Gun company Suing customer for alleged internet bad-mouthing... WOW!

[SmokyBaer]

In all my years of internetting and forum participation, I have never seen or heard of a case like the one in the link attached below.  The issue reaches far beyond just internet bad-mouthing a company's reason for delivery delays, it hits on how many guns makes you a dealer without an FFL.  Really big issues are getting thrown around on this one that will certainly affect our 2nd amendment rights in the future, if it goes to federal court like they want. 

 

It's a sad day when firearm advocates are fighting each other instead of focusing on the other issues nawing at us every day. 

 

Check it out...

http://m14forum.com/tags/gun%20community%20backs%20jason/

 

http://m14forum.com/m14/145566-i-need-lawyer-served-sei-lawsuit-today.html

[mikegideon]

What would this have to do with our gun rights? Our rights are under attack by folks that don't know zip about the firearms industry.

 

I didn't read the whole thread. What I did see is that the Smith Ent. guy has his panties in a wad again. I'm sure the plot thickens, but probably also gets way to complicated for the gun grabbing douchebags to latch onto. In case you haven't noticed, they ain't real bright.

[SmokyBaer]

Once you get into it, the defendant is accused of being a competitor who builds rifles using their parts for the purpose of selling them for profit.  His "alleged" bad-mouthing is said to have steered customers away.  In that process, the discussion came up about what constitutes the difference between a hobbyist and a dealer.  If a determining number comes up in federal court and gets established as a baseline difference then we are all held to that number as a matter of legal record... Below that you are a hobbyist, above it you are constituted as a dealer. 

 

That was the gist of the discussion which is not in the courtroom, yet.  Either way you go, it gives limits on how many firearms you will be allowed to own, unless you go the dealer route which legally requires licensing which the defendant nor most of the public has. 

 

Hope that all makes sense.  :-\

[mikegideon]

It does. But, seems like if the ATF wanted a number to begin with, it's probably in their power to make one up. I don't think they want it defined. It's certainly not the first case of them busting folks for dealing without a license. If the guy is dealing in quantites of guns without a license, I hope they cart his ass off to jail.

[npgunner]

Are we talking about number of guns owned? Or number of guns sold, say in a year?

[SmokyBaer]

They accused him of selling the guns for profit but the more I read, it turns out he has sold very few and pretty much kept everything he built.  Good for him because he will win the argument hands down cause that in itself proves he isn't a dealer.  

As far as selling versus owning, who knows?  Lawyers write up things with bigger words than I can decipher.  In this case, they are refering to how he sold rifles but he really has not because he still owns most of them.  No one would ever be able to tell how a gun-grabbing lawyer could twist that around to reflect how many you are allowed to own before being considered a dealer.  I, for one, want to see this case thrown out before it gets ugly.
 

[bersaguy]

I have a buddy that was investigated by ATF because someone reported him having a great number of guns. Yes he does have a great number of guns and he has them locked in about a dozen gun or more large gun Vaults in a very secured room in his basement that the house could burn down around and not even blister the paint of the safes. He was more than nice to the ATF people and he showed them his entire gun selection and they ask if they could inventory his guns for their records and he said no. They didn't argue with him and they didn't come back with warrants or give him any more trouble. The busy body that told the ATF about the mans guns failed to give them the whole story. All except about 10 of the guns are collector items. Original Winchester Model 12 Shotguns in all grades from Field grade through Skeet and Pigeon grades. He also has a selection of Original Belgium Browning's in Over and Under's in all gauges and grades. He also has Belgium Browning Automatics in all grades. Along with those he had Charles Daleys and LeFevers In double Barrels. The only guns that we not collectors Items were the guns that him and his sons hunt with which are newer guns and they were not stored in the gun vault in the basement but in a gun safe in the basement. After the ATF people we done they suggested that he send for a license as a gun collector to prevent any further issues. Now my issue with that is it is just another way of them knowing he has a lot of guns but I guess by now because of that busy body they already know he has them. I don't know why folks cannot mind their own business..........jmho