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Unsurprisingly to those of us here, they were utterly unsuccessful. Results here:
https://www.gao.gov/assets/690/688535.pdf
TL, DR; version: 72 attempts to illegally buy guns online, 56 sellers told, 'em to f-off, 5 phony accounts banned by forum mods for revealing they were prohibited in one fashion or another, and 11 were abandoned after the GAO concluded the seller was trying to scam them, including one that they paid for and never received.
lol
...but...but...that's not what I hear from the MSM.
Wonder if any of the attempts were here.
It wouldn't surprise me. I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that the mods here were responsible for one or more bans on "buyers" that revealed they were prohibited or otherwise solicited illegal behavior. The mods here do an amazing job!Quote:
Originally Posted by Erni
Our members also tend to be pretty good at self policing, mostly through their law abiding natures, and maybe partly due to paranoia about ATF and/or other law enforcement stings.
Clearly this isn't true because I've been told by dozens of Europeans I've argued with that in America, school children can buy machine guns at Walmart without any ID ... cash and carry.
9 times, they tried to scam us. 2 times, we fell for it.
We? Forum members? I'm confused.Quote:
Originally Posted by fj605
... On the "surface web."Quote:
Originally Posted by TFOGGER
They were able to complete purchases and receive product via the dark web.
On the surface, it appears good for the good guys, but the libs in congress are going to cherry pick the fails.
He paraphrased a part of the report.Quote:
Originally Posted by kidicarus13
The only "success" on the surface web were scams and they never received anything.
It's true. That's how I got my full-auto, porcelain Glock 7 when I was only 14.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zundfolge
Those are the best.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bailey Guns
Yup. You can walk right through airport security with them.Quote:
Originally Posted by clodhopper
Serious... How is the GAO now have a interest in gun control? Other than accidentally shattering gun grabber myths, which I appreciate, is this justified to determine how effective the ATF is?
Those of us who enjoy having forums (like this) don't need another rogue agency testing us. Would "surface web" sellers/forums who didn't reject a bad transaction be referred for prosecution?
To make sure a crime was committed? I guess that's better than walking them into Mexico.Quote:
Accordingly, to demonstrate how the Internet may
facilitate illegal firearm transactions, we decided our agents would
complete the firearm purchases.
Hey seller, yes I'd like to buy your AR-15 but first let me tell you about the coke I use...Quote:
The scenarios based on the GCA covered the following:
• a felon avoiding a background check,
• an individual with a domestic-violence background or a restraining
order against him or her,
• an individual who unlawfully uses controlled substances (or is an
addict),
• an individual who was dishonorably discharged from the military, and
• an individual who has renounced his or her citizenship or is otherwise
an unlawful alien.
I like that the GAO is unbiased and outside the machine that grinds us so well. I think this really proves that people know that anything on the internet, even in the "dark" web is completely at risk of being monitored. Now I'm going to have to find a "Super Darker" web.
The GAO is interested in anything and everything government agencies do. The GAOs interest is from an accountability standpoint, they’re not concerned with the subject of the program, just the efficacy of it.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Cd-I66eUAAQ-ufY.jpgQuote:
Originally Posted by foxtrot
If it were subtle and someone didn't understand it, or too busy to read the full email, I could see it happening. How many casual sellers know the 14 boxes/questions?
If I owned a shop I'd be really concerned with straw buyers in spite of the 4473. Two guys come in to buy and a .gov agency can construe as a straw purchase.
I was initially concerned about that as well but when I opened the report, the first page clearly says the GAO was requested by Congress to assess the effectiveness of BATFE operations, including testing just how many guns were being sold illegally on the Internet. If I understand the situation right, this was actually a response to Congressional concerns about the rogue anti-gun BATFE and DOJ operations under Holder/Obama so this report is a good thing -- it punctures the myths that Holder and anti-gun bureaucrats were using as a rationale for their anti-gun policies and supposed sting operations.Quote:
Originally Posted by Skip
Back about 15 years ago when Gunbroker was still a relatively new thing I had someone try to do what I assume was a "sting" operation. I had a S&W 4516 for sale and he bid on it and won. As I did with other GB sales I asked him to mail me a copy of a signed FFL so I could ship the gun to that address. He replied that he didn't have an FFL and that I should just put the gun in the mail and send it to him.
He insisted over and over again that it was OK to do this and he also insisted that I send it via US Mail, which makes me think he was likely a postal inspector.
I reported him to GB and re-listed the gun. Kind of wish I'd saved those emails though.
It does puncture those myths, good point! But at a lot of risk.Quote:
Originally Posted by Aloha_Shooter
GAO should be looking at financials... How much does the ATF spend and how much "gun crime" do they reduce.
Looks like this wasn't Trump/GOP...
https://www.judicialwatch.org/blog/2...s-comes-empty/
As I feared... Another FedGov agency weaponized against the People.Quote:
An investigation requested by two fierce anti-gun members of Congress to determine if firearms are purchased illegally from internet dealers has come up empty. Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren demanded the probe in the aftermath of mass shootings and the investigative arm of Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), conducted a lengthy covert operation to try to purchase firearms illegally from internet dealers.
[snip]
List of FedGov gun control interested agencies...
BATFE
FBI
DEA
DHS
HHS
GOA
List of gun rights interested agencies...
Fox has the story now...
Dem-ordered study to expose illegal online gun sales backfires
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...backfires.html
I wonder how they got that result? Maybe FakeNews did the polling? I'll add NYC to the list since they're a wannabe FedGov agency.Quote:
[snip]
The NRA described the study as an attempt to model the findings of former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s 2015 report, titled “Point, Click, Fire: An investigation of illegal online gun sales,” which found that 62 percent of private sellers were willing to proceed with a sale, even if the prospective purchaser could not pass a background check.
Sounds like these dims really do believe their own propaganda.