Gun Store Raid in Montana, Children’s Lawsuit, and Trafficking

Missoula, MT (KGVO-AM News) - Montana’s Attorney General Austin Knudsen appeared on the KGVO Talk Back show on Thursday, and one of the first topics he addressed was the IRS raid on a Great Falls firearms shop that was conducted without warning in which boxes of customer records were seized.

“It happened back on June14th, if I remember correctly,” began Knudsen. “This is a gun shop and I'm familiar because I'm a gun guy. I tend to go to gun shops when I'm visiting towns in Montana. This was Highwood Creek Outfitters. The owner showed up at his business at 7:30 in the morning and there were 20 armed IRS agents with AR-15’s and bulletproof vests, there to serve an IRS search warrant.”

Knudsen was Furious Over the Unannounced IRS Great Falls Gun Shop Raid

Knudsen provided more details on the IRS raid.

“The IRS went into this guy's business with a search warrant for financial records,” began Knudsen. “Well, they didn't just take financial records folks. They took 20 boxes of ATF Form 4473’s. What's the 4473? When you go to a retail store and buy a firearm, that's the background check form you have to fill out. It's got all your personal information on it, your name, your address, your place of birth, a lot of times your social security number, a ton of sensitive personal information. It also has the make model and serial number of the firearm that you're purchasing.”

Knudsen also addressed the successful passage of bills enabling the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking crimes, especially those dealing with children.

Knudsen Celebrated the Passage of Human Trafficking Laws

“One of the problems we had before this session was you could be a John (a child sex customer); you could be a person who got online here in Montana, and solicited sex with a minor, with a child. You could do that up to four times and it was previously only a misdemeanor. It was a six month slap on the wrist and a $500 fine. Those days are done. With this new law it's a first time felony offense with a mandatory two years in prison.”

Another topic Knudsen addressed was the recently completed climate trial in Helena, in which several young people brought suit against the state for damage to the environment and how it may affect their future.

Knudsen called the Recent Children's Climate Lawsuit 'a Circus and a Farce'

“We had the kids’ climate lawsuit that just wrapped up,” he said. “That was a huge one, in my opinion, a huge farce and a huge circus paid for by out of state environmental interests that, sent a bunch of children into court, in an attempt that had been thrown out of Federal Court had been thrown out of every other state court in the country. But we had one judge here in Helena, who was bound and determined to hear this case and give these kids a headline, and this is what we end up with.”