How would you feel if your FFL...

[internet troll]

I would be frustrated, I would not want anyone messing with a gun I am buying without my permission. I don't know his reasoning for doing this or if this is legitimately in the scope of his job. Is there something he could be held liable for?

[NathanB]

He'd no longer be my ffl

[Emptymag]

Do I smell the third thread in a week where a gun shop did or said something uncalled for and will remain unnamed?

[jakebrake]

I'd be upset with the FFL and the vendor. The FFL had no business trying to test the muzzle device to see if it was removable and could have potentially damaged your rifle. The vendor has no business or right giving the FFL permission to do anything to the rifle since it's technically your property since you paid for it. Inspect the rifle very carefully for any scratches, nicks or dings the FFL may have caused while acting like a jackass. I'd be tempted to refuse delivery and demand another rifle and I certainly wouldn't do business with the FFL or vendor ever again. Both the dealer and vendor were out of line in my opinion

yup....pretty much.

[Xringshooter]

I would be frustrated, I would not want anyone messing with a gun I am buying without my permission. I don't know his reasoning for doing this or if this is legitimately in the scope of his job. Is there something he could be held liable for?

Absolutely agree^^^^ and I'm an FFL. It was NOT his call to begin with, he should NOT have touched it without your permission, it IS NOT legitimately anywhere in the scope of his job. His job is to transfer the rifle unless he knows, without doing anything physical to it, it is an illegal firearm (s/n obliterated, etc), or is physically damaged (from the vendor or shipment). Even then, he is only responsible to report to the customer what is visible. He IS NOT the enforcer of the laws. I would have a conversation with the vendor first and strongly tell him that he had no right to give permission to have this done and that either he sends you a new gun, or he bears responsibility for any damages the FFL caused to this gun. I would then tell the FFL that you will not take delivery of the gun that he possibly damaged until it is proved to have no damage, by a competent gunsmith, of your choosing, and paid for by the FFL. If it has been damaged by the FFL, refuse the gun, tell the vendor you want your money or a new gun, and tell the FFL to ship the gun back on his dime since he damaged it. Then, I would advise not using that FFL any more. What else is he doing with peoples guns, what other laws is he trying to enforce, what else is he trying to pull??

As an FFL, when a firearm comes in to me for transferring, I note what the package looks like (damaged, or not), I note the serial number to insure it matches what is on the invoice (if there is one), and I give a cursory look at the firearm to see if there is any noticeable damage (due to poor/no packaging or from possible in transit damage). I do not measure barrel lengths, overall lengths, or anything else unless something is obvious and then I notify the customer. Some customers do ask me in advance to look the incoming item and I ask them how in depth to go and do only what they ask me to do.

[marinville]

Do I smell the third thread in a week where a gun shop did or said something uncalled for and will remain unnamed?

I will be honest, I was considering keeping it to myself, because I have had positive dealings with them before, and I do think Jordan is a nice guy, however... I dont agree with what he did today, and if others dont either they deserve to know before they go there. The dealer is JMC defense in Mcmurray. The vendor is sportsmans outdoor superstore.

[SgtRecon]

I have a bushmaster 14.5" patrol carbine, it takes me more time to pick up a magnifying glass than it does to see the (very small) spot weld on the 6 O'clock of the muzzle device, this was all he needed to do, no call ,no fuss just look and process the transfer, its right there clearly visible to most naked eyes

[bogey1]

Ask him if he checks ALL semiautos to see if they are full auto.



Dick.

[GunLawyer001]

Could ATF prosecute and pull the license from an FFL who transfers an unregistered NFA firearm from his bound book to a Pennsylvania resident?

Sure.

Is it a legal defense that the FFL made no effort to ascertain whether the firearm was a legal pinned Title I or just an unregistered contraband rifle with a long flashhider screwed on?

Nope.

This isn't some passerby who's being a nosy busybody. You chose him to become involved. The gun goes into the dealer's A&D book, and it's now his responsibility. It's a crime to transfer an NFA firearm without it being registered and without the tax stamp and paperwork.

Willful ignorance of the facts is NOT a legal defense. Dealers who just assume that they aren't breaking any laws or regs, without doing their due diligence, become "former dealers". Whatever you paid for the transfer is not enough to jeopardize his license, his job, and his investment.

[unclejumbo]

I'll play the devil's advocate, also as an FFL. He identified the barrel as being less than the legal length. That requires a permanently affixed muzzle device to bring it up to legal length, otherwise it's an SBR. If he sells an SBR on the assumption it's lawful, he'll get jammed up...hard.

With that said, he should have told you he'll need certification that it isn't an SBR and put the onus back on you. Not wrenched on the rifle unless he offered that as an option and you agreed. Pinned and welded is what is required and I'd need to know that before I transferred it. Some barrel/upper manufacturers send out a certification with those types of barrels. This, being a police trade in would have made me leery, because police are more special than the rest of us and don't need to be bothered with those restrictions.