DHS To Bookstores - Don't Sell Boston's Gun Bible

[Boston T. Party]

For registered members of the FSW forum, the relevant link is:

Boston's Gun Bible apparently on the DHS blacklist
http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum/index.php?topic=7512.0

It might well be true that this guy heard about this, but that certainly doesn't mean the supposed underlying incident actually happened.

That's true. Here's my take, subsequent to my original mention:

I have spoken face-to-face with one of the bookstore's customers who
had a recent conversation with the owner. This customer confirmed that
the owner told him that her business was threatened by an agent of DHS
with being "redflagged" if they carried Boston's Gun Bible.
(According to him, his co-worker had previously been told the same thing.)

This was all told to me in the presence of his wife.
I could discern no reason for falsehood, and would rate him as highly credible.

What's possible (and even likely) is that a single agent operated
outside of policy, on his own initiative and personal feelings. This was
the case with certain ATF agents and Unintended Consequences.
John Ross personally described the matter to me.

However, if anyone believes that the DHS is incapable of acting against a book
they found objectionable needs to reset his calender by a decade or two.

Even before I was informed of this, sales of Boston's Gun Bible
were at record highs -- especially after the disastrous election.
I've never lied to sell books, and have no reason to start now.

If the price of Boston's Gun Bible seems high, go get a quote on
the unit cost of printing such an 848 page book, and then include a
standard publisher's markup. It used to retail for $28, a price I kept
from 2002 to 2008, but couldn't any longer with the debasing dollar.
I.e., take it up with the Federal Reserve.

Currently, the best deal on Boston's Gun Bible is from
Fred's M14 stocks for $20 (+ s&h). I think he has only the 2007 or 2008
printing. (The 2009 printing includes my remarks on the Heller ruling.)
http://www.fredsm14stocks.com/catalog/books.asp

Thanks to my readers here and their kind comments.

Boston T. Party

http://www.javelinpress.com (Boston's books)
http://www.freestatewyoming.org (FSW website)
http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum/index.php (FSW forum open to all)

 

[rbernie]

About ten years ago, I had occasion to speak to many well-dressed and well-mannered folk who oozed honesty and credibility from every pore while they earnestly and articulately told me that the World Was Ending at midnight on New Years Eve, 1999.

Who's to say?

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

IF - hypothetically, because I don't believe it for a second - DHS or any other government agency could force books to be pulled from the shelves of private sellers, we would have a serious problem indeed.

 

[MAKster]

For one thing, ATF isn't even part of the Department of Homeland Security. It's part of the Justice Department. Second, there is no such thing as a "DHS agent." There are agents from units of DHS like Secret Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol.

 

[hso]

What utter silliness.

 

[Boston T. Party]

For one thing, ATF isn't even part of the Department of Homeland Security.

I did not allege that it was, especially mentioning an incident from the 1990s.

Second, there is no such thing as a "DHS agent." There are agents from units of DHS like Secret Service, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol.

Hair-splitting.
"DHS agent" is what was told to me by customer, who heard it from the owner.

Besides, there are indeed DHS badges:
http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/foia/mgmt_instruction_dhs badges_md instruction_121-01-002.pdf

________________

What utter silliness.

I wasn't there, but I did speak directly with that customer.

Neither were you there, but you've no countering evidence
besides mere opinion that the incident could not have happened.
I.e., I've got little to go on, but you have even less.

Boston

 

[Boston T. Party]

DHS negative contact with BGB buyer confirmed

BTP UPDATE:

I had a face-to-face conversation with the bookstore manager and one of her employees.

While some of the details of the original report were slightly incorrect, I did however confirm
that Boston's Gun Bible is on some kind of DHS list and that one person (an employee of
the bookstore) who ordered it was admonished by the DHS for having done so. Although, to my
knowledge, no person or store is being prohibited from ordering Boston's Gun Bible, the
DHS contact has had the direct chilling effect of this bookstore no longer ordering it.

Here is the verbatim account of that part of my conversation:

Bookstore Manager: Yeah, what was the other one?

BTP: Boston's Gun Bible?

Bookstore Manager: OK, now the Boston Gun Bible, that one there we did get a big redmark from the feds.

Bookstore cashier: Yes we did.

Bookstore Manager: We did.

Bookstore Manager: We got a big redmark from the feds. And my employee was pretty upset about it, which I don't blame her, . . . um, and so we stopped purchasing that one . . .

BTP: What happened with that, the "redmark" with the feds? Did someone come in and say--

Bookstore Manager: She got a letter.

BTP: Interesting.

Bookstore Manager: She got a letter and, stating, you know, kind of like interrogating, you know, you're making, I don't know what your book's about, don't wanna know. She just got a redmark and was kind of upset, I said just put it to the side, we won't order it again, and don't you order it again.

BTP: What they're doing is illegal because my book has First Amendment protection because it doesn't incite violence or anything like that. That's restraint of trade; they can't be doing that.

Bookstore Manager: Well, they did that, so . . .

BTP: Wow. How do you feel about that, you know, as a bookseller, them telling you what you can't order?

Bookstore Manager: You know, it's no different than the Anarchist Cookbook or the Satanical (sic) Bible. I don't know what your book is about, maybe it's something to do with guns, terrorism, um, blowing up things, making bombs, um things of that sort.

BTP: Redmark? Was this [from] Department of Homeland Security?

Bookstore Manager: Uh, I think it was, yeah, that came and gave her the letter. She got a letter in the mail.

BTP: Do you still have that [letter]?

Bookstore Manager: Well I don't, no. No, we just threw it away and said, "Look we're going on with life."

BTP: How long ago was this?

Bookstore Manager: I have no idea.

BTP: Because at first I thought "Oh, that has to be a rumor" or when you play a game of Telephone where someone has the facts wrong when they're reporting it--

Bookstore Manager: Hmm, mmm, no. We gave her a bunch of crap about being a criminal, I told her that she's gonna have to
learn to cook, you know, jail foods . . . (laughing)

BTP: And they called it a "redmark"?

Bookstore Manager: Well, we, yeah, a redmark by your name. She was highlighted as, you know, she's on the list [for terrorism]--um, whatever.

Bookstore cashier: That's what we were told--

BTP: Well here's a copy here. You are welcome to look through it and see if there's anything objectionable as far as your store goes.

Bookstore Manager: Oh! Well, thank you!

BTP: It's been sold since 2000. If it recommended anything illegal, I wouldn't be standing here as the publisher saying . . . anything.

Bookstore Manager: You'd be making jail food! (chuckling)

BTP: Exactly. (both laughing)

Bookstore Manager: I can have this [copy]? I'll look it over. Alrighty!

BTP: I appreciate your talking with me about this, I didn't know what to think about this report I got, and so forth, and thought--

Bookstore Manager: No, it's no big deal, a lot of people (customers), you know, they're very, uh, well we call it demanding?

Bookstore cashier: Demanding. And rude.

Bookstore Manager: They won't give up [asking why we won't order your book]. You know what I'm saying? "I'm sorry, we're unable to get it." "Well, why not?"

Bookstore cashier: And they keep at you.

Bookstore Manager: They keep at you.

Bookstore Manager: And finally [we say], "Well, unfortunately, we got a red dot by [Boston T. Party's name] from the feds, so . . . it's better that you just order it [elsewhere]." They (the DHS) didn't say that [we] couldn't order it, it's just that you have, uh, a dot by your--you're on the list.

Bookstore cashier: You're a person of interest.

Bookstore Manager: Even Barnes & Noble won't buy the Anarchy Cookbook, it's kinda, it's not a good thing.

BTP: I've looked at it (the Anarchy Cookbook), and it shows how to build a bomb, how to hurt people, and steal things and all that. There's nothing like that in my book. Not how to make machineguns, not how to make a silencer, nothing about explosives, nothing.

Bookstore Manager: We just kinda figured . . .

BTP: At least the redmark, red dot, thing is true, I thought maybe--

Bookstore Manager: No, it's true.

I have the facts I needed, and thus ask that nobody pester this bookstore about the matter.
Nothing will be gained by it, and it would probably sour the manager on carrying Boston's Gun Bible
after she's had a chance to see for herself that it advocates nothing unlawful.

Finally, I will soon be posting a request (and perhaps even a cash reward) for any evidence (audio recording,
copy of email or letter, etc.) of any contact from any LE or federal agency which would attempt to unlawfully
deter any person or company from ordering any Javelin Press title.

Boston

http://www.javelinpress.com (Boston's books)
http://www.freestatewyoming.org (FSW website)
http://www.fundamentalsoffreedom.com/fswforum/index.php (FSW forum open to all)

 

[Zundfolge]

For those of you that call shenanigans and poo-poo the idea that someone in DHS (or other alphabet soup agency) would ever think of harassing some honest bookseller over some book need to remember that we're talking about the same agency that published THIS http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf which flat out calls people with mainstream conservative/Republican political beliefs "Right Wing Extremists" and warns that we're a threat to the peace.

 

[General Geoff]

We ARE a threat to "peace," because we will not go quietly into the night.

Better to be a threat to peace than a threat to liberty.

 

[The Guy]

I fail to see what is so unbelievable about this.

I wonder if "Hologram of Liberty" makes the cut as well, not to mention the rest of BTP's works.

I have a feeling that BGB is a "red flag" due to the word "gun" in the title. It would obviously take too much time to read it, along with the rest, and actually decide if there was an issue.

IMHO, this all just means that BTP should A) write even more books and see if he can get them "banned" as well and forget about retirement (selfish of me, I know!!) and B) be proud of his achievement.

He scares JBTs soooo much that they had to resort to illegal means to attempt to supress his works!! Wusses.

I hope those who's knee jerk reaction and innital inclination led them to innitially disbelieve re-evealuate their possition.

 

[.38 Special]

What I find difficult to believe is that the owner of a bookstore would get a letter from the federal government telling them what kind of books they may and may not sell -- such an obvious and egregious violation of constitutional law that any attorney capable of drawing breath would have an absolute field day with it -- and would just throw it away and "go on with life."

As an extremely "bookish" sort of fellow, I've never known a bookstore owner to be anything less than passionate about first amendment rights. Had any of them received such a letter they would have run directly to the ACLU, the local newspaper, NBC, and anyone else they could think of. "Look we're going on with life"? I don't buy it.

 

[eqfan592]

"For those of you that call shenanigans and poo-poo the idea that someone in DHS (or other alphabet soup agency) would ever think of harassing some honest bookseller over some book need to remember that we're talking about the same agency that published THIS http://www.fas.org/irp/eprint/rightwing.pdf which flat out calls people with mainstream conservative/Republican political beliefs "Right Wing Extremists" and warns that we're a threat to the peace."

Sorry, but you are WAY off base with this one. I'll put up with a certain amount of BS, but this one goes too far. It does NOT call people with "mainstream conservative/Republican political beliefs 'Right Wing Extremists'". And to be perfectly frank, some of the recent shootings we have had in our nation lends credence TOO that very report. Like it or not, there are a LOT of people that are freaked out about the current political climate. And of those people, there are some that are SO freaked out that they may be easily recruited into actual extremists organizations, who may then go on to commit acts of terrorism in our nation.
It does NOT say that "all Republicans" or "all veterans" or "all right wingers" are extremists, as Fox "News" would have you believe. To be frank, ignoring these threats, as some would have us do apparently, will only put our nation at greater risk. You do yourself and your nation a disservice. To be honest, this sort of crap right here has actually pushed several friends of mine away from the Republican party. They see this as people undermining our nations security to score some cheap political points with the masses. And to be frank, I think that's exactly what it is.

 

[rbernie]

What I find difficult to believe is that the owner of a bookstore would get a letter from the federal government telling them what kind of books they may and may not sell -- such an obvious and egregious violation of constitutional law that any attorney capable of drawing breath would have an absolute field day with it -- and would just throw it away and "go on with life."

Pretty much so. I'm still a non-believer.

More importantly by far is the fact that this thread is getting pretty close to feeling like it's being used primarily to pimp out BTP's books.

BTP has had his say, and he is convinced that the incident occurred. We're now going to draw the curtain closed on this one.