I just dodged a bullet

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Impureclient

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Galati Guns owner arrested

I just picked up a gun transferred to him on Tuesday. I wonder what what would have happened if he received my gun and I didn't pick it up right away?
I know if he was shut down already it would have just been sent back to the shipper but if he had possession of it, I guess my gun would have been federally confiscated or something crazy.
I think it was a witch hunt and somebody had it out for the guy. He was racist for sure but you don't get arrested for being racist. I still don't know what he did though as the way the interviewers
attitude is you can tell he just doesn't like guns. The only thing they say he really did wrong was give concealed carry classes for 14 minutes. He did get arrested for having a controlled substance
in the past. Also he had been making neighbors mad because he was shooting guns legally on a 5 acre tract on agricultural land he owned in Hernando County. Between the neighbors not liking him
shooting, another gun store not liking the competition, his racist attitude and the anti attitude of the media, it's hard to say what ultimately brought him down. Seems like it was a witch hunt.
 
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Sounds like he broke a couple laws and now he has to pay for it. Kind of makes you wonder if there will be any blowback on his students. Either way racist gunshop owners does nothing good for our comunity as a whole.
 
Sure the racism isn't illegal and has nothing to do with guns. But generally people with bad and stupid ideas do bad and stupid things. It's generally not a good idea to associate or do business with them, even if the issue isn't directly connected. I'm glad it didn't end up hurting you, but it sounds like you knew he was a racist long before this happened. You play with fire long enough, you're gonna get burned. I'd say count it as a lesson learned to try harder to associate with more savory people in the future.

As for him, he sounds like an idiot. And I have no sympathy for idiots when they get hurt by their own bad ideas, regardless of him being a gun owner/seller. Good riddance.
 
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No offense, but that sounds like the type of shop or shop owner I'd have steered far clear of in the first place. His values don't seem to reflect my own, and there are other options as to who I'd give business to. I wouldn't want to be associated with this sort of character in any capacity. Also, isn't a poss. of congtrolled substance charge a felony that would disqualify one from being allowed to possess firearms? I know in my home state, any drug charge, aside from less than 1 oz of marijuana, is a felony.
 
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Being a racist or a jerk is not illegal, but the general comportment of a person of that ilk will usually reflect their base beliefs, and they will get caught in something bad eventually.
 
Sources tell 10 News the agency conducted a forensic audit in June, and that paperwork didn't match up with the guns being bought and sold. If this is true, it could mean Galati sold guns used to commit crimes, and police never would have been able to trace them.
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The ATF doesn't conduct "forensic audits" of our books, the correct term is "compliance inspection". ATF can conduct one per year UNLESS they find problems, in which case they visit much more often.

If this guy had issues with his books, depending on how bad they were the ATF could have either pulled his license immediately, or the guy could have been told "you have issues, fix them, and we'll be back to check up on you in a few months and your books better be perfect".

Finally, it would be nice if the newspapers would print the actual charges listed in the indictment.
 
I've read news stories about this guy in the past, he's been being looked at for a significant amount of time.

The issue isn't that his concealed weapons classes were only 14 minutes long, the deal is that he didn't teach the required material.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories...-you-pass-a-gun-safety-course-in-Pasco-County

This jerk seems to not care about the law, and really gives the gun culture a bad image.
 
arrested on charges of Illegal Sale and Distribution of Firearms
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That's why he was arrested by the ATF.
Nothing related to his personal beliefs or his training is relevant to the arrest.

If I recall correctly, any firearm is seized by that ATF at the time and anything that comes in could be sent back to the point of origin.
 
Just my 2 cents, but I would not be frequenting an establishment where the owner was openly racist. Whether you agree with him or not is your prerogative, however someone who doesn't have the sense to keep there controversial views out of the public spotlight would make me nervous about what other decisions they might make.
 
I think it was a witch hunt and somebody had it out for the guy. He was racist for sure but you don't get arrested for being racist. I still don't know what he did though as the way the interviewers
attitude is you can tell he just doesn't like guns. The only thing they say he really did wrong was give concealed carry classes for 14 minutes.
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Did you read the article you linked? It clearly states that:

Galati was arrested on charges of Illegal Sale and Distribution of Firearms.
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As much as some try to make ATF out to be the devil incarnate, they don't just arbitrarily charge and arrest people. I'd venture that this guy had problems with books during a routine compliance inspection, and those problems were not resolved by the time ATF checked back.

One or two errors, they'll usually just tell the FFL to get it straightened out and keep them posted. A half dozen, the inspecting agent may start digging through 4473's. Several guns unaccounted for, though, is going to be investigated, and if the disposition of those guns cannot be determined, the FFL will have a very serious problem that may well cost him his license or even jail time and fines.
 
someone who doesn't have the sense to keep there controversial views out of the public spotlight would make me nervous about what other decisions they might make
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Though I agree with the sentiment about not patronizing racist businesses...

you have to be careful about "who controls the microphone" and gets to tell everybody what's controversial and what's not.

A lot of folks might not patronize your business if they knew you were pro 2A... or pro-life, or heaven forbid... anti-pot legalization.
 
No offense taken over my bad choice of using his store for a transfer. I had been in there before and I overheard him and some others making a racist joke while I was just looking around. After that incident, I should have steered clear but he had a cheaper transfer charge so I used him for that. I felt dirty using him for that transfer but saving $5 is saving $5 and nobody else is paying my bills. I had the same dirty feeling like shopping in Walmart for ammo. He only had been there a few months and other than picking up my new gun, I only ever visited that one other time. He had one real knowledgeable old guy there and when I did go in those two times, he talked my ear off with an abundance of great information.

Did you read the article you linked?
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Yes, I did. I just know everything that has led up to him being arrested and I know he has many enemies. If the right people have it out for you, you will go down either way. If he knew they were watching him, why would he continue doing something illegally out in the open like that? He has a wife and kids, a home, a business,etc. I still can't believe he would be selling illegal guns. He was a racist jerk but we are in the middle of nowhere over here and if somebody is committing a crime with a gun around here, they didn't buy it from a gun store. They probably stole it. I'm not defending anything he did, it just doesn't add up if he knew he was being watched.
 
If they arrested him for Illegal Sale and Distribution of Firearms, any gun sales he has made in at least the recent past are going to be examined. It may not amount to much, but you may hear from the feds about your purchase.
 
Years back, I had an AR lower inbound to my favorite kitchen table FFL (who is an old family friend) and the poor guy wound up going into the hospital for a heart condition the day before he received the lower.

His wife took delivery of the package at the house, not really knowing what it was... so he was very anxious to get it logged into his book and to complete the transaction.

So his wife brought the package and his bound book to the hospital and I came in during visiting hours and filled out the 4473 form. He called in the background check from the phone in his hospital room and logged it all in his book.

I'd call that dedication to duty!

He's always been great to work with for transfers and does a little gunsmith work in his basement machine shop to boot.

Unfrotunately, I think he's giving up his license, as his meds make him forgetful and he's concerned that he'll bungle his book.

I must admit, having a trusted personal friend with an FFL, who's house you drive buy twice a day, who does transfers for $10 has made me pretty spoiled.

:)
 
I don't understand where the guy's racial prejudice/preference/science has anything to do with this.

If the guy screwed up some books, so be it..
If he's a Hammerskin member in his private life just the same like many Christians, they are obligated to preach "the word" to some degree, and try to recruit.

I'm a few miles from being a scholar but I did some research papers on some of these groups. I'm not going into an y further than saying, this is America and you have the freedom to think, harmlessly practice, assemble and speak.
 
Impureclient said:
I still can't believe he would be selling illegal guns.
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isn't the same thing/action/activity as:

Illegal Sale and Distribution of Firearms
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Also there seems to be a disconnect between: " we sent undercover producers into his gun shop for training necessary to get a concealed weapons permit. We found him breaking the law on that statute;" and "Galati told 10 News, "I would not knowingly break the law."

A quick critical read would be that he wasn't aware enough to understand the law or he didn't think the law applied to him...either one sounds more like an excuse than anything else
 
I'm not going into any further than saying, this is America and you have the freedom to think, harmlessly practice, assemble and speak.
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Fair enough....and also in America, people are free to judge you based on your thoughts, practices and who you choose to assemble with and what you speak about. No one is saying that he doesn't have some right to be a racist.....what we or at least *I* am saying that I wouldn't want to be associated in any way with him based on his beliefs. He can be a Grand Dragon of the KKK for all I care.....doesn't mean I am in any way obligated to do business with him knowing that fact, and I, like many, may avoid him based solely on that aspect. I am a firm believer in free speech.....but that doesn't mean I have to like what is said.
 
To the OP's point - I lost a firearm in a transaction ending this way once. Buyer selected the transfer agent and he was a turd who it turns out spent over two years swirling in the governments sights and got the big flush with my gun in his inventory. Big adios on that one and felt like I should - though didn't have to - refund the buyer.
 
As the FFL is a transferring agent (and NOT owner) couldn't you ask for your gun to be released to you as you are the owner (and yeah would have to prove it) and get your gun back?
 
I would reserve judgement until the guy has his day in court.....especially based on a media undercover operation. We had several shops raided on Long Island by an overzealous DA for "manufacturing illegal assault weapons," I posted it on here and the thread was locked because they were simply "gun dealers breaking the law" One of them was the guy featured in the recent CNN pro-gun video. All of those shop owners and employees were released without charges, and currently have lawsuits pending against the county.
 
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