CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — A veteran-owned gun shop has been struggling to stay afloat after losing its Federal Firearms License in 2023. 

A policy announced by President Joe Biden in June 2021 established “zero tolerance for rogue gun dealers that willfully violate the law.” Under this policy, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was to revoke the licenses of dealers the first time that they violated federal law by willfully:

1. transferring a firearm to a prohibited person
2. failing to run a required background check
3. falsifying records, such as a firearms transaction form
4. failing to respond to an ATF tracing request
5. refusing to allow the ATF to conduct an inspection in violation of the law

In April, the Trump administration repealed the policy implemented by Biden.

The Tactical Edge, located on Fort Campbell Boulevard in Clarksville, has been in business for 13 years. At the end of 2022, shop owners William Boswell and Robert Snyder told News 2 that the ATF found 10 minor clerical errors among the nearly 2,500 forms the shop had filed.

Snyder said they had made similar mistakes in the past and were always able to fix things without getting their FFL revoked. They decided to hire Nashville-based attorney John Harris to help them try to get a stay but to no avail.

“[We] just financially couldn't afford to fight it anymore," Snyder said. “The government's got unlimited money. They can have an attorney in there every single day. We just can't do that. It cost us almost $100,000 in legal fees.”

On top of that, Boswell and Snyder had to shut down their manufacturing facility, which is where they made the majority of their revenue. The duo said their business has been hanging on by a thread ever since. 

“[We've just] been trying to do our best with [selling] accessories, gear — stuff like that,” Boswell said. “We have Fort Campbell right here, so we have a lot of gear and stuff that cater to the soldiers on post. Without the FFL, it has significantly cut down our ability to have an income here.”

In late April, Rep. Mark Green (R-Tennessee) sent a letter to Attorney General Pamela Bondi requesting a review of all revoked FFLs for gun dealers and gun store owners during the Biden administration.

“While I am grateful the Trump administration has ended this egregious and predatory enforcement, there are still hundreds of firearm dealers who had their FFLs unjustly revoked,” Green’s letter said. “I implore you to consider issuing an expedient review of all federal firearms licenses revoked under the Biden administration. In many cases, the Biden ATF revoked the FFLs of gun shops with little to no due process. It is time to make this right.”

As for Boswell and Snyder, they said they’re hoping federal officials follow through with Green’s request and that they get their FFL back. Even then, they admit it would be difficult to get back to where they once were.

“We were growing as a company for a long time, and then basically you have to stop in your track," Snyder said. "It would take us probably 10 years to get back to where we were at.”

News 2 reached out to the ATF for comment. The agency responded with the following statement.

“ATF is finalizing a new national policy to promote consistent, effective, and equitable responses to violations of the Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA), as amended, 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44. When assessing which enforcement actions to take, ATF will be guided by this new policy to consider the nature of the violations, their impact on public safety, ATF’s ability to reduce violent crime and respect for the rule of law.

Any pending administrative actions against FFLs related to previous policies will be reevaluated using the new policy before a decision is reached on what actions, if any, to take in the case.”

Public Affairs Division, Office of Public & Governmental Affairs, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

News Source : https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/clarksville/clarksville-ffl-fight/