“Nearly 40 law enforcement officers converged Tuesday on the property of a Franklin County man whose business partner was shot to death in January in a homicide that continues to trouble investigators,” onlineathens.com reports. “Federal agents, accompanied by Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents and deputies with the sheriff’s offices in Franklin and Hart counties, raided the Royston residence of [Kyle “FPS Russia] Myers. Authorities also raided on Tuesday the 60-acre farm of Lamar Myers, Kyle’s father, in Lavonia . . .

No arrests were made, nor did Coes know if any explosives were seized. ‘The idea at one of the locations was to take firearms, but they did not do that,’ Coes said.”

Despite the sensationalism, the raid seems to have sweet FA to do with Keith Richard Ratliff’s assassination. Or does it? The Georgia Bureau of Investigation may have turned to their friends at the ATF to get a look around Kyle’s place as part of their efforts to ID Keith’s killer.

Anyway, the whole ATF side of the equation looks pretty damn weak. To wit . . .

A person is required to obtain a federal explosives manufacturing license if they intend to engage in the business of manufacturing explosives for sale, distribution or for their own business, [ATF spokesman Richard] Coes said.

The ATF believed that Myers was violating this law.

“The claim is that he was using explosives and getting paid for it via YouTube,” Coes said.

Information found during the search could be presented to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, according to Coes.

The idea. The belief. Got it. Forty ATF agents stopping by to say hello to FPS in full SWAT mode. Seems a bit excessive, no?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR

122 COMMENTS

      • “No arrests were made, nor did Coes know if any explosives were seized. ‘The idea at one of the locations was to take firearms, but they did not do that,’ Coes said.”

        There are so many things wrong with that statement… I don’t even know where to start…

        See what they did there? That would be like a newspaper saying: “John Smith was arrested for DUI Saturday. It is unknown if he has any ties to terrorism or WMDs…”

        I hope the author has a stroke.

    • More like FPSRussia, meet BATF (burn all toddlers first) – google “waco siege”

      I’m glad my tax money is going to good places. What a total waste. Looks like the BATFE needs a big layoff, they don’t seem to have anything better to do. You would think they might go after a real criminal not a guy shooting targets in his backyard acreage.

  3. I would think he has cameras all over that property. He needs to post the raid on youtube.

    • That would be sweet, sweet payback, but I doubt the cameras were on, or ideally situated to record the event.

      • He has a lot of stuff in there. There should be security cams.
        Maybe he forgot to send his $200 check to the ATF and they sent collections agents.

        • Don’t you know that tapes and other video and photographic evidence has a nasty habit of “disappearing” when the ATF is around?

    • This. Some of these guys have clearly gotten to the point where they want to get geared up and kick down doors at any excuse. And shoot some dogs.

      • I think you may be overlooking the benefits of the federal asset seizure process. If there is criminal activity, the ATF can get a whole lot of toys that Kyle, et al, have demonstrated for them. Sequester? Budget cuts? No money for equipment? Ammo shortage? No problem. We’ll raid Kyle’s stuff, he’s got plenty.

        About the only thing they cannot “requisition” in this manner from FPSRussia is eye pro, ear pro and a genuine and consistent Russian accent.

        • Genuine accent my ass. It’s comical and borders on offensive. Seriously, it’s so annoying that I had to stop watching his videos. Why does he try to be Russian when he’s not?

  8. So does this mean they are going to target Richard Ryan, Hickok, Mac, and anyone else who makes Youtube videos? I’m glad to see our law enforcement doesn’t have better things to do with their time. The ATF is a joke!

    • Richard Ryan is a licensed explosives manufacturer. I’m not sure if Kyle is but I imagine he is smart enough to be if he was actually making the explosives.

      • ….if that’s the case, what basis did ATF have for the raid?

        And WTF did they need 40 guys for this? It’s not like he’s been advocating armed insurrection or anything similar.

  10. So. . . . No one was arrested, nothing was seized, nothing changed as a result. Hmm, ok. . . .

    You can bet your ass those 40 agents got hazard pay though.

  13. You have to wonder if the agents raiding that place weren’t a little worried, even if they were bringing 40 people. I mean – are there burmese tiger traps under the welcome mat? Automated defense turrets? 12-gauge dragon’s breath behind the doorbell? Who the hell knows with FPSR!
    The BATFE might have had a Bad Day!

  14. ““The claim is that he was using explosives and getting paid for it via YouTube,””

    Ummm…. tanerite is legal, and so is filming your use of it.

  15. Hell.. You can make the stuff for super cheap, it’s ammonium nitrate and dark flake aluminum. When you buy tanerite you’re just buying it prepackaged with a sticker on the the bottle.

  16. “A person is required to obtain a … license if they intend to engage in the business of manufacturing explosives”

    “he was using explosives”

    Using is not manufacturing. What am I missing?
    Is this a clever way of making it seem like he was manufacturing explosives without directly saying it?

    • Things are not always that clear-cut. The licensing/permitting is in two basic parts: One must have a license to import, export, manufacture, distribute, sell, or receive certain classes and amounts of explosives. One must also have a permit to possess and/or use certain classes and amounts of explosives on a commercial basis.

      At times, a private party can possess certain explosives and amounts without a license or permit that a commercial entity cannot; If a private party possesses Tannerite, for example, and uses it strictly for personal entertainment, great. If a private party, or a commercial entity possesses Tannerite, and uses it to make money, that use/possession could fall afoul of the law. If one makes Tannerite and uses it for commercial purposes–somebody pays you for the video, for example–that’s enough to violate the laws against unlicensed manufacture.

      27CFR 555 makes interesting reading.

  18. “The claim is that he was using explosives and getting paid for it via YouTube,” Coes said.

    The FCC tried to go after mommieblogs and other blogs that did reviews on this angle.
    Samples=compensation.

    They will do anything to achieve their goals

  20. I know it’s fun to pin crap on the ATF (and nobody is saying they don’t deserve it 10 times over), but this wasn’t the feds coming down on some rural state. This was initiated by GBI (that’s Georgia BTW):

    “The GBI has declined to comment on a possible motive. Soon after the investigation began, the GBI asked for the assistance of the ATF and the FBI. ”

    GBI is dicking around with FPS. FBI/ATF are just along for the show.

    • I imagine he is legally avoiding paying some kind of tax to the state of Georgia on the money he makes from the videos so they are putting the screws to him.

    • I thinkg RF’s inference is the correct one. GBI thinks FPS had something to do with his partner’s death but has jack to go on and certainly not enough to get a warrant. So they call in the ATF, for whom, based on the youtube vids, there is probable cause, on top of which I think he’s an FFL also, giving them authority to inspect. Anything incriminating turned up would (a) be turned over to GBI, or (b) used as leverage to get what GBI is looking for.

  21. Wow what a waste of Gov’t funding/resources. FPS has claimed and shown he uses Tanerite many many times. 40 Agents? This is the type of wild west stuff that gets people killed, if they had simply called his agent I am sure he would have agreed to meet with them peacefully. Heck they could have even pulled him over (So long as he wasn’t driving his tank) on his way out to McDonalds or something. But to storm his property with 40 agents? This is INSANE , this is how/why Waco Texas and Ruby ridge happened. One day, soon this is going to happen to someone who isin’t as mild mannered as FPS Ruissia or that gun dealer in AZ about the feds violating the law and unlawfully detaining them.

    • Yup, it’ll go something like this-while tannerite has been available legally, FPS’s use demonstrates that terrorists can put large quantities of this substance to criminal use. This CANNOT be allowed………….

      • It’s not as if terrorists have any idea of how to make enhanced ANFO now is it?
        I mean; even I know how to do that, so Tannerite would hardly be my choice if I wanted more than a loud bang as the terminal effect.
        Next step they will be arresting hairdressers for buying hydrogen peroxide – oh wait, they already did that here in the UK.

  25. Amazing. Glad we have the ATF! What would we do otherwise. I mean, geez. All those drug dealing… ummm, those arms dealing…. ummm, those darn youtube profiteers legally possessing and using their own stuff to make, gasp, a video! Oh the humanity! Quick, gather 40 agents from surrounding areas and bring in armored vehicles and helicopters. This sucker has got to be raided!

    What is most disturbing was they went there because they thought he was violating an explosives ordinance. Yet, they said “The idea at one of the locations was to take firearms, but they did not do that,” Coes said. So, they wanted to take his guns? What does this do with an explosives violation? I think the agenda all along might have been to confiscate his home arsenal. After all, the government gets a little nervous or jealous, when you have more fire power than they do.

  26. I’m inclined to think that this was harassment of a popular
    pro-gun personage than anything else. My guess is that the
    ATF will find a way to shut FPS Russia down and make an
    example of him to the rest of the gun owners. If the use of
    tanerite was a problem, he would have been paid a visit by
    State officials long ago. Unless there’s a new classification
    tanerite use falls in a grey area of whether it’s regulated by
    the federal government. States, however, can make their
    own restrictions and requirements for use.

    Is FPS the safest gun user? No. Do I think that the ATF
    would go so far as to make charges up in order to quiet
    those so openly pro-gun? Yes, yes I do.

    • The problem they face with our culture is if the ATF arrests someone they don’t make them an example, they make them a martyr.

      • To continue your statement, I think the ATF might
        be okay with making a martyr, arrest or not, if it
        gives other pause about speaking openly.

        • Still a bad idea on the PR front.

          FPSRussia has a lot more fans than BATF. He’s also got enough income to hire good lawyers. His is a very bad candidate for ‘making an example’.

  28. Why target innocent people? Because they wanted to find someway to use their shiny expensive toys, but criminals are too dangerous and someone might get hurt!

  29. Given the diseased mental state of the current administration in DC, bloated with hubris and power, it’s just a matter of time before there’s another Ruby Ridge.

    • +1

      Maybe even the site of the first drone strike on a US citizen on US soil. “It was too dangerous to breach, the suspect was believed to have terrorist connections and barricaded in a likley booby traped fortress.

      • Actually, I’m surprised they didn’t use a drone. When the place blows up from the airstrike, they’ll say he had explosives (and not clarify that it was legal tannerite) and was a terrorist and a threat!

  31. Honestly the more and more I think about it I think several State and Federal agencies are trying to force a Ruby Ridge or Waco style confrontation to drum up support for gun control. That is the only logical reason they persist with these Para-Military style tactics. There is no reason to storm the home of a law abiding young businessman well known for his internet videos on the subject of firearms. This is the kind of stuff that STARTED waco and ruby ridge, an inappropriate confrontational attitude by certain law enforcment agencies.

    • It really is not good. Either they get their Ruby Ridge/Waco and the issue of gun control becomes even hotter than it is now, or they learn that they really can muscle their way into citizens’ homes and take their guns, which will only serve to embolden them. With either outcome, we lose.

    • I agree, the Feds and many States seem to be gearing up to
      force encounters a la Ruby Ridge. But they must pick
      carefully, otherwise they may find some incredibly resistant.
      I think that one of these no-knock raids at a wrong address
      is going to go bad with multiple officers down. From there,
      since the police can do no wrong, everything will escalate
      exponentially.

      • The last Ruby Ridge was responsible for igniting the pro-gun movement in America. The next one will ignite more.

        This administration is spoiling for a fight. Having almost run out of Afghans and Iraqis to slaughter, the gang of bandits in Washington will without a doubt turn their attention to killing Americans.

        • Killing more Americans, you mean. They’ve already started and they have admitted they have a list.

  34. This sounds like a Fishing Expedition.

    Or maybe some SWATing.

    I will be interested to see how this all shakes out.

  35. FPS always gave me the impression he was in the letter of the law…he seems level headed so these ATF guys will hopefully be sued for any damage they did on a bogus warrant. So this is what it was like to live in Soviet Russia… Glad he is a professional Russian.

    • Not really. The Soviets didn’t do nearly as much dick-waving OORAH GET SOME nonsense.

      They’d come to your house with a few guys dressed in uniforms or suits, beat the hell out of you, and drag you off to Lubyanka’s jail (if you lived in Moscow). You’d probably be tortured and possibly shot in custody but the latter thing is pretty likely to occur in one of these paramilitary raids, isn’t it?

  36. BATFE= Bunch of A-holes Targeting Friendies without Explanation. Keep up the good work guys, glad you got to earn a few extra bucks and take your toys out for a play-date on our dime….

  37. Hilarious that they send so many people to investigate one guy. 40 people. But no, we couldn’t possibly put armed security in every school, we don’t have enough money or people for that. Ridiculous raids though, no problem we’ve got it covered.

    • They’ll start blowing up houses with armed drones within the next decade and just shout “officer safety.”

      Bank on it.

  39. Considering how the ATF has been screwing up a number of raids of late (remember the Smith and Wesson raid at the SHOT Show a couple of years ago?) Kyle must thank his stars that they’re as stupid as they are. Too stupid, likely, to have remembered where they filed Lon Horiuchi’s address as well. That said, they could always count on the help of some of their Zeta buddies if they needed it, I guess. They’ve done the Zetas a lot of favors as everyone knows . . .

  40. Does Robert have some sort of deep-seated hate for FPS Russia? What are the chances he watches more of his videos than the majority of his fans. He is always quick to point out anything wrong he can find with his videos and he’s always hoping for something bad happens to him. So much so that he would “pay to see it” (He just removed this part). This raid may please Robert, until he happens to be on the receiving end and they try to label him an extremist or homegrown terrorist that incites anti-government propaganda on his website. Robert may believe he is exposing FPS, but he is unknowingly exposing more of himself. It reeks of jealousy, which will surely be denied but all the signs seem to be there.

    I don’t wish this on anyone and I am shocked to see Roberts’s elation when it happens to someone else.

    • Has Robert posted dozens of videos displaying flagrant disregard for even the most basic safe gun handling principles and nearly killing himself and others blowing things up?

      The fact that you can not even muster enough integrity to post using your real name tells me all I need to know about you.

    • You need to work on your reading comprehension skills. Try going over RF’s post again, a bit slower this time.

  41. All I can say is . . . get a friend (or company) that is familiar w/ counter surveillance equipment and techniques to do a sweep of the place before you say or do anything. I bet the place is bugged (in addition to the frequent drone fly-bys). Consider moving to Russia or a nice eastern European fiefdom where brides are cheap and they can pay for peace & (some) privacy.

  42. I am sure the ATF had a few questions after watching FPS almost kill himself and others with explosives for profit.

  43. I’m surprised they didn’t call him a domestic terrorist, chased him into his house, set it on fire with tear gas claiming he had “assault weapons” and he was against “saving the children”

    One way or another.. this REGIME needs to go. We are turning into a dictatorship. (esp since the liberals have been brainwashed it appears)

  45. Can’t wait til they find out FPS Russia murdered his partner for the money, he is obvious one of the main suspects.

  46. I see a major fishing trip and it was not fish they were looking for..
    It looks like the people of America needs to follow their footsteps and beprepaired for whatever… We have neighborhood watch programs, Now it is time to have neighborhood responce teams. If the alarms go out the neighbors respond with camaras and what ever we need…..

  47. .22Plinkster better watch out. Hes next with his whole shooting a .22 through a washer schtick!

  48. They planned a raid on his property when he wasn’t there to defend himself….that’s also weak of the ATF

  49. This is beyond insane. As a sign I saw once said, “Screw us and we multiply”. These government goons have forgotten where they live, or they think they’ve got enough of their “sheeple programming” in place. This is going to get ugly.

  51. I’ll promise you 1 thing if they shot his fathers dog you will not hear the end of it….

  52. This has to do with Tannerite and the ATF trying to bust FPSRussia for possibly storing Tannerite mixed together, which makes it a regulated explosive.

    Nothing but a witch hunt!

  54. I suspect Georgia’s homicide investigation prompted this, either as a fishing expedition or by simply attracting enough attention from the right supervisor to make the claim is that FPS Russia is using explosives for income without the proper permits. “Holy shit, that looks fun- it’s got to be illegal!”

    None of the articles I’ve read mentioned swat teams or anything. I’d not be surprised if it involved a polite statement of “Your licenses allow us to inspect, we’re inspecting.” Objecting would mean the ATF would down-check every application from those guys forever. Dude likes his toys, tries to keep within the law, he’d probably not argue. Big place, lots of toys- a busload of CSI/accountant types just to get the search done in less than a month & you’d be at 40 people in a hurry.

    It might be an end-run fishing expedition, or it could just be a retentive paper-pusher who started it all. It might be a conspiracy from the top, but “Never assume malice when apathy, ignorance or stupidity will suffice.”

  55. Well at least we won’t have to worry about their idiotic stuns for a while. I hope. Worst example of law abiding gun owners I’ve ever seen.

Comments are closed.