Only FFLs at Austin Shows?!?

[TexasRedneck]

Well, that COULD be the answer, then - and why the others moved out. City goes to Wallyworld, Wallyworld modifies the lease....presto-chango - no more FTF sales w/o 4473's.

 

[Major Woody]

Alert! Alert! They just arrested a dealer at The Austin gun show for selling to an illegal! They are trying to sting you guys over there! Please call any FFL you know and warn them now!

 

[Renegade]

Alert! Alert! They just arrested a dealer at The Austin gun show for selling to an illegal! They are trying to sting you guys over there! Please call any FFL you know and warn them now!

FFLs already know not to sell to illegals. nothing to be warned about.

 

[codygjohnson]

If an FFL holder sold to an illegal, he had better have had some damn good false documents. If the dealer couldn't tell that the ID was fake and the buyer passed the NICS check, the dealer followed the law. If the buyer talked the dealer into it (bribe or whatever), the dealer deserves everything he has coming.

 

[kurt]

Couldn't be true. Austin is a sanctuary city. Everyone is equal here.

 

[Major Woody]

Alex is interviewing a dealer that the BATF intimidated him into putting up a sign saying they needed FFL transfers only, it has gone viral. The owner of the property can do that, but it will cost Wally World and Texas Gun Shows lot's of business. Who owns Texas Gun Shows? BATF?

 

[majormadmax]

What will be interesting is next weekend's SAXET show here in San Antonio, if the BATF is "enforcing" these made-up requirements then it must happen everywhere and not just Austin. I see no such notice on SAXET's web site, which leads me to agree with the esteemed Mr Redneck in that this is in fact some BS being propagated by Texas Gun Shows...

 

[TexasRedneck]

M2, IF the site is owned by WM, I could see the city/ATF getting a wild hair and leanin' on 'em to change the lease terms - which could be why SAXET bailed. No matter what, it's odd as hell - and given some of the other stunts that the show's pulled over the years, it could be something they made up for some reason unknown to anyone.

 

[csmusarmy]

Here's how I understand it. 1. There is no ordinance but rather this was a strong arm deal by the BATF and Austin PD. Yes the same APD that now forcibly draws blood at DUI stops. 2. The building is owned by HEB.
By the way the Chief of Police is from California. Isn't it strange that everyone is coming to Texas to get away from Ca, Wa, and Or. Then they're hell bent to screw this state up by making it just like they the one they came from.

Alex Jones' Infowars: There's a war on for your mind!

 

[Dallas239]

I wouldn't believe Alex Jones if he told me the sky is blue and water is wet. Is there another source for the BATF and Austin PD strongarm story? If true, I can offer a pointer to the public-interest lawyers who might be willing to take up the lawsuit. That's if there really was federal law-enforcement direction of this decision.

 

[kurt]

2. The building is owned by HEB.

False. The building is owned by a trust in Bentonville, Arkansas.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Hey Country Boy - empty your inbox - can't send you any PM's 'cuz it's full!

 

[rodbender]

Wally World don't need much leanin' on. They started registering (name, address, phone #) ammo sales in one state or city just for the asking. Forget which one though.

 

[cowboy45]

Any first person accounts as to what happened? Was anyone there to see what happened? I didn't read the whole thread.

 

[robocop10mm]

Yeah, Alex spouting that the building is owned by HEB is FALSE. He is notorious for not checking his sourses. The place was a Sam's Club store. It was split in two with a Mexican flea market on the north half. ATF has been seen at the shows were since the middle of last year. I believe several arrests have been made for improper purchases (by inelligible people). Sad to see the SAXET show pull up stakes. The owner has always been a very kind and generous person. He even gave my Girl Scout Troop a table inside to sell cookies. We made a killing and got to introduce some parents to the gun show. It was a nice opening line to start the firearms discussion with some folks that had never handled a gun before.

 

[majormadmax]

Well, there's this crap that was posted in two other threads on this forum about the same thing...

Obama Administration Shuts Down Oldest Gun Show in Central Texas

 

[TheDan]

Man, this thread is a bit of a circle jerk... Kurt, thank you for digging up the fact that the property is owned by that trust. I think that's the only fact we have so far. I think the line that this is at the direction of APD and the BATF is just a BS excuse that Texas Gun Shows has come up with for something else. Not sure we'll ever get a strait answer on this. If its true that APD has influenced this decision, someone needs to talk to a lawyer. If it's a mandate from the venue owners, then its time to find a different venue. I don't know why they like the Crockett center anyways. It's in a dumpy building in a dumpy part of town.

 

[TexasRedneck]

Keep things straight here....Texas Gun TRADER is an online gun sale forum. Texas Gun SHOWS are the folks in the middle of all this mess. It's already been acknowledged that HEB is the primary leasor in this, so it comes back to THEIR door....

 

[TheDan]

Keep things straight here....Texas Gun TRADER is an online gun sale forum. Texas Gun SHOWS are the folks in the middle of all this mess.

oops... I knew that, just an misfire between brain and keyboard. I fixed my post.



So I found this article that seems to sum up the situation. How factual is it? Who's going to tell APD to go pound sand?
PURE THUGGERY! BATF & Austin PD attempt to shut down gun shows by threats and false arrests.

The Austin PD called Darwin asking to have a meeting last Thursday. The building housing the gun show is owned by Wal-Mart and the primary lease holder is HEB. The HEB employee responsible for that building attended. There were several APD detectives and an ATF agent. They told Darwin that they would like for him to follow their suggestions, which were to ban otherwise legal firearms sales except through FFLs. The police then threatened Darwin that there were pending investigations into his business for activity over the last 10 years of allegedly allowing sales to ineligible buyers. However, Darwin's business just started operating in Austin after a different company, Saxet Gun Shows, quit putting on shows in Austin. Darwin responded by asking them if they were aware that his company, Texas Gun Shows, is different than Saxet Gun Shows, which is who they were talking about. APD didn't even realize this and were confused for a bit. Then APD put pressure on the HEB representative, and together the APD, ATF and HEB representative told Darwin that he would not be allowed to open the show if he did not follow their recommendations, which were to create the flyer you've seen and ban sales that didn't accompany an NICS check.

 

[TheDan]

I don't really like listening to these talk radio guys, but here's a link to an interview of the Texas Gun Shows owner from today. Pretty, um... interesting. http://gcnlive.com/Archives2010/jan10/AlexJones/0119103.mp3