Franklin Gun Shop reopened?

[Protongunner]

Does anyone know if the Franklin gun shop has transferred ownership and has reopened yet?

[Patrick Henry]

Earlier today their website said they are closed

[KahrMan]

From what I am hearing they are not going to reopen.  Something about issues with the building not being in great shape and the inventory was sold off.  Can't confirm the rumors but that is what I heard.

[Defender]

5 hours ago, KahrMan said:

From what I am hearing they are not going to reopen.  Something about issues with the building not being in great shape and the inventory was sold off.  Can't confirm the rumors but that is what I heard.

Was that the one in an old Uncle Buds place?

[jhc77]

1 hour ago, Defender said:

Was that the one in an old Uncle Buds place?

1214 Lakeview Dr, 37067

Off HWY 96 in Franklin, TN. It's been there since I moved here in 2005. No idea what was there before that.

[KahrMan]

1 hour ago, Defender said:

Was that the one in an old Uncle Buds place?

Yes

[Snaveba]

I sure miss Uncle Buds. I remember when it was just a little ole place of Hillsboro Road. 

[KahrMan]

4 hours ago, Snaveba said:

I sure miss Uncle Buds. I remember when it was just a little ole place of Hillsboro Road. 

So do I. Ate there many times. 

[threeshot]

The OutPost Armory opened in the former Franklin Gun Shop location on 9/20/22 and they bought some of Franklin Gun Shop's inventory.

The link below explains the reason for the demise of the Franklin Gun Shop.

https://williamsonsource.com/owners-of-franklin-gun-shop-plead-guilty-to-federal-charges/

Edited January 28, 2023 by threeshot
Misspelled word

[Bravo87]

Appreciate the update.

[Garufa]

I wonder how many Nashville area folks got their 4473’s altered.

[Radlink54]

I used to frequent the FGS because they most likely had an example of almost any firearm I might be interested in.  Clearly not the best prices for any current retail item, but I might stumble on a nice used gun that was interesting. The place was a crowded mess to some degree, and I guess that came back to haunt the owners as detailed in the article above.  

I would urge anyone in the area to stop by the new Outpost Armory variation and take a look.  Much less crowded and chaotic than the old FGS floorspace, and basically your typical firearms store.  I went by last week, prices seem typical for the area.  It was almost empty and I would say they need customers.  If you are in the Franklin area and have not stopped by I would say worth a look.

[Protongunner]

1 hour ago, threeshot said:

The OutPost Amory opened in the former Franklin Gun Shop location on 9/20/22 and they bought some of Franklin Gun Shop's inventory.

The link below explains the reason for the demise of the Franklin Gun Shop.

https://williamsonsource.com/owners-of-franklin-gun-shop-plead-guilty-to-federal-charges/

Dang this is some pretty serious doo doo...

[Alleycat72]

33 minutes ago, Garufa said:

I wonder how many Nashville area folks got their 4473’s altered.

I know one.

[Alleycat72]

It's been hard not to talk about this one.

[papadaddy]

I was in there about two weeks ago and bought some ammo.   i didnt ask who owned it or why they had been closed for so long .   i guess we know now

[MacGyver]

Unbelievable.

I did a bunch of business there over the years.  What a shame. 

[Alleycat72]

Now just imagine one of the guns used in a crime. ATF shows up wanting to know who purchased the gun. FGS give them your name because it's on the 4473, but officer...I didn't purchase that firearm. What do you think FGS would have said?

I do wonder what happened to the "hundreds" of guns. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Alleycat72

[KahrMan]

I knew Brian. I did a lot of business with him and his dad when they first opened in the small space in the strip next to Uncle Buds building. 
I always liked Brian and his dad. I was surprised when reading the story. They used to run a real tight ship when they were smaller.  I did less and less business with them as they got bigger. The prices just kept going up and up. 
I need to check out the new shop. 

[MacGyver]

Very few people start out looking to commit a crime like this.

But you do look up one day and find yourself in so deep that suddenly committing another federal crime to try to find a way out seems reasonable.

The most charitable thought here is that when you run a gun shop, there’s paperwork that has to be done exactly right every day.  That’s a minor burden when you’re selling three a week.  When you’re moving a hundred or more per day like they were in the Obama boom - well - that’s a compliance department.  

[threeshot]

17 hours ago, Alleycat72 said:

Now just imagine one of the guns used in a crime. ATF shows up wanting to know who purchased the gun. FGS give them your name because it's on the 4473, but officer...I didn't purchase that firearm. What do you think FGS would have said?

I do wonder what happened to the "hundreds" of guns. 

Good point given that Franklin Gun Shop to my knowledge had been robbed twice.

January 28, 2021 Approximately 41 Guns Stolen

The keyword is approximately.

Article at this link.

 

December 26, 2016

Quote

Authorities said the three encountered extreme security measures once they were inside that kept them from stealing any guns.

Article at this link.

Are they sure no guns were stolen given the missing record keeping?

Edited November 23, 2022 by threeshot
Corrected the year from 2017 to 2016,

[btq96r]

14 hours ago, MacGyver said:

Very few people start out looking to commit a crime like this.

But you do look up one day and find yourself in so deep that suddenly committing another federal crime to try to find a way out seems reasonable.

The most charitable thought here is that when you run a gun shop, there’s paperwork that has to be done exactly right every day.  That’s a minor burden when you’re selling three a week.  When you’re moving a hundred or more per day like they were in the Obama boom - well - that’s a compliance department.  

People who forget or don't think they need to scale admin proportionally with operations usually wind up regretting it.  Sure, some organic growth can be absorbed, but it's not long before you need another bucket to catch the overflow when you're making those big leaps like you exampled during the Obama years.

I have a hunch that taking the plea deal before any IRS investigators got into the mix was probably the best legal move to make.  Those guns that weren't properly accounted for and added to other folks 4473's may well have gone out the backdoor to various sources for straight cash that wasn't reported.

Edited November 23, 2022 by btq96r

[Alleycat72]

5 hours ago, threeshot said:

Good point given that Franklin Gun Shop to my knowledge had been robbed twice.

January 28, 2021 Approximately 41 Guns Stolen

The keyword is approximately.

Article at this link.

 

December 26, 2017

Article at this link.

Are they sure no guns were stolen given the missing record keeping?

They had one where a large hole was cut into the side of the building. 

Edited November 23, 2022 by Alleycat72

[threeshot]

From the article:

Quote

Court documents reflect that in 2016, the ATF performed a compliance inspection of the Franklin Gun Shop and numerous violations of applicable federal regulations regarding record keeping were found. 

I wonder if the ATF compliance inspection in 2016 was before the robbery or the result of the 2016 robbery.

[Smith]

They obviously had issues. However, the ATF record keeping procedure is administered at the ATF by the same approach as the IRS. No matter how compliant you are, you are not in compliance. It is rigid, strict, subjective, loose, and an enigma all at the same time. If they want you, they will get you.

I remember some years ago working at a gun store when we got checked. We got a bunch of write ups for clerical process that adhered to every current ATF letter that we were sent. The agents said, they wanted it done other ways and that the letters were subject to their on site interpretations and rulings. The ATF office said we had to go by the on site agents and we were not given anything in writing to contradict the "official" ATF ruiling letters.