Armed IRS Agents Raid Gun Store: Confiscate 4473 Forms Dealers

Armed IRS agents raid Gun Store during a dramatic operation has sparked concerns and speculation among the local community.

A shocking incident occurred when armed Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division agents raided Highwood Creed Outfitters in Great Falls, Montana. 

The store owner, Tom Van Hoose, has been in business for 13 years, but on Wednesday morning, about twenty heavily armed and equipped IRS agents swarmed his business.

It is reported that the agents were pulled from as far away as Denver and Idaho.

The aim of this raid was to serve a warrant for financial records as the IRS accuses Van Hoose of under-reporting and failing to report millions of dollars of income. 

However, Van Hoose denies these allegations and claims that no extra revenue is received from running a retail gun store and range.

The IRS agents rifled through all the records present in the store and took ten hours to copy all the information on his computers and download his point-of-sale software information. 

Besides his accounting and sales records, they also confiscated 13 years of 4473 forms.

Furthermore, they copied his firearm acquisition and disposition book, which has raised serious concerns for the store owner.

4473 Forms confiscation

The 4473 forms are primarily used to facilitate a NICS background check and may be used to trace the gun’s ownership if it is used for criminal activity.

It is a gun dealer’s obligation to keep those forms safe for at least twenty years. 

However, these forms do not contain any financial data and are only useful in recording firearm purchase transactions.

So, it is concerning to wonder why the IRS would want customer transaction information from the 4473 forms. 

The store owner claims that these forms were not a part of the financial records.

They were specified in the warrant the IRS agents served on him during the raid.

But still, the agents took them away.

During Armed IRS agents raid Gun Store, concerned about handing over his firearm transaction records, owner contacted Kirk Nelson, the ATF Area Supervisor in Helena, Montana, with whom he had a good working relationship. 

Nelson initially told him that he did not have to turn over the 4473 forms as they do not contain financial information.

They were also not a part of the warrant. 

However, after some discussion with the IRS agents, Nelson changed his decision.

He asked Mr. Van Hoose to hand them over.

The store owner estimates that the store generates about fifteen hundred to two thousand 4473 forms annually, which counts to tens of thousands of gun sales records for Highwood Creek Outfitters’ customers. 

But once again, the IRS agents took them, despite the warrant not listing these forms as part of the records they were searching for.

IRS agent’s response

The store owner asked the agent in charge of the investigation why the agents took the 4473 forms. 

Subsequently, Karen Gurgel, a Special Agent and Public Information Officer in Denver, Colorado, gave a vague statement. 

She only said that the raid was a part of the IRS’ official business, and Mr. Van Hoose received a receipt for all the records that were taken from the store.

The store owner received a receipt that included the confiscation of 4473 forms.

Mr. Van Hoose is now concerned about his customers’ individual information falling into the hands of a government agency. 

Thus he has elected officials to help him try to get answers.

Montana Attorney General Austin Knudsen and Congressman Matt Rosendale also visited the store to offer support.

The store owner is also attempting to get Senator Steve Daines’ help.

Congressman Matt Rosendale has written a letter to ATF Director Steven Dettelback and IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel, looking for answers. 

In his letter, Rosendale has reminded both Director Dettelbach and Commissioner Werfel that Congress has the power of the purse, and he will ensure that funding for these agencies is not weaponized against the American people.

Armed IRS agents raid gun store owner’s stand

Highwood Creek Outfitters was back up and running on Thursday morning.

However, Van Hoose intends to fight the IRS to regain his 4473 forms. 

He expects the legal bills to run into six figures and will establish a GiveSendGo campaign.

The campaign will help raise funds to pay the attorneys.

As of now, customers of the store are eagerly waiting to hear the outcome of the investigation.

They desperately hope that their sensitive information does not fall into the wrong hands. 

It is concerning that IRS is raiding legal gun store owners without any solid reasons or a proper warrant.

The incident raises serious questions about the rights of gun store owners in the US and the protection of their customer’s sensitive information.