Court Upholds Revocation Of Federal Firearms License Of Owner Of Taylor’s Trading Post, Biglerville, Pennsylvania

     Peter J. Smith, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Pennsylvania and Donald Robinson, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Philadelphia Field Division jointly announced today that U.S. Middle District Court Judge John E. Jones, III, has adopted the revocation of the Federal Firearms License (FFL) of Scott W. Taylor, d/b/a Taylor’s Trading Post, located in Biglerville, Pennsylvania.

     In early 2010, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted a compliance inspection of Taylor’s business, which was operated out of his home in Biglerville, Adams County. ATF discovered that over a three-year period of time, Taylor had committed more than 10,000 violations of the Gun Control Act, which requires firearm dealers to keep detailed and timely records of the purchase and sale of firearms. Law enforcement relies on these records to apprehend criminals who use firearms to commit crimes and to ensure that firearms are not being sold to persons not authorized to possess them.

     Despite buying and selling thousands of guns over that three-year period, Taylor failed to record the purchase of 5,715 firearms, the sale of 2,856 firearms, and keep records of the disposition of 1,618 additional firearms.  About 160 of the firearms remain unaccounted for.  Taylor also admitted to possessing a firearm with an obliterated serial number, which he knew was illegal and failing to report it to law enforcement.

     As a result, in November 2011, ATF revoked Taylor’s Federal Firearms License. Taylor challenged this administrative action claiming his three-year failure to comply with the record requirements had not been willful for a variety of reasons, including that he had been ill for a period of time, the loss of a co-worker, and the crash of a computer system.

     Judge Jones adopted findings resulting from a hearing before Chief Magistrate Judge Martin C. Carlson in which the violations were determined to be willful because Taylor admitted he knew the law required him to keep the records, he had kept the records in the past, and then failed to keep the records for three years while he continued to buy and sell thousands of guns each year.

     As a result of Judge Jones’ ruling, Taylor will be no longer be able to engage in the business of dealing in firearms. ATF will establish terms to facilitate Taylor’s liquidation of his firearms inventory in a specified time period.

     This case was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Kate L. Mershimer of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF Associate Chief Counsel Jeffrey A. Cohen and ATF Division Counsel J. Kevin White.