David Codrea: "If you have an FFL—or have a friend who does—you owe it to yourself or them to find out more about FFLGuard. And no, I have no interest in FFLGuard other than a respect for the work of founder Chris Chiafullo and what he and his colleagues are trying to do, because I have friends in the business who have gone through hell for running afoul of technicalities. Coming from an audit compliance background, I understand how vitally important it is to establish appropriate protocols."
David Codrea
The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance
Gun Rights Examiner
Guns Magazine "Rights Watch"
CUM ULLA SELLA IN PUGNO TABERNA
Posted: October 31st, 2011
Jerry's Outdoor Sports: Before I started to participate in FFLGuard, I was in business for over 25 years. I had been inspected a few times, but I had never had any major problems with ATF or otherwise. In fact, I thought we had a fairly decent relationship with ATF, and since I was a “good guy” who always tried to cooperate with them whenever I could, I figured that I had nothing to worry about. Boy, was I wrong. On one visit a few years ago, ATF went through EVERYTHING, including things that had already been inspected in the past. I got violated for old items, new items, items that had been reviewed and not violated before, and on and on. I couldn't believe it. By the end of the inspection, I felt like a criminal in my own store. I even got written up for selling two Glocks to the local Sheriff's Department on letterhead and with a purchase order! ATF argued it was a straw purchase since I sold the guns to the quartermaster even though I knew the guns were for the department and not her!
When ATF decided to come down on me, I was devastated. I only wish I had hired FFLGuard before then so my whole livelihood wouldn't have been at risk. At every step of the process, ATF tried to steamroll me, and frankly, they did a pretty good job. If it would have been up to me to defend myself, I would have been out of business and bankrupt. Counsel at FFLGuard, however, stood with me every step of the way and defended me both as a FFL and as a person. When ATF pushed, FFLGuard pushed back, but it was about more than just fighting. What I really wanted was a peaceful solution that would allow me to work with ATF going forward, stay in business, and most importantly, be a model of compliance so I will never have to worry about these types of problems again. FFLGuard accomplished all of that and more, and I will forever be grateful to them for that.
Jerry Stehman, Owner of Jerry's Outdoor Sports
Grand Junction, CO
(970) 245-1502
Posted: November 14th, 2011
Red’s Trading Post: Our gun shop, Red’s Trading Post, was in business for 105 years before we got into hot water with ATF. Without FFLGuard, I don’t think our situation would have ever been adequately resolved and I surely would have lost my FFL. There are two options when it comes to dealing with an FFL revocation: "The Big Fight" or FFLGuard. We originally chose "The Big Fight" because FFLGuard was not available at the time, so I have seen both options first hand and whole-heartedly recommend FFLGuard.
To those who think they can take on the ATF with "The Big Fight," I ask:
Do you have at least 3 1/2 years to devote to this fight? (Ours lasted that long.)
Do you have over $200,000 to fight this? (We paid just that much BEFORE we got to court.)
Do you have almost no clerical errors whatsoever? (Many dealers think that their errors are “minor” and that the Judge will be on their side, which couldn’t be farther from the truth.)
IF you do prevail in court, what is to prevent you from not going through this again?
My goal is to make sure that no one goes through what we have been through, which is why I am adamant about others participating in FFLGuard. Because of the lawyers at FFLGuard, we’ll be in business at least another 105 years and beyond.
Ryan Horsley, Owner of Red’s Trading Post
Twin Falls, ID
(208) 733-3546
Posted: November 15th, 2011
Belleville Indoor Shooting Range: FFLGuard has provided our store with top-notch legal services. They’ve represented us in the courtroom and in our dealings with ATF and we can say first-hand they are trustworthy and talented. We’ve achieved peace of mind of through our implementation of FFLGuard’s Law Plus Guidelines at our store and are catching potential violations that might have gone unnoticed before. Because of our success with internal controls, we have opted to open another store which has been a success! We are proud to participate in FFLGuard and highly recommend it.
Steven King, Owner of Belleville Indoor Shooting Range
Belleville, IL
(618) 234-9690
Posted: November 13th, 2011
El Cajon Gun Exchange: FFLGuard created an easy, understandable system that informs and educates management and provides the very necessary foundation for proper store policy.
In a nutshell, when a dealer fully embraces FFLGuard, they very quickly become a difficult target for an aggressive ATF inspector. FFLGuard provides legal representation, good advice, and easy access to both of those things. FFLGuard does exactly what the name says it does. I would sooner get caught with my fly down in public than to take the FFLGuard sticker off the door.
Ron Godwin, Manager & VP of El Cajon Gun Exchange
El Cajon, CA
(619) 579-5152
Posted: November 12th, 2011
Shadow Valley Arms Co.: Our experience has been excellent concerning the FFLGuard program. We have grown to 4 locations, and we were almost overwhelmed with the basics of our business. We felt that ATF requirements were not getting the proper attention they deserved. We were able to implement FFLGuard’s Law Plus Guidelines to organize our systems, and after about a 6-8 week implementation and training period, we felt like we were finally on top of things. We have since been through 4 ATF compliance inspections, and our violations are down significantly. A giant relief… as only a gun shop owner can know and understand.
I highly recommend FFLGuard, as their responsiveness and insight is second to none.
David Vogel, CEO of Shadow Valley Arms Co.
Ogden, UT
(801) 510-5972
Posted: November 11th, 2011
Top Gun: FFLGuard has been an invaluable resource for helping us correct the issues we had and avoiding others in the future. While we had always done our best to operate in compliance with the regulations, it is often hard to find answers and to sort out all of the conflicting information that is out there. Thus, we knew we had issues to get straightened out, but we were unsure how to go about doing it. FFLGuard accomplished this goal for us. At our most recent inspection by ATF, they commented how they could tell almost to the day when we started implementing the FFLGuard "Law Plus" Guidelines, and we would have had many violations had we not done so. Not surprisingly, the inspection went great, ATF praised our efforts, and we owe much of our success in this regard to FFLGuard and its responsive and knowledgeable lawyers.
Julie Thompson, Owner of Top Gun
Houston, TX
(713) 779-4867
Posted: November 10th, 2011
Mega Sports: I find being an FFLGuard client to be a huge benefit to my business. The FFLGuard "E-Blasts" alone are worth their weight in gold, as they constantly clarify and reinforce the need to stay on top of all important nuances of BATF regulations. I feel that having an experienced team of dedicated lawyers from FFLGuard behind me -- a team that's always there when I need them -- only helps protect my business.
Mark Daniels, Owner of Mega Sports
Plainfield, IL
(815) 577-2100
Posted: November 9th, 2011
Dunkelberger’s Sports Outfitter: We have been in business for 37 years, and always felt that we did things the “right” way. To our surprise, we got caught in the middle of Mayor Bloomberg’s controversial effort to prosecute out-of-state gun dealers. After a costly exercise to defend our good name in that matter, I realized that FFLGuard could seriously help my operation remain current, compliant, and “off the radar” of those looking to put me out of business.
Since I have brought in FFLGuard to assist us, we have implemented their “Law Plus” Guidelines, had them in to train our staff, and relied on them for counsel. Although I wish I knew of them before my Bloomberg experience, I am certainly happy to have them in my corner now and in the future. Anyone who even sells 100 guns or more each year ought to give serious consideration to bringing these guys on board. I’m glad we did.
Jere Dunkelberger, Owner of Dunkelberger’s Sports Outfitter
Stroudsburg, PA
(570) 421-7950
Posted: November 8th, 2011
Second Amendment Sports: FFLGuard helped us look at our record-keeping from a different perspective. We always wanted to be compliant, but now we truly focus on perfection. It is a different paradigm, yet appropriate for what we do. Without our FFL, we would be out of business, no question! And we do not see the ATF relaxing their standards, so through FFLGuard we’ve adjusted ours to be beyond their expectations.
Matt Janes, Owner of Second Amendment Sports
Tucson, AZ
(520) 325-3346
Bakersfield, CA
(661) 323-4512
Posted: November 7th, 2011
Guns ‘N Gear: My husband may be “the gun guy” who knows the ins and outs of our operation, but with FFLGuard there to help us, it certainly helps me sleep at night.
Patrice Gapen, Co-Owner of Guns ‘N Gear
Cheyenne, WY
(307) 632-4867
Posted: November 6th, 2011
Whittaker’s Guns: We were skeptical in hiring attorneys who were not only from out-of-town but from out-of-state. As it turns out, it was the best thing we ever did. The FFLGuard lawyers are “wired in” with the right people everywhere, so just knowing them made our lives much, much easier. Granted, their tips and pointers and accessibility put our minds at ease, but the old saying “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know” couldn’t be more true than with the boys at FFLGuard.
Darrel Whittaker, Owner of Whittaker’s Guns
Owensboro, KY
(270) 229-0140
Posted: November 5th, 2011
Open Range Sports: My first ATF inspection without FFLGuard was like being in front of one single “judge, jury and executioner” who was deciding whether or not I was worthy of a Federal Firearms License. I was completely at the mercy of someone who seemed to only be interested in putting me out of business - regardless of how cooperative or honest I was. To make things worse, my ATF inspector was teaching a trainee the ropes that day, so the inspector went out of her way to find even the slightest thing wrong at my store. I didn't know the answers to the questions posed to me by the inspector, and I had this ongoing, gnawing feeling that something was really wrong. It felt like I was being set up for failure. Whether it is reality or just my gut feeling, it certainly seems that if ATF catches just one mistake, then they are looking to take away your license.
FFLGuard gave me the tools and know-how to keep my business in compliance—something few ATF inspectors take the time to do. Having the lawyers at FFLGuard at my side on the day of my ATF inspection would’ve brought down my stress levels dramatically. I will never be in a compromised situation like that again, and have signed on with FFLGuard as a way of protecting my family’s inheritance and securing their future. FFLGuard can deal with the ATF for me while I do what I do best, and that is to just plain sell guns!
Barry Laws, Owner of Open Range Sports
Crestwood, KY
(502) 243-8282
Posted: November 4th, 2011
Kimble’s Gun & Repair: For a small business, FFLGuard is an excellent way to retain legal counsel who are experts in the firearms field. As a small business owner, I could not afford to pay the full hourly rate of a local lawyer, let alone the hourly rate of an expert in this field. By becoming an FFLGuard client, my annual fee is pooled with the other members so that together we can afford legal representation and have the peace of mind knowing that our lawyers know the rules and regulations that apply to us Federal Firearms Licensees. This puts me on equal footing with BATF, and not at their mercy.
Perry Kimble, Owner of Kimble’s Gun & Repair
Linton, ND
(701) 254-5502
Posted: November 3rd, 2011
Hulmes Sporting Goods: I have had bad experiences with some ATF inspectors who were very intimidating. In the past, I have worried daily about ATF inspections which has actually haunted me! However, with FFLGuard’s help and reassurance, I feel better and more comfortable about dealing with ATF. I'm not going to say that I am totally at ease, but I feel so much better knowing when inspection day comes I will have FFLGuard in my corner. People may say that this sounds crazy but it sure is not: FFLGuard has given me peace of mind.
Kim Veglio, Co-Owner of Hulmes Sporting Goods
Paris, TN
(731) 642-0561 or (731) 642-6400
Posted: November 2nd, 2011
Mark’s Outdoors: After 29 years in the retail gun business, and being the top retailer in the U.S.A. for many of the top seller gun brands, the single most important decision I have made over that time was to hire FFLGuard to watch my back. At one time, our store was used as a “model store” for ATF training since we were told that we “did such a good job that new [ATF] agents were brought to us for basic training” and we were also used in the NSSF’s “Don’t Lie for the Other Guy” video, AND used on local television as a model of what a gun store should be.
Then D-day came, when my “model” status apparently meant nothing.
ATF traced the buying habits of one of our customers, and everything spun out of control for us. They said our paperwork was incorrect going back 29 years! Literally years and years of my blood and sweat were on the line, as they were ready, willing and able to pull my license, “model store” or not. Have you ever gone back 29 years to clean up paperwork? We did. The team at FFLGuard is the real deal! They talk with the folks at ATF religiously, and as a result, we now get the correct answer every time.
I pride myself on a quality job we now do based on the standard that FFLGuard helped me establish. Now our daily sales and record keeping is easy and done right. You will be surprised just what this FFLGuard crew can do for you. For the first time in 29 years I can’t wait for the next ATF audit, because they won’t be in my store long. I’m ready everyday. I guarantee you will be happy with FFLGuard.
Mark Whitlock, owner Mark’s Outdoors
Birmingham, AL
(205) 822-2010
Posted: November 1st, 2011
Federal firearms licensees are notorious for failing to recognize when they need a legal specialist to handle their specific, firearms related issues. Instead, they rely on the local lawyer, or the lawyer “friend” in town. Experts have analogized it to the patient who visits a foot doctor to handle a brain tumor. Yet few FFL dealers across the United States can afford to retain full-time, firearms-specific legal counsel like firearms manufacturers and distributors do to educate them as to legal nuances to preserve their federal firearms license, to defend against lawsuits, and to insure the integrity of a BATF inquiry. Until now. As part of FFLGuard, you can enjoy having the power and protection of your own “general counsel” at your fingertips, at a fraction of the expense.
