Texas Gun Shows Organizer Targeted by the ATF Makes His Case on the Alex Jones Show

Kurt Nimmo
Infowars.com
January 18, 2010

Darwin Boedeker of Texas Gun Shows appeared on the Alex Jones Show today and provided details of the criminal conspiracy by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (abbreviated ATF) and the Austin police to shut down the show last week.




	Under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, the ATF has absolutely no authority to regulate gun sales between private individuals on the state of Texas.

In a classic case of Mafia intimidation, the ATF in league with the Austin Police Department leaned on Boedeker in a brazen and illegal attempt to scare away participants and ultimately close down his business.

On Thursday, January 14, Mr. Boedeker was asked to meet with representatives of the ATF and Austin police at a building in Austin used for police interviews and interrogations. In addition to Boedeker, the two hour meeting included the participation of HEB, an Austin grocery retailer. HEB holds the lease on the building where the Texas Gun Shows events are held on the third week of every month.

Police, under the direction of ATF, told Boedeker he would be required to follow their “recommendations” or they would close down his event. Boedeker said he was told “you do what we say or we shut you down.” He said the ultimatum was recorded by the police and ATF.

Mr. Boedeker indicated enforcing the ATF recommendations would destroy his business. He said he would not issue a public notice unless it indicated the so-called recommendations were issued by the Austin Police and the ATF.

In order to make their case, the ATF and APD cited numerous alleged criminal cases associated with a previous gun show organizer. Mr. Boedeker said the ATF and APD did not seem aware that he is not associated with previous gun show events at the location.

Boedeker said he is far down on the “totem pole” of gun show events and he believes this is why the police under the direction of the ATF engaged in criminal racketeering against him.

Boedeker’s flier issued under government coercion and the demand of the event center building lease holder states:

“At the direction of the Austin Police Department and the The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms anyone selling a firearm at this show location will be asked to comply with the following: 1. Any person selling a personal firearm must go through a licensed FFL Dealer in the show to transfer the firearm to the new owner. 2. Selling of Firearms in the parking lot will not be permitted. Thank you for your cooperation!”

Police officers dressed in street clothes attended the event and watched participants, according to Boedeker. The police admitted to him they are interested in forcing gun shows to provide background checks on buyers.

[efoods]According to the Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986, individuals “not engaged in the business” of dealing firearms, or who only make “occasional” sales within their state of residence, are under no requirement to conduct background checks on purchasers or maintain records of sale.

A d v e r t i s e m e n t

Numerous states, however, require background checks. 17 states micro-manage private firearm sales at gun shows without federal participation. Seven states require background checks on all gun sales at gun shows — California, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Oregon, New York, Illinois and Colorado. Four states — Hawaii, Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania — require background checks on handgun, but not long gun purchasers. Five states require individuals to obtain a permit to purchase handguns that involves a background check — Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Iowa, Nebraska. Several counties in Florida require background checks on all private sales of handguns at gun shows. The remaining 33 states do not restrict private, intrastate sales of firearms at gun shows in any manner, a right guaranteed under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In order to intimidate participants and potential firearms buyers, the Austin police arrested a man during the weekend event. He was held for an hour and then released without charge. Boedeker said he believes this stunt was preformed in order to intimidate gun buyers and scare people away.

Mr. Boedeker said enforcing the illegal government recommendations will ultimately drive away business and reduce participation by over 50 percent at the monthly event. In response to his flier, two large gun dealers backed out and did not attend the event last weekend.

Mr. Boedeker told Alex Jones near the end of his interview he had received numerous calls from people during the show who supported his effort to resist government coercion and intimidation and said they would attend the event next month in support.

Alex Jones said aggressive political action will be required in support of the event and the right of people to legally purchase firearms under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution and the Second Amendment. In addition, Alex said lawsuits against the federal government and the APD are in order to put an end to their illegal and Mafia-like behavior.