IRS Agents Raid Gun Store in Great Falls sparks outrage online
An inquiry by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) into a firearms dealer in Great Falls, Montana, has stirred uproar online. The IRS and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms raided the Great Falls, Montana-based gun store Highwood Creek Outfitters on June 14 and allegedly spent hours scouring the documents. While ATF refused to comment on specific inquiries, it did acknowledge that Van Hoose’s Gun Shop was the subject of an investigation. “IRS Criminal Investigation was conducting official business on-site.”
Why did IRS Agents Raid Gun Store in Great Falls?
Hoose claimed in an interview with the news source The Truth About Guns that agents had been called in from as far away as Idaho and Denver only to secure a warrant for his bank data. Van Hoose explained that the IRS says that he underreported his income and failed to inform them of his millions of dollars in earnings in order to obtain the warrant. He refuted the accusations, saying that everyone who manages a retail gun business is aware that there isn’t much leftover money at the end of the day.
I met with Tom Vanhoose this morning after 20 armed IRS agents raided his store in Great Falls earlier this week.
Tom informed me that these agents confiscated all the 4473 forms, none of which contain any financial information; instead, the IRS now has access to these forms… pic.twitter.com/HPFEgZedKI— Matt Rosendale (@RepRosendale) June 16, 2023
JUST IN: 20 armed IRS agents raid Great Falls gun store — Took NO FINANCIAL RECORDS, accounting or tax statements just every 4473 BUYER’S INFORMATION form..
— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) June 17, 2023
Van Hoose told The Truth About Guns that his store was shuttered on June 14 so that the agents could copy data from his computer. In addition, he said that the IRS and ATL officials had obtained 13-year-old 4473 background check documents required to complete a NICS check as well as a journal of his gun purchases and sales. U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale was incensed by the occurrence and wrote a letter to the IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel and the Director of the ATF Steven Dettelbach calling it “outrageous.” The letter continued: “A pattern of intimidation and harassment against hardworking Americans has emerged under Director Dettelbach’s leadership of the ATF; Montanans will not tolerate these political witch hunts,” the statement reads. He will make sure that financing for these agencies is not used as a weapon against the American people, and he will remind Director Dettelbach and Commissioner Werfel that Congress has the right to appropriate money. He demands that the ATF and IRS stop carrying out these intimidating operations in the Soviet style.
Twitterati was incensed when word spread that the FBI had raided Van Hoose’s gun store. Several legislators criticized Joe Biden’s administration and federal agencies for providing funds to the branches for hurried research. Others joined the chorus of legislators who had already condemned the government authorities. The day following the investigation, according to the Truth about Guns, Van Hoose’s shop was open for business. So this was all about this case. So, Stay tuned to pkb news.
