In my detective days I worked in an ATF task force about ten years back. We came out on weekends and jammed up local gangsters with guns. We crushed the gangs local hangouts and used social media on known gangsters. Hell we even stopped kids for curfew and smoking violations in gang infested neighborhoods. We averaged a stolen gun for every three or four stops. The agents I worked with were top notch and very pro gun.

ATF visit war story:
At the gun shop I worked at part time, a Walther TPH came in the door and my boss bought it. Box and manual, all legit. I told my boss I wanted it and bought it from him. 4473 filled out, again all legit. When I shot the TPH, it was bang, bang, jam so I shipped it back to Interarms to get fixed. Several weeks pass and as I returned home from an errand, I spied what I immediately recognized as a low bid unmarked car in my driveway. I then found a dude sitting on my porch, reading my newspaper. In response to my "who the fuck are you" query, he flashed a big Fed badge and IDed himself as BATF. He told me that he was investigating a theft of guns from an interstate shipment and he wanted to know where I got the TPH from. I told him and off he went. As he was getting into his car I asked him if his investigation had discovered that I was a cop. He said he knew and "doesnt matter, cops do illegal stuff too". My boss told me the guy showed up at the store and asked a few questions which my boss answered and that was it. I wrote off the TPH as Federal evidence and got on with my life. I came home from court a couple of months later and the same Fed car was in the driveway and ATF dude was sitting on the porch, this time with my cat in his lap. He handed me a small package heavily wrapped in Federal evidence tape. The TPH had a Federal escort home! He told me the theft turned out to be a paperwork error at Interarms and my ownership of the TPH was fully legal. He shook my hand and made a low bid ride off into the sunset, never to be seen again.
And the damn TPH? I took it to the range and... Bang, bang jam! After all that BS, they did not fix the gun! I later sold it back to my boss.

What I heard was an ATF agent is far more likely to tell someone they're a burlesque stripper lap dancer at the gay bar than let it be known they're actually an ATF agent.
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I talked to a couple ATF officers at their table at a gun show some time ago. They seemed like nice guys.

I took a couple pamphlets to read later.

I know a few ATF agents. You would never know they were ATF unless, like me, you worked on the same floor as them.
The ATF ladies look very much like normal ladies, till you see them in tactical gear. The guys are all different: some with long hair, some with short hair, some with no hair!

However, they are relentless in what they do. If you are afoul of the law, they will find you and prosecute. You just won't know they are around, looking into your business!

I worked a gun shop part time and had met a couple Industry Operations Investigators doing their thing during a compliance audit. I wasn't high enough on the rung at the time to interact so it was of no consequence.

Fast forward a couple years and I went into business and we were interested in some .gov contracts that we would need our FFL for. We had our interview with a really nice IOI. He had done some sort of lateral transfer from DOE as a Nuclear Regulatory Inspector . Super cool fella who really liked and knew his way around guns. He even lamented about guns found in grandpa's attic that were turned in and sometimes destroyed. He genuinely loved firearms and he didn't like it because as a mechanical engineer, he didn't like works of art in mechanics destroyed.

Couple years later he came to do our first compliance inspection and that guy was on point. He knew every regulation and told us exactly what he was doing or looking at as he did it. I always thought my record keeping was pretty good after filling out maintenance forms and log books for Navy aircraft for 20 years. Nope, I got most of the T's crossed and I's dotted, but I did miss a few. He could see they were all minor grammatical or other non nefarious mistakes. He wrote a few of them up and I fixed them in the books as he was going over the list. He came back a couple days later and we went over the fixes officially and that was that.

He did our audit again about three years later. He said my books and 4473s looked much better than the last audit and I didn't get dinged for any repeat mistakes. He still found mistakes, I still fixed them. He came back and we officially went over them again.

If I had need of an answer out of the ATF guide book or clarification on what I was reading, I always called him. His answers were always straightforward, concise, and he would send me an email as a backup stating what he had told me for my or anyones reference. One of his emails saved me on another audit when a different compliance agent dinged me for something and I explained why I did something in such a manner.

I liked that guy. I had a mutual acquaintance and got myself an invite to his retirement party. I didn't take a gift, but my friend took an upgraded bottle.

I've met plenty. ATF was a customer of mine when I worked in DC. I went to their old and new HQ. The agent in charge of the dept. I dealt with was a nice guy, tried to recruit me, said, "Hey, you get to shoot all kinds of awesome guns totally legally and you don't pay for the ammo. What's not to like?"

Once I moved to Phoenix, I went to their local office for the F&F kick off. IIRC, they called it their "Don't Lie for the Other Guy" campaign. I met the main player for F&F who later got "promoted" back to DC. BTW, the wall art in their Phoenix office was murals of what looked their agents in full ninja gear assaulting the Branch Davidian complex in Waco. Can't remember if the bldgs were ID'able in the paintings, but the agents were climbing on the roofs and rappelling and engaged in some sort of dynamic entry. Never forgot about that.

Yea, something I always wonder about for 922r compliance. Which is seriously ludicrous.

Had a friend back in TX who was an agent. She was at Waco and took some shrapnel during the festivities there. She ended up marrying the head of the Texas Rangers. She was the only one I've ever met.

A work buddy from another department went over to ATF as an agent and ended up as a SWAT team medic. A solid pro-gun guy and the best man at my wedding. You may remember a shootout in Maine a number of years ago involving an Outlaws motorcycle bookkeeper- he was there. The bookkeeper opened fire on them from a bedroom window with I believe a Taurus .45. He should have stuck to bookkeeping…

My next door neighbor. Been shooting with him. His wife babysat our kids and dogs. We borrow each other's tools. I've mowed his yard. Been to each other's parties.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
I met 2 of them several years ago, when they paid me a visit asking info on 2 guns I sold years prior that ended up in Mexico. I told them if they checked with Eric. J/k on the last part.

LOL

I cannot imagine every knowingly wanting to be anywhere near let alone talk with anyone from ATF

In my opinion most if them should be in prison and make the Feebs look like boy scouts in trying to railroad honest people.

quote:

Originally posted by Pistolria:
I know one in St Augustine.... He's a shooter and a good guy.

Todd? If so, I agree. He’s a good guy.

quote:

Originally posted by nhtagmember:
I cannot imagine every knowingly wanting to be anywhere near let alone talk with anyone from ATF

In my opinion most if them should be in prison and make the Feebs look like boy scouts in trying to railroad honest people.

Agreed.

I work with the Wife of one here in Nashville. Great guy.

are we talking agents or compliance folks?


I know one retired compliance guy, laid back,
and is what you may call 'knowledgeable in the way of the world'
as in he has seen about every violation know to have been done by FFL/SOT's ,
he helps out one of the local gunshow promoters,

he specialty of sorts before he retired was sorting out NFA issues with paperwork,


another I know thru compliance inspections from years ago has retired, and gone in business as a consultant for FFL's,



of the current group in the compliance , I've met several, and kinda know one,

all great guys, all are not Agents, one is a lawyer by diploma,
they basically are accountants and pre cooties were on the road a few nights a week at various tobacco, alcohol and firearms places

I remember back in the 80's meeting a few agents/career folks (pre the breakup of ATF to DOJ and whatever branch they answer to now) that were total asses,

My son had an FFL, and I met an ATF agent one time when he was being audited. She was very professional.

Outside of working in the firearms industry (or doing something so egregious as to warrant a visit by an Agent), most people will never meet or encounter someone from the ATF.

Every Agent I've met so far have all been solid dudes who are just trying to do their job, and do the right thing. Admittedly, the guys I've met and know are the "worker bees" at the local/regional level.

Most Agents know upper level ATF is screwed up like a football bat, but their concern is stopping the local MS13 branch from getting a shipments AR rifles, putting away the guy who's making straw purchases every other week for the local gangbangers, or preventing Sgt. Smitty from selling hand grenades out the back of his truck.

I'm far from an ATF defender in the big picture - but like every other organization or company on the planet, there are always going to be assholes or exceptions to the rule. But the majority of local agents, IMO, are GTG.

The only time I met an ATF agent was when I had an FFL in another state.

I did have two local police officers knock on the door at our home and ask to see my guns. I let them in and showed them my gun and ammo stash. They were impressed. The male officer said the next time they got a callout, they were coming to my home instead of their armory.

The female officer was my wife's best friend. The male officer was her new boyfriend. They got married in our back yard.