make you turn gai…..or tranz….or any of the purversi0n flavors…no surgery needed….the more guns you purchase, the tran-nier you will become. Presto, Change-oh!!! Government support for gun ownership!!! They might even make it mandatory!!

    No science required.

  5. I do not think that the elf bee eyes need warrants. Besides,
    Our President is trying to protect us from the impending invasions from foreign countries. If there is a rifle behind every blade of grass that just means the invaders will burn all the grass.
    People just dont get how Our President’s mind works.

    • I belong to 2 fakebook groups that obviously sell gats by members. Never had any intentions of buying one from a meetup at “the range”. Wasn’t that long ago fakebook “allowed” selling gats”. Be careful dimwits. You don’t own fakebook🙄

  6. I sure feel better knowing that the FIB is monitoring Fascistbook.

    Oh, wait – haven’t they been working the inside with Zuck and his bucks for years now?
    So what’s changing? Aren’t the idiots who think it’s OK to sell guns on Fascistbook aware of that?

    • LOL, do you actually think it’s illegal for an individual to share pictures of a firearm on FB?
      If it is advertised for sale it may violate the FB terms of service, but illegal? Not in America.

      • Being legal or not isn’t really a question. A firearm actually being for sale vs. simple pictures of guns doesn’t mean much either. The only factor to consider is that it’s Facebook.

  7. .40,

    You seem to be implying criminal behavior on the part of one of our premier law enforcement agencies. You are implying that transferring siezed firearms to criminals is somehow a crime. Clearly, you are mistaken. Transferring those firearms to law-abiding gun owners would have been criminal, because those gun owners oppose the government’s will. Criminals are doing exactly what the Feds want: creating chaos and misery. So, criminals can legally have guns while you cannot

    It really is that simple.

  8. The story seems a little odd … not the government-overreach part, but the Failbook part. They don’t allow firearm sales at all, for-sale listings are screened, and they’re pretty aggressive about blocking it. I once won myself a temporary ban for posting a listing for a piece of electronics that happened to have the model number AK16. The barely-literate Indian contractor who banned me didn’t seem to grasp that I wasn’t selling a firearm — or that no firearm is called AK16.

    • Outright advertisement of “for sale” is not allowed and usually quickly flagged. There are many ways to communicate the desire to sell within private groups. Usually those groups have a minimal vetting process.

        • Nothing wrong with undermining Facebook’s rules. I don’t care if they would ban me. I’m their product. Businesses that ban their own products are dumb.

          I barely have Facebook. Made an account for hay and farm equipment sales and hardly ever use it.

    • But the idiots have no idea if/how many moles were at the Capital on Jan 6!

      I’m sure TTAG has fed twits monitoring. Lil D and Miner?

      • neioea…minor and darcy do not even register when there is the toughguy talking oldshtgeoff is slandering POTUS DJT and his voters. With that said are you going to be like the gutless wonders on this forum and sit there like a wimp and allow the biden lint licker oldshtgeoff to pee on your leg and tell you it’s raining?

  9. lol
    It isn’t like no one knows anything about Facebook. It’s not like no one experienced getting shutdown and locked out over mere discussion regarding Covid shots. Who is it that does NOT understand how leftist Zuckerberg is and how he WILL do the bidding of the Democrat party?

    Come on guys!? Get a clue. Wake up and smell the coffee!

    If you are selling guns over Facebook then you are doing so KNOWING it’s being monitored and watched. If this is news to you then well…’Here’s your sign’. Because it isn’t THAT the wind is blowing. It’s WHAT the wind is blowing.

  10. At this point any honest person who halfway pays attention knows there are two versions of “justice” in the US, one for the Democrats where bad behavior gets a slap on the wrist, and another that involves lies and entrapment and persecution followed by prosecution and over charging.

    • It’s a good thing it was always legal to sell your guns privately, with zero government involvement at the founding of this country, we’ll use that to dismantle those fascist laws that still exist…

      • oldsht…But aren’t you the pos that runs around like a cockroach leaving trails of slander against POTUS DJT and his voters?…Tell me how you slandering POTUS DJT and his voters exactly like a Gun Control democRat is going to dismantle the fascist laws you so often claim to disdain? Answer the question like a man…no lengthy boring biography needed, just answer the question.
        BTW, you recommending Nicki Haley for POTUS showed just how politically inept you are…Now man up and answer the question.

        • Still waiting on you to back up any of your statements with any relevant facts that better men did not provide for you. Is it research or reading comprehension that gets you?

    • Yup and worse if you had either security clearance (for actual need) or involvement in counter terror (specifically raids intel and psyops). Gotta keep track of loose equipment.

      • “Gotta keep track of loose equipment.”

        Good news is….when we finally get electronic soldiers, we can just turn them off.

        • Electronic soldiers.
          The PTB had better speed that up a bit because our military ain’t what it used to be. Kind of hard to get enlistments up when not even our own president has any pride or patriotism for the country.
          I suppose it might be that UCrane’s dairy cows make better ice cream?

  11. I wonder if they’re also monitoring notorious firearms violator Hunter Biden the same as all those they have little to no probable cause for monitoring like the communists did during the Cold War?

    • Are you kidding? If they cared enough to do that then we would all know who smuggled cocaine into the WhiteHouse.

  12. y’all need to watch this, the whole thing. Your internet searches alone can bring the ATF to your door…

    Precursor to ATF Raids? You. Bet. ATF Agents Put You on Notice, Government Tracks Search History? Is the ATF monitoring what you you search for online? On Gunbroker? There is some evidence that the answer may be yes. Check out the video to get the scoop.

  13. Leftist Brazilian President Lula Signs Decree to Restrict Gun Ownership

    Lula: Government “cannot allow gun arsenals to be in the people’s hands.”

    Friday’s presidential decree is a part of a move by the Socialist Lula to undo the legacy of President Bolsonaro. According to a 2022 report, over a million Brazilians own guns. This is three times higher than the number of legal gun owners before Bolsonaro came to power in 2019.https://legalinsurrection.com/2023/07/leftist-brazilian-president-lula-signs-decree-to-restrict-gun-ownership/

  14. Facebook is the 21st century version of the 19th century newspaper. That’s how you get the word out if you want to sell a gun. Or anything else.

    • ok

      As for me, if I wanted to sell a gun I’d take it to my LGS.

      Treating FB like it’s any kind of newspaper is one of the reasons why so many people are so woefully misinformed.

      • LOL, “I’d take it to my LGS”.
        You win the Fudd Post of the Day award.
        (FB doesn’t make posts. It’s up to the consumer to vet information and become informed)

        • I’m not sure what you mean. Facebook users make posts. Not Facebook. That isn’t even in question. Neither is it in question what responsibilities are there for the buyer and the seller.

          and uh…There is nothing FUDD about taking guns to the LGS to sell. That is a bit confusing.

      • I am constantly amazed by folks who think they have a reasonable expectation of privacy for information they voluntarily post on public social media sites, hilarious.

        If these kids had lived through the 60s and the federal government’s surveillance/sabotage of the antiwar movement they would know what to expect today.

        The ‘Walking Dude’ was an FBI agent.

  15. @SAFEupstateFML
    “So like the VA just more efficient.”

    If electronic soldiers get damaged, we turn them over to mechanics, not medics.

      • “so no change or they may need to be qualified now?”

        Which “they” would need certification?

        Either way, there is likely an app for that, or MSoft will create an online training series, for a one-payment lifetime access

        • It starts as a joke then becomes policy……..yeah I don’t wonder why recruitment is down across the board.

  16. @neiowa
    “Can turn off that “do no harm to humans” part.”

    Of course. If you can make it, you can break it; just programming.

  17. @possum
    “I suppose it might be that UCrane’s dairy cows make better ice cream?”

    Ice cream from UCrane cows might be more Kreemlinly.

  18. No doubt there is some government flunky monitoring this board as well.
    And you can bet everyone who posts here is on someone’s shitlist.
    Never had a Facebook page/site/whatever. Never used Instagram, or any of the other social media sites. Get what little I need from web pages like this and a few other news/discussion sights. problem is ever fewer news sites/discussion boards are allowing free thought/speech.
    Next will be limiting choices for music, video, or reading material. The thought police will soon be monitoring your brainwaves. Must protect you from thinking unapproved thoughts.
    Unless of course your either an actual criminal, or party favored government stooge. Then you can buy, sell, steal, own and use any firearm or commit any crime against the taxpaying citizens.

    • I doubt it’s a gov flunky, probably someone smart enough to hack into our shit using comments and replys data.
      That’s one reason I quit selling raffle tickets to win one of the UniverseEndingEaterofSunsandGalaxiesPerpetualFusionNuetrinoBlomb+p, I got.
      I keep them hid at the bottom of Lake Baikal just in case anybody wants to know.

    • “No doubt there is some government flunky monitoring this board as well”

      Yep, it’s the guy who posts all the pro-gun YouTube videos as bait.

      • minor49iq…Just say you fear seeing the Truth be Told so you blame the messenger like the marxist guy/gal/it you are.

  19. § 241

    18 U.S. Code § 241 – Conspiracy against Rights

    If two or more persons conspire to injure, oppress, threaten, or intimidate any person in any State, Territory, Commonwealth, Possession, or District in the free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege secured to him by the Constitution or laws of the United States, or because of his having so exercised the same; or

    If two or more persons go in disguise on the highway, or on the premises of another, with intent to prevent or hinder his free exercise or enjoyment of any right or privilege so secured—

    They shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and if death results from the acts committed in violation of this section or if such acts include kidnapping or an attempt to kidnap, aggravated sexual abuse or an attempt to commit aggravated sexual abuse, or an attempt to kill, they shall be fined under this title or imprisoned for any term of years or for life, or both, or may be sentenced to death.

    • “§ 241 18 U.S. Code § 241 – Conspiracy against Rights”

      And?

      Ever wonder why so many alleged violations of that provision are never charged? There is a reason. “§ 241 18 U.S. Code § 241 – Conspiracy against Rights” is ephemeral, selective, and almost entirely ignored, because it benefits government.

      If the people injured by violations of the referenced law refuse to challenge the violations, the “law” isn’t really a “law”, is it?

  20. Section 242 of Title 18 makes it a crime for a person acting under color of any law to willfully deprive a person of a right or privilege protected by the Constitution or laws of the United States.

  21. Can someone please explain why the police need a warrant to monitor a public space? Yes they need a warrant for your private property. Your private papers personal things and effects.

    But the paparazzi can and does photograph and follow you around. In public. The SC ruled decades ago you have not expectation of privacy in public.

    I get that the paranoid believe they are being “watched” all the time.

    I thought FB was against any gun content??? I do know that private companies do monitor FB. And things you post have gotten people fired. Or not hired.
    And nothing stops your political enemies from sending FB information to the police.

    We’re in the 21st century information age. Get in your “bunker.” And stay there. Or just keep living your life.

    • “I get that the paranoid believe they are being “watched” all the time. ”

      Just because I am paranoid does not mean “they” aren’t out to get me.

    • Public posts they don’t need anything but they would get the warrant for the private messages and internet history to datamine further and figure out what additional warrants for residence/business/phone/other people involved will be needed. With that said some states have different policies and involve warrants at earlier stages. But yeah don’t commit crimes or at least don’t do them in a public setting and/or commit more than one crime at a time etc.

        • *when police are present and able to police

          Not that we have a few departments in NY that have as many (if not more) officers trolling the internet for low hanging fruit than we do patrolling the streets or anything. https://reddit.com/r/nyguns take warning (not that they don’t already know/had confirmed from warrants already)

  22. @SAFEupstateFML
    “..yeah I don’t wonder why recruitment is down across the board.”

    Interesting to me is that in economic uncertainty, the military offers a haven for those seeking jobs. Not seeing that, this time around.

    If recruitment is truly a problem, DOD can simply go to a “take all comers” approach to hiring.

    • To some extent they were doing that but with more and more being shown and accurately portrayed of what military life is now (and it was getting bad a decade ago for various reasons) the meme of the tax services sign flipper telling recruiters to fuck off is not entirely inaccurate. The one recruiter I know that is still doing it hasn’t hit her numbers in 4 years and this year is at least 10 behind what should be happening (single digit number of successful recruitments) and that is before we get into the typical attrition issues of injuries, intoxication, and incarceration all of which are up. For getting raw numbers it would take either a 9/11 level recruitment event or a draft (which would go spectacularly I am sure)

      • “For getting raw numbers it would take either a 9/11 level recruitment event…”

        One wonders. Being safely protected on the government plantation of completely dependent serfs might prove the popular choice, vs. the dangers of patriotism.

  23. FaceBook does not allow sales of firearms and their word crawler would have not have allowed the ad(s) to get as far as being seen. So what is this ATF passing to FBI? FaceBook marketplace has plenty of scams for almost new 4×4 trucks for a couple grand plus numerous items that nobody will respond to a possible buyer.
    I saw my stolen Browning Hi-Power on Armslist and contacted the police that had taken the theft report but I guess you cannot get an IP from any classified ad website. I suppose the thief placed the ad just to infuriate me.
    Let’s see what DoubleU W Debbie You sayeth.
    How many have died working in nuclear weapons plants from radiation poisoning in the name of “National Security”? Should they not receive posthumous awards and a National Federal Monday Holiday 3 Day Weekend With Pay?

    American citizens owning firearms cannot be considered terrorists unless a foreign terrorist residing in America thwarts a mugger or rapist etc by using their AK47 or detonating their suicide bomb knapsack (but only in a safe manner that does not harm innocent bystanders if there is such a thing). This only makes sense.

    Speaking of Donald Trump and this sudden late-in-life crime spree resulting in numerous indictments indicate? Who does he think he is? Tommy Chong? And where does one get those envelopes that say “Top Secret” in big red letters on them? Same place that sells white canvas sacks with a big black “$” on them that robbers are seen with? And Superman can only fool democrats with a disguise consisting of a pair of glasses. Speaking of which, if you see lady Justice down at the DOJ tell her to take the blindfold off already, since she cannot seem to hear the corruption maybe she will see it. (See if Hunter Biden has left any cocaine in her scales while you are at it)

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