heavymetal
05-05-2005, 01:44 PM
After nearly 2 weeks with an ATF inspection in our shop we wanted to get the word out to all Florida dealers and law enforcement officers about Federal Firearms Law ATF is now enforcing.
Background.
Under Florida law, law enforcement officers (for obvious reasons) are entitled to list their agency address on ALL legal documents as well as on their driver's license to ensure that their residence address information does not get into the wrong hands. Hence, a vast majority of Florida law enforcement officers from the local, state, and federal level have exercised their right to this protection and the agency address is reflected on their driver's license.
The "officer 4473 dilema".
ATF notified us that we cannot accept ANY GOVERNMENT ISSUED IDENTIFICATION with anything other than the firearm purchaser's actual, real physical address on it for any reason, period. Further, if the address on the driver's license or other state issued ID does not match the address on the 4473, we also cannot sell them a gun.
End Net Result.
No officer who exercises his right to privacy under Florida law can legally purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer....period. Why you ask?
1. If he exercises this right, his driver's license will show the agency address, not his home address.
2. His physical residential address will obviously be different than the agency address on the license and because of that, even if the officer lists his real residential address on the 4473 the dealer cannot sell him the firearm because the address is different than that on his license, according to ATF inspectors today.
3. If he lists the agency address on the 4473 then he's perjuring himself since obviously, he doesn't reside at the agency even though that residence address is protected under Florida privacy law for law enforcement and is authorized for use on ANY DOCUMENT WHERE THE OFFICER'S PRIVACY MAY BE COMPROMISED.
Florida dealers and officers, please, write and call your congress people, ATF, police union reps, agency heads, anyone you can get ahold of who will listen. What in the hell is happening when we're preventing the very people hired to prevent crime from getting the tools to do the job we hired them for?
How am I supposed to tell one of my customers who work an undercover narcotics detail that "I'm sorry, we can't sell you a duty gun unless you go get a new driver's license and post your home address for the world to see", which of course means, any kid you arrest who now works at the cell phone store can pull your credit and find out where you live in 30 seconds or less.
I don't believe that this net effect was ever the intent of the law, but it is in fact Federal law and affects every single law enforcement officer and FFL holder in the country.
The President signed into law the officer's right to carry nationally, we now need to get together and find a solution to ths problem for the law enforcement community as a whole.
Drew
FFL/SOT
Heavy Metal Armory
www.MachineGun.com
941-741-8282
Background.
Under Florida law, law enforcement officers (for obvious reasons) are entitled to list their agency address on ALL legal documents as well as on their driver's license to ensure that their residence address information does not get into the wrong hands. Hence, a vast majority of Florida law enforcement officers from the local, state, and federal level have exercised their right to this protection and the agency address is reflected on their driver's license.
The "officer 4473 dilema".
ATF notified us that we cannot accept ANY GOVERNMENT ISSUED IDENTIFICATION with anything other than the firearm purchaser's actual, real physical address on it for any reason, period. Further, if the address on the driver's license or other state issued ID does not match the address on the 4473, we also cannot sell them a gun.
End Net Result.
No officer who exercises his right to privacy under Florida law can legally purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer....period. Why you ask?
1. If he exercises this right, his driver's license will show the agency address, not his home address.
2. His physical residential address will obviously be different than the agency address on the license and because of that, even if the officer lists his real residential address on the 4473 the dealer cannot sell him the firearm because the address is different than that on his license, according to ATF inspectors today.
3. If he lists the agency address on the 4473 then he's perjuring himself since obviously, he doesn't reside at the agency even though that residence address is protected under Florida privacy law for law enforcement and is authorized for use on ANY DOCUMENT WHERE THE OFFICER'S PRIVACY MAY BE COMPROMISED.
Florida dealers and officers, please, write and call your congress people, ATF, police union reps, agency heads, anyone you can get ahold of who will listen. What in the hell is happening when we're preventing the very people hired to prevent crime from getting the tools to do the job we hired them for?
How am I supposed to tell one of my customers who work an undercover narcotics detail that "I'm sorry, we can't sell you a duty gun unless you go get a new driver's license and post your home address for the world to see", which of course means, any kid you arrest who now works at the cell phone store can pull your credit and find out where you live in 30 seconds or less.
I don't believe that this net effect was ever the intent of the law, but it is in fact Federal law and affects every single law enforcement officer and FFL holder in the country.
The President signed into law the officer's right to carry nationally, we now need to get together and find a solution to ths problem for the law enforcement community as a whole.
Drew
FFL/SOT
Heavy Metal Armory
www.MachineGun.com
941-741-8282