Lawmaker Calls for Arrest of ATF Agents After Raid

(RightWing.org) – In June, agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) raided an Oklahoma gun dealer and confiscated dozens of guns. Now the victim’s congressman is demanding action against the agents responsible. Representative Justin Humphrey (R-OK) says the officers should be arrested and prosecuted for misusing their powers.

Russell Fincher, a 52-year-old from Tuskahoma, Oklahoma, teaches history in his local high school and preaches in the Baptist church. For the last three years he’s also been a federally licensed firearms dealer, and he sells guns at shows.

In April, the ATF contacted him and said they wanted to inspect his home, which they then did. The agents raised some minor concerns, but Fincher said he was surprised that “they were way nicer than I expected.” Two weeks later they came back to verify some details, and again it seemed to go smoothly.

On June 16, the ATF stopped being nice. As Fincher prepared to travel to a gun show, a dozen armed agents arrived and cuffed him in front of his 13-year-old son. They then confiscated his Federal Firearms License and over 50 guns, including rare personally owned ones; he estimates the seized weapons were worth up to $60,000. He says the leader, Special Agent Theodore Mongell, then told him “We are shutting the gun shows down.”

So far Fincher hasn’t been charged with any crime — but he hasn’t gotten his guns back either, and when the ATF sent him a list of what they’d seized, they valued all the guns at just $10 each.

Now Representative Humphrey, who worked in Oklahoma law enforcement for 20 years, is accusing the ATF of abusing its powers to intimidate Fincher into surrendering his guns. He says the agents didn’t tell Fincher what crime, if any, he was being accused of and pressured him to hand over guns the agency hadn’t been authorized to seize by a court. He says he’s identified several statutes the agents broke, and wants them arrested and prosecuted for their actions. If they have exceeded their powers, his call for action is clearly justified.