A gun dealer in Shawano has been ordered to stop selling weapons while it appeals an order from three years ago to revoke its federal license. The U-S Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives had allowed Shawano Gun-and-Loan to stay in business as the revocation appeal continues. But a court filing this week in Milwaukee shows that the agency has changed its mind, and told the store to stop selling weapons on September 18th.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel recently reported on how laws passed by Congress interfere with the ATF’s ability to crack down on problem gun dealers – and it mentioned the Shawano Gun case. Federal authorities say the store has not kept accurate records of gun sales as required by the law. And the ATF said it found evidence that guns were sold to so-called “straw buyers” – those without criminal records who buy weapons for felons and others not otherwise allowed to buy them.
The store’s owner has contended that the records violations were bookkeeping errors – and the sales in question were simple misunderstandings. Federal Judge William Griesbach of Green Bay ruled last month that Shawano Gun-and-Loan should lose its gun license. And the store’s lawyer appealed that order. The store can also challenge the ATF’s latest shutdown order in Griesbach’s court.
WSAU