It is absolutely this behavior that makes me distrust the ATF even more than I already do. Because, even though they claim they don't have the information, the fact that they know exactly what and when and where this guy bought (legally at that) some firearms is outright overbearing thuggish behavior to begin with.+ 3 more quotes (click to expand)BlackGoldAg2011 said:yes but in this case since they had to gather paperwork ahead of time, would it not have been simple to get a warrant to see the guns in question if any true probable cause existed? If the cops happened to be in the area already then I would agree, not harm in asking first, but that's not the case here. They got a notice from a computer system and had to assemble their stuff and go specifically to this house for this specific purpose. Showing up with a warrant to me shows more respect as it shows genuine cause to do this check, and not a power trip induced attempted overreach by a law enforcement agency.
and to the compliance piece, the 3 am no knock shouldn't really be a concern here as normal warrants are supposed to be knock-and-announce and in daylight hours. And destruction of evidence is hardly a concern here as the legal problems arise only in the absence of the evidence in question, so a no knock shouldn't ever be granted in this specific case.
generally speaking, this type of behavior is the type of thing that causes even the generally law abiding citizens to distrust police.ABATTBQ11 said:
There is certainly extra work to get a warrant. They'd have to do more research on him, put together evidence to go before a judge, and then make their case. As it is, they just have a printout of what he bought and go ask.
No-knocks are overused and are not used solely for evidence preservation. They could attempt to justify one because they're going to look for a bunch of guns and he's suspected to be armed. There's a half decent chance they ask for and receive it. I'd prefer they knock, ask, and come back later.
ETA It's not this behavior that makes law abiding people distrust police. It's the lying, fabricating probable cause in traffic stops, excessive use of force, and general lack of accountability that makes people distrust police.
To "randomly" show up at his house and ask about said firearms without any probable cause is even worse.
I want the feds to have to go through the hoops of getting a warrant - and the burden of proof to get said warrant should be exceedingly high - before they can initiate such contact. It should be hard for them to request the ability to harass a private citizen over a 100% legal purchase. They and the judge should be held accountable for having the power to do so, regardless of the situation.
