Colorado --(Ammoland.com)- Recently an incredibly reliable source with the highest access to this type of information informed me of the following. This is not some Internet conspiracy crap, this is the real deal, it really happened.

Back a few years ago when the so-called “D.C. snipers” were murdering people in the Washington D.C. area a new plan was enacted by conventional police in the Maryland and Virginia urban areas.

The killers used a .223 (5.56mm NATO) caliber rifle. The police found ejected cases at the crime scenes. So the local police hatched the following scheme. Go to various sporting goods stores and gun shops and get the 4473 Federal firearm registrations on anyone with a rifle in that particular caliber and contact them at their home in that area.

But the 4473 research is the domain of the ATF, they needed Federal assistance so ATF and FBI cooperation was gained and the police gained full access to the gun forms. Copies of the registrations were made and contact lists devised.

The local police would go to the firearm owner’s house and ask “PLEASE could we have your rifle to take down to our offices, test fire and compare the cartridge cases with those found at the crime scene.” Quit laughing, it gets worse.

With a simple “Please may we have your rifle…” to prove your innocence, the police were not only given the owner’s registered sale 4473 rifle(s) but in many cases the citizens had other .223 caliber rifles that were NOT on the new purchased 4473 forms and many of these guns were also voluntarily offered up by the cooperating owners to the police. And all it took was a simple “please.”

And, it gets worse. Many of the gun clubs and gun ranges in these areas maintain records on members or guests and the particular guns they are using on that day at the range, etc. Those records were immediately offered up to the police by the gun clubs and ranges. NONE of this was done through a warrant of any kind. Just a simple please…

The numbers of people that offered up their guns was “officially” found to be well over 90 percent (It approximated nearly 98 percent!). Of those who refused to turn in their guns for the testing (among them probably the killers if they were located in the first place) the contacting police officers would then resort to stronger verbal and intimidation techniques. The resisting gun owners basically replied “If you get a court order I will turn in my firearms, until then, no!” No court orders were ever requested or obtained.

The firearms (most) were returned to the gun owners. However, the cartridge cases and identifying information have been coordinated and retained by the police and therefore constitute a voluntary (by the gun owners) cartridge case identification registration forever linked to their gun(s).

The stupidity:

• Citizens were more than happy to “PROVE” THEIR INNOCENCE to the police.
• Citizens turned in their guns to the police for a simple PLEASE.
• People wanted to help catch the killers–by turning in their own guns.
• Gun clubs and shooting ranges voluntarily turned in their (NON-REQUIRED) records on members and visitors.

We are a country of sheep. …from my cold dead hands indeed.