BATFE Agents watching

I am on several Gun pages on Facebook. Couple of days ago, on one of them that does a lot of trading, buying selling, and holds auctions, an BATFE Agent identified himself. Told the members to halt the auctions but they were allowed to buy, sell, trade. Wonder why no auctions, did some searching and couldn't find anything that said no one could do it.

Also makes me wonder if maybe we don't have an agent or two here. Not that it bothers me, everything I do is legal.

Yeah, why would an agent contact him that way, probably just some idiot goofing around and/or being a azzhat.

You shouldn't believe everything you read on the interwebs.

Apparently the owner/moderator of the page contacted the BATFE with the Agents name and it actually was an agent, and they told him they monitor most FB gun pages. I am waiting on a response from a question I asked about it. Ill post the responce when it comes through.

Huh. Wouldn't have thought they would inform people they are being monitored...

Response:
They contacted him and he then talked with them on the phone. Given who they are, they were actually alot nicer than I expected. They explained what we needed to do to be compliant with the law and otherwise didnt bust our chops. I only mentioned it because someone on a 1911 group page kept posting pics of a highly illegal cut-down sks and was drawing undue attention to the group. He should count himself lucky the BATF didnt contact him.


My own note: The cut down SKS he is talking about was a picture the guy got from another site and reposted. He asked what it was and some told him its a SBR and without a stamp an illegal weapon. Then the mod removed it. I doubt ATF cared.

TankerHC wrote:Response:
They explained what we needed to do to be compliant with the law and otherwise didnt bust our chops.

What needs to be done to be compliant?

I'm with you, I don't break the law so I don't have any worries.

They're always watching and putting us all on lists.

It is known that they keep an eye on the "Equipment Exchange" on arfcom. Shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that they'd watch internet sales and message boards.

I'm always on somebody's list!!!

It is now SOP to monitor all firearms sites. Part of "Homeland Security" post-9/11, and remember, our new Director of Homeland Security believes that 'domestic terrorism', ie conservative christian heterosexual white male gun enthusiasts, are the major threat to national security. So yeah, it is a cliche, but Big Brother really IS watching you. And in a way I would think them negligent if they didn't; we expect them to monitor jihadi websites & forums, and there are some nutjobs who have tried to post to this very forum, so the argument is there for monitoring. I don't know where the "happy medium" lies. So just think about what you post before you hit the "Send" button, avoid undue attention.

I claim top bunk in the re-education camp!

You might have missed the announcement:

http://www.infowars.com/big-sis-to-monitor-twitter-for-signs-of-social-unrest/

Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary Caryn Wagner announced that the federal agency would implement new guidelines that would focus on “gleaning information from sites such as Twitter and Facebook for law enforcement purposes.”

NRA_guy wrote:You might have missed the announcement:

http://www.infowars.com/big-sis-to-monitor-twitter-for-signs-of-social-unrest/

Department of Homeland Security Undersecretary Caryn Wagner announced that the federal agency would implement new guidelines that would focus on “gleaning information from sites such as Twitter and Facebook for law enforcement purposes.”

TYS

This forum has been monitored by LEO (DPS) in the past, as many will recall from the HB 506 thread. Nothing came of it and I personally don't think it was too big of a deal. We do have several LEO members, which I welcome, but to think that no one is watching is naive.

I am on another list for C&R FFL holders and collectors based on a Yahoo group. List members have actually been "visited" by BATFE agents based on list postings. So assume at the very least that forums are being monitored for "key words" that are then investigated more closely.

Back well before the internet was anything more than an academic thing linking maybe 10
university research sites our local MS Gun Collector's Club used to be the only one holding
gun shows in the Jackson area, usually at the old Heidelberg or King Edward hotels. We
know every local ATF agent on sight and they never thought to run a ringer in on us so when
one showed up, the desk up front would announce on the PA system, the "Feds are here"!!!
Whether they liked that or not it had to PO them a lot.

Maybe they ought to monitor the damn border and their own actions. But since them are real criminals I doubt they will do that.