LANCASTER, PA – Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) seized up to 600 firearms from an Amish dairy farmer earlier this month, but authorities have not determined if any laws have been broken.
Amish farmer’s 600 guns were seized. It’s unclear if he broke the law: Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is trying to determine whether one Lancaster County farmer’s sizable gun collection was also his side hustle. https://t.co/PZaSxt56Nz
— Reformed Bully (@ReformedBully) February 12, 2022
Over a dozen agents from the ATF raided the home of farmer Reuben King, who admitted to local media this week that he had bought and sold a number of firearms over the last several years without a Federal Firearms License:
“I’m not going to deny that I was selling some. I was not dealing in handguns, positively not.”
Here's a societal barometer:
When the Amish start 'packing', we're in trouble.An Amish farmer’s 600 guns were seized. It’s unclear if he broke the lawhttps://t.co/aY5qe3GbCh
— Annie van Leur (@AnnevanLeur) February 12, 2022
ATF Spokesperson Robert Cucinotta said agents seized evidence during an “enforcement operation” on Jan. 12 at the Cattail Foundry in Leacock Township, Lancaster County, but declined to comment further.
Two sources familiar with the investigation told the Philadelphia Inquirer that approximately 600 firearms were seized during the operation.
No criminal charges have been filed in the case, and questions remain about the legality of the gun sales, which King claimed were only long guns.
King admits that he has been selling guns without a license, but he insisted they were all part of his personal collection and had nothing to do with the farm”
“I was not dealing in handguns, positively not.”
On Tuesday, Reuben King said the guns taken were part of his personal collection and that the farm had nothing to do with gun sales, calling himself a farmer by trade:
“This is my business: I’m a dairyman.”
An Amish farmer’s 600 guns were seized. It’s unclear how many guns a person can sell before a dealer license is required.#amish https://t.co/JJIhIbfZJ0
— Come And Talk It 🌎 (@ComeAndTalkIt) February 12, 2022
A 15-page document posted to the bureau’s site and titled, “Do I need a license to buy and sell firearms?” states that the federal Gun Control Act “requires that persons who are engaged in the business of dealing in firearms be licensed by the bureau”:
“Determining whether you are ‘engaged in the business’ of dealing in firearms requires looking at the specific facts and circumstances of your activities. bright-line’ rule for when a federal firearms license is required.”
During today's NYC visit, Biden will announce expansion of crackdown on 'iron pipeline' of illegal guns https://t.co/tyeZDWKPcl pic.twitter.com/Afd80HTuHJ
— WCBS Newsradio 880 (@wcbs880) February 3, 2022
The issue at hand is whether King was in the “business” of selling firearms. King has admitted selling long guns, but such sales between individuals is legal. The ATF document indicates a vague explanation for when sales become dealing:
“(A person) will need a license if you repetitively buy and sell firearms with the principal motive of making a profit. (No license is required for) occasional sales of firearms from your personal collection.”
King added that he did not advertise the sale of his guns online and was not aware of how the ATF became aware of the activity. He said he primarily sold long guns to the Amish for hunting, but acknowledged that he sold some to non-Amish, as well.
The ATF has gathered millions of records on US gun owners as the Biden Administration looks to crackdown on Firearms. 👇👇 pic.twitter.com/AtLBGracCp
— ❌Jason A ❌ (@Cuds1246_Jason) November 24, 2021
King claimed the government hasn’t been able to tell him how many guns a person can sell or over what timeframe before a federal firearms license is required.
Bearing Arms writer Cam Edwards pointed out that the raid was part of President Biden’s promise to crack down on illegal gun sales. Edwards wrote that targeting an Amish farmer may not have had the effect the President was looking for:
“The Biden administration has warned that it’s going after ‘rogue gun dealers,’ and while I don’t think busting an Amish farmer would be the public relations coup that Biden’s looking for, the ATF and DOJ could very well decide to make an example out of King if they have evidence he was selling a large number of firearms without obtaining an FFL.
“I’m sympathetic to the fact that the Amish can’t purchase a firearm from their local gun store because they generally don’t have a photo ID, which in essence requires them to purchase from a private seller.
“It wouldn’t shock me if there are some Amish gun owners out there who are in that grey zone of making more than a few incidental sales while not engaging in the same volume that you’d typically see from someone making a living as a gun dealer, and it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see the Biden administration claim they’re ‘doing something’ to address violent crime by cracking down on them.. even if most of those sales are to other friends and family living in an Amish paradise.”
While announcing new action items to his gun control initiatives, Biden calls Glock handguns a “weapon of war”
February 4, 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C.- On Thursday, February 3rd, President Joe Biden announced that the armed suspect who shot New York Police Department (NYPD) officers Jason Rivera and Wilbert Mora used a Glock handgun, which he then described as a “weapon of war.”
Watch below:
Biden says that a “glock with 40 rounds” is “a weapon of war”
pic.twitter.com/dwL4EGWxOw— Greg Price (@greg_price11) February 3, 2022
According to reports, Biden said that the individual who shot Rivera and Mora used a “stolen Glock” handgun, for which the shooter had 40 rounds. The president emphasized by saying, “A magazine with 40 rounds.” He then added, “It’s … a weapon of war.”
Earlier that day, on Thursday, February 3rd, the White House reportedly put out a press release outlining Biden’s plan to launch a new gun control initiative.
The initiative, which has been title the National Ghost Gun Initiative, will allegedly “train a national cadre of prosecutors and disseminate investigation and prosecution tools to help bring cases against those who use ghost guns to commit crimes.”
Law enforcement officials say nothing will change if Biden continues blaming guns – or railing against cannons, as he did Thursday – and not focusing on the criminals perpetrating the violent crime and homicides. https://t.co/wQhdYNHmjn
— Newsmax (@newsmax) February 4, 2022
In the press release, the White House also noted that Biden plans to step up actions against “unlicensed dealers” who sell firearms without background checks. The press release said that the new actions the Department of Justice (DOJ) plans to take are:
Crack down on the ‘Iron Pipeline’ – the illegal flow of guns sold in the south, transported up the East Coast, and found at crime scenes in cities from Baltimore to New York City – and other firearms trafficking by adding personnel and other resources to strengthen the Justice Department’s multi-jurisdictional task forces that target interstate firearms trafficking; and
Pursue unlawful gun sellers that put firearms in the wrong hands by taking steps such as prioritizing federal prosecutions of those who criminally sell or transfer firearms that are used in violent crimes, including unlicensed dealers who sell guns to criminals without the required background checks.
According to Breitbart News, Federal Firearms License holders (FFLs) are required by federal law to perform a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) check on every gun they sell, whether new or used.
However, the media outlet noted that federal law does not require a NICS check to be performed in a private sale where a neighbor sells a gun to a neighbor or one individual sells a gun to a lifelong friend.
Biden campaigned on a gun control platform, going so far as to pledge to take down gun manufacturers.
On February 24, 2020, Breitbart News reported that Biden referenced gun makers during a South Carolina campaign speech, saying “I’m going to take you down.”
He made his statement after referencing the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act of 2005 (PLCAA). The PLCAA is designed to shield gun manufacturers from lawsuits in scenarios where the guns in question were legally made and legally sold.
Biden, pitching new federal gun control measures, falsely claims “there is no amendment that's absolute” pic.twitter.com/uihWopXilA
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 3, 2022
During an appearance on the campaign trail in New Hampshire, Biden said it was a “mistake” to give “gun manufacturers … a loophole that does not allow them to be sued for the carnage they are creating.” Biden added:
“The first thing I’m going to do as president is work to get rid of that and it’s going to be hard.”
While on the campaign trail in South Carolina, Biden went even further, saying:
“I’ve got news for your gun manufacturers. I’m coming for you and I’m going to take you down.”
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