FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 19, 2023

Washington, D.C. – Gun Owners of America issued the following statements following a raid last week by IRS agents on a gun shop in Great Falls, Montana. The feds seized ATF Forms 4473 from the store, which contain personally identifying information of firearm purchasers, as well as the serial numbers of firearms that were purchased.

The warrant obtained for the raid allegedly was for the search and seizure of financial records, which Forms 4473 obviously are not. GOA remains incredibly concerned about any effort by agents of the federal government to seize firearm transaction records given the nearly 1 billion records already in possession of the ATF that are being digitally transferred into a searchable database in direct contradiction to existing statute.

Erich Pratt, GOA’s Senior Vice President, issued the following statement:   

“This was an incredibly alarming incident to hear about – especially given the checkered past of the IRS targeting conservatives – and Congressman Matt Rosendale of Montana deserves credit for helping to bring the details about this raid to light. This continued weaponization by the Biden Administration of federal agencies to go after their political opponents once again underscores the dire need for Congress to act, including by defunding the ATF and demanding answers from the IRS.” 

Luis Valdes, a former police officer and GOA’s Florida State Director, added: 

“This raid was clearly a show of force meant to send a message to gun owners and those who oppose the tyrannical anti-gun agenda of this administration. It appears as though these agents went well beyond the scope of their investigation in seizing these records, leading one to believe that the government certainly has bad intentions with the forms themselves. People need to understand this administration intends to go after you if you oppose their agenda, and demand their elected representatives push back.” 

GOA spokesmen are available for interviews. Gun Owners of America is a nonprofit grassroots lobbying organization dedicated to protecting the right to keep and bear arms without compromise. GOA represents over two million members and activists. For more information, visit GOA’s Press Center.

-GOA-