Philadelphia officials should identify rogue gun sellers

[Meiko]

24. Your best practice

is to gain all the information you can. Make copies of all the paperwork and notify your local ATF that you had what you believe was an attempted straw purchase. They will then interview you and take any paperwork or copies you might have. The ATF will take the 4473 used so make sure you make a copy for your records.What I was told by my ATF inspector was that I could refuse a sale for any reason. I did not need probable cause or anything else.

If the customer was nervous and I thought something was afoot I could refuse the transaction. If his ID looked wrong for any reason or he had alcohol on his breath. If there were two people that seemed to be involved in the purchase of the gun I could refuse.. I refused a sale one Saturday afternoon because the guy was being a pain in the ass, aggressive and abusive. He reported me to the ATF. The ATF agent called me and asked what happened so I told him, he said no problem. He told the customer to go back to me and apologize and behave himself or he was going to have a hard time getting his gun. The ATF backs the FFL on this point. After all these are guns we are talking about. I was not about to transfer a gun to an angry half drunk person with a serious attitude problem. If I give him the gun and he goes next door to the subway and kills the teller because the kid lipped off to him the cops and possibly the ATF will want to talk to me, I don't want that hanging over my head. During the time I held my FFL I refused several sales and had several background check denials, you get used to it. Some FFL's are not as careful they are only interested in the money end of it.