Well first and foremost, you have done nothing to "tick me off." Your post expressed concern that the ATF may be running riot there near you. I simply replied to that concept, and addressed the concern, that many in the firearms community have, about the now weaponized ATF. I pointed out that it has been my experience that ATF field inspectors and agents have always been witnessed by me to be professional, courteous, and focused on assisting FFL holders (large and small) with error correction in their paperwork and process.
There are those FFL holders whose errors have led to difficult interactions with the ATF. My use of the term "does not suffer fools" is used in general, not specifically to your acquaintances or to you. It is a general term used in English literature to express ones frustration with a group of people, specific people, agencies, organizations, and other societal entities whose actions, over time, cause disruption, are illegal, or are generally outside the scope and boundaries of what we deem proper and correct. It is a term meant to convey frustration with one for another, whose actions are foolish.
The ATF, IRS, FBI, DOJ, CIA, and all the other government and civil alphabet soup of agencies, all of them, do not suffer fools well. Since most of the forum members here are in their metallic years, I figured the term would be a familiar one to the membership like the term just used - metallic years.
Having been in the firearms industry for many years, I am continually inundated with firearms legend, lore, old wives tales, rumors, wrong information, hearsay, and plain old BS, even more so, with the advent of the internet and all of the "experts" who make videos. Again, no personal accusations here, simply observations of the general FOOLS out there posing as knowledgeable "experts" on matters dear to us all. It has been my experience that on this forum, the general membership of gray-beards convey useful and helpful guidance, yourself included.
Now, what may seem extreme to you, is my every day life; correcting entries made by less experienced folks into corporate ATF bound books. These younger folks do not have the experience that we, the membership here have, and therefore make ridiculous errors in proper ATF documents, that could, cause serious damage to business.
In the last decade, the ATF has made aggressive efforts to shut down hobby licensees to address nationwide issues of firearms access to the criminal element and reduce "mass shootings", which dominate the media. Now we can endlessly debate the cause of these media events and illegal firearms access, but that is not the point. We all pretty much know these guns are stolen. That does not diminish however that due to unknowing mistakes by hobby FFL holders, guns are getting into the wrong hands. Do I want the ATF sniffing around if I am a legit, God fearing, honest business owner or have a FFL to collect? Heck no! The ATF however knows that this is precisely where the majority of mistakes are made.
Regarding your specific example of a acquaintance getting hauled in; I wasn't there, nor do I know the actual details of the incident. I can only say, as I did, that the ATF does not suffer fools. I hope your friend does not fit into that category. Here in my area, TWO local FFL's lost their FFL after raids. One was dealing out the back door, and the other could not keep good book if St. Michael was assisting him. Such is life eh?
You mentioned that your friend is genuinely a nice, law abiding guy, who passed the background check for an FFL. I passed too but that doesn't mean I know the law and process to function as an FFL. I can pull teeth. That doesn't mean I can hang up a dentists shingle on my door and pull your teeth. Clearly, something went belly-up with your friend and the ATF got involved. Hopefully that matter will be resolved in everyone's favor and the matter can be put to bed.
Perhaps it is wise for me to clarify "hobby FFL" as well. If one has a BRICK & MORTAR business, they are not classified as a "hobby FFL." A "hobby FFL" is an individual with an FFL located at their place of residence (home) who uses the FFL for friends, family members, and themselves, to acquire firearms at reduced prices. These are the knuckleheads the ATF is trying to clamp down on. They are, as a class of licensee, causing grief within the industry.
So in conclusion please do not think I was dressing you down. I was addressing the post on a larger societal scale and attempted to point out to the entire user community what errors I see on a daily basis from less experienced, younger, and less knowledgeable staff. I remind them that "the ATF does not suffer fools, so don't be a fool!" "Learn the rules, don't make repeated mistakes."
My use of the image that was removed was to show what we should not become and its removal was noted by me. Perhaps it caused offense to some, perhaps you too. It was not meant that way.
Smooth your feathers, have another cuppa, and know that as a fellow Oklahoma property owner, I know that Oklahoma residents are great. There are a few nut jobs there, but bucking horses usually take care of that group!
<insert bucking horse image here>
With rifle in hand, I confidently go forth into the darkness.
