A Milwaukee gun shop whose license was revoked for breaking federal law stopped selling guns Dec. 31 but continues to run a shooting range and sell ammunition and other accessories, as allowed by federal law, says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revoked the federal firearms license of Badger Guns last year.
Congress has passed special laws that prohibit the ATF from releasing much information about revocations. Badger Guns and its predecessor, Badger Outdoors, have been the top sellers of crime guns recovered by Milwaukee police for at least the past decade. The store is expected to resume aselling guns. The owner, Adam Allan, previously said he planned to sell the operation to someone who could get a license. That person may be his brother. It would be the second time in recent years that players inside the operation changed position, wiping away violations. ATF is largely powerless to stop such changes. The agency can deny a license if it can prove there is a “hidden ownership” arrangement, and Congress limits how deeply the ATF can dig into a new applicant’s background – one of several ways federal lawmakers have crippled the ATF’s ability to regulate lawbreaking gun dealers.