ATF & IRS Agents Raid Rural Gun Shop For Extremely Concerning Reason

A team of heavily armed ATF and IRS agents raided a Montana gun shop and confiscated background check records of gun purchasers. According to U.S. Rep. Matt Rosendale (R-MT), the IRS confiscated 4473 forms — which amount to background check forms — but did not take financial information.

Highwood Creek Outfitters’ owner Tom Van Hoose stated that the agents arrived at his store just before he was set to open on Wednesday. “At 7:30, I came in and they pulled in behind me with 20 heavily armed agents,” Van Hoose said.

The owner told KRTV that federal law enforcement agencies have been investigating his business for over two years, though he has not been informed as to why. Van Hoose has simply been informed that his business was “reported” and has been unable to obtain any details beyond that.

“The fact that they think we make so much money as a gun business that they had to come investigate all the thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions of dollars whatever it is we supposedly absconded with, anybody that knows the margins in the gun business knows they’re not that high,” Van Hoose said.

Van Hoose went on to say that he believes the targeting of his business is politically motivated. “I can only assume that it’s because of the style of weapons that we have and the press that’s so against them,” he said. “The current administration seems to be hell bent on getting those guns out of the hands of average Americans.”

On Friday, Rep. Rosendale visited the shop and revealed that the IRS had confiscated buyer records. “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 with sensitive personal details of every customer who purchased a firearm from Highwood Creek Outfitters,” Rosendale wrote in a tweet Friday.

Rosendale demanded answers in a letter addressed to leaders of the Internal Revenue Service and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. “These background check forms contain no financial information, and there is no discernable reason why the IRS would need these forms,” Rosendale wrote.

“The IRS committed an egregious breach of privacy for Montana’s gun owners and I am outraged that the agents involved showed no regard for federal law. Although there are still some murky details regarding the events at Highwood Creek Outfitters, there is still no circumstance in which 4473’s would be necessary in an investigation spearheaded by the IRS.”

The letter then called on the agencies to “cease conducting these Soviet-style intimidation raids.”

He also listed a number of additional questions about the raid and gave the agencies a deadline of June 23 to respond.

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

A spokesperson for IRS Criminal Investigation confirmed the raid in a statement to the Billlings Gazette ,saying only that “IRS Criminal Investigation was on site as part of their official business.” The ATF deferred all questions to the IRS.