FPS Russia Raided by ATF

[High Exposure 5,680]

http://onlineathens.com/local-news/2013-03-27/atf-agents-lead-search-explosives-carnesville-home

 

ATF agents lead search for explosives at Carnesville home

By WAYNE FORD updated Wednesday, March 27, 2013 - 10:46pm

 

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.

 

U.S. Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents supervised the raid geared at finding explosives used by Kyle Myers, 26, because the ATF believes Myers may be violating a federal law regulating such explosives, according to ATF spokesman Richard Coes.

 

Federal agents, accompanied by Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents and deputies with the sheriffs offices in Franklin and Hart counties, raided the Royston residence of Myers. Authorities also raided on Tuesday the 60-acre farm of Lamar Myers, Kyles 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.

 

Coes said he could not comment on whether the raid stemmed from the investigation into the slaying of 32-year-old Keith Richard Ratliff, who was found dead in his business outside Carnesville on Jan. 3.

 

The investigation has widened into other states, according to the GBI.

 

Ratliff was co-owner with Myers of FPS Industries, which made guns. As productions of FPSRussia, the men posted videos on YouTube, which featured Myers using weapons the men acquired or made.

 

In the FPSRussia videos, Myers, who fakes a Russian accent during his demonstrations, is shown shooting guns and blowing up items.

 

Myers was known to use explosives and I dont know if it was done with malicious intent, Coes said, adding that Myers was blowing up cars, refrigerators and other items for entertainment purposes.

 

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, 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. Attorneys Office, according to Coes.

 

Myers YouTube videos has about 3.4 million subscribers, making it one the most viewed channels on YouTube, according to the website AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.

Myers, nor his father, could be reached for comment.

 

Ratliff, originally from Frankfort, Ky., had lived less than a year in Franklin County before he was fatally shot. Guns were found in the business near Ratliffs body, but the murder weapon was not among them, authorities said. He died of a single shot to the head, the GBI said.

Ratliff lived in the building used for the business.

 

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.

 

Ratliff was estranged from his wife, Amanda, who lived in Kentucky with their 2-year-old son, according to a January story in the Lexington (Ky.) Herald-Leader. She told the newspaper her husband was a businessman from the time he got up until the time he went to bed.

 

Friends of Ratliff found his body, but the GBI has not said how long they think the victim had been dead.

 

The GBI would not comment on possible suspects or persons of interest in the slaying of Ratliff.

 

While it seems a bs raid, what it comes down to is "license fees". You as an individual can shoot tannerite all day long, but the minute you charge for admission to watch, or make money from the demo, it becomes illegal unless you pay the proper fees and obtain a license to do so. Technically, what FPS Russia is doing is illegal, and he does it very publicly.

[Damjan 73]

 

 

This was a:

A) Fishing Expedition

B) Applying Heat

C) Putting the Squeeze

[Maksim 1,504]

Heh, news to me.

 

Nor did I know he had a license to produce firearms.

[david8613 69]

I saw a video he did were a car was blown up, and looked like he was slightly too close, shrap metal flew very close to him, very lucky, and the explosion looked very very powerful, it destroyed the car!

[M4BGRINGO 139]

Read Unintended Consequences by John Ross, this type of thing is throughout the book.

[Soju 153]

http://onlineathens....arnesville-home

 

 

 

Technically, what FPS Russia is doing is illegal, and he does it very publicly.

 

You sure about that? If that were the case, they would have made arrests.

 

1. Binary explosives, when not mixed, are not subject to ATF regulations. So I am not sure what they expected to accomplish from a raid.

 

2. Even the ATF represented said they only believed he was violating the law. FPS Russia's use falling under " for their own business use" is questionable at best.

 

3. Like most things, the only reason that regulation exists is so the government can make money off of you. They want him to get a license and pay more taxes.

 

This was a:

A) Fishing Expedition

B) Applying Heat

C) Putting the Squeeze

 

D) All of the above

[Clintoon Eastwood 2]

They got nothing better to do

[tony357 386]

Why are they investigating a dead person? Does he have accounts with money in them they can seize ?

[johnp 45]

FPS Russia put firearms into a positive light and showed the young "youtube generation" that guns weren't evil but a fun hobby and activity. Two months after his friend and his show producer mysteriously ends up dead, he gets raided, not suspicious at all.

 

When this story first broke, they said the raid was for evidence regarding the murder of his friend, and they then switched the story to illegal explosives.

[JustJoe 0]

Wait...what??

 

He's not Russian????

[AlexTheSane 236]

Wait...what??

 

He's not Russian????

 

Nope, and his accent is awful.

[JustJoe 0]

I fail at humor on the interwebs.

[axeman_g 128]

Where was the money coming from? Who was he charging????

[TooBigToFit 2]

Where was the money coming from? Who was he charging????

 

YouTube partners get money from YouTube. So although he's not charging anyone, they're saying the fact that Google pays him for the videos means he should have a license.

[KpdPipes 388]

Why are they investigating a dead person? Does he have accounts with money in them they can seize ?

 

They are still trying to solve the Homicide.... Because he was involved in the firearms end of the Videos and had the SOT contacts, the Feds are keeping an eye on that. As for the rest, yeah it's a fishing Expedition. SHOULD Kyle (The actor) Get an Explosive Users License?? Probably, although as long as the amount of explosives is under 50lbs, he is within the letter of the law.... which is why they're playing footsie about the commercial aspects. That's what got that guy in trouble a year or so ago when he set off a 100lb charge and caused the panic at the nearby Nuke Plant. Anything over 50# requires a license. At the end of the day, all of the assorted NFA items Kyle has played with as FPS Russia, have been lawfully owned by a couple of different FFL/SOT's, who have been present while Kyle was shooting, as required...Frankly it's probably pissing them off that Fplks like Kyle, and the Haydens (As annoying as SOG can be) Portray firearms in a positive light, and make people realize that Machineguns, Destructive Devices, and Supressors are PERFECTLY LEGAL TO OWN in most of the cpuntry

[Celraysoda 7]

I was just thinking about this. I believe he was recently released as a suspect in the homicide.

 

And yes, I shocked a few in a post a few months back that his accent was fake. I was watching a video and my wife was listening and commented on how lousy his accent was. I quickly turned to Google and was heartbroken, too.

[ChrisJM981 924]

They certainly wouldn't want citizens to have the capability of removing a tyrannical and oppressive goverment from power, now would they?

[njJoniGuy 2,133]

Read Unintended Consequences by John Ross, this type of thing is throughout the book.

I have a copy of this 861 page hardback behemoth on my bookshelf just waiting to be tackled.

With Aaron Zelman (late founder of JPFO) and Neal Knox (of NRA fame) highly regarded on the author's acknowledgement page, this book needs to move closer to the top of my "to read" list.

[NJKen 23]

Maybe it is because of this

?

Ken

[The_Matrix 105]

The part that he has a fake Russian accent....he had me fooled.

[BlueLineFish 615]

I knew there was a video where he used an obscene amount of explosives

[bzer1 15]

I fail at humor on the interwebs.

 

It's your sarcasm font...You need the latest one.

[AlexTheSane 236]

The part that he has a fake Russian accent....he had me fooled.

 

Being Ukrainian myself, I probably recognize it easier. He sounds like me when I'm making fun of my family.

[tuktuk 16]

I actually did think he was Russian. I figured he is making his accent worse than it is for entertainment purposes. damn . .....

[Damjan 73]

Had me fooled untill i googled him a while back.

 

For some reason his accent has been getting worse , more towards non russian in the last 2 months of videos.....stress.......guilt????

[Malsua 1,422]

Why couldn't the sequester have hit the ATF clowns?

[Dan 177]

They are just exercising a few pointers from Naomi Wolf's guide on how to move the US to fascism.

 

Specifically

 

#3 - Develop a thug caste - ATF/DHS, need I say more

#4 - Target Key Individuals - target popular people who go against the grain in the grand plan , in this case Kyle Myers in order to make an example.

 

I'm amazed that no arrests were made on trumped up charges similar to how NJ handles gun owners.

[Babyface Finster 45]

If there was not enough evidence found to even make an arrest, why are the authorities releasing this information to the public? What sort of damage is done to the man's repuation by the publication of a story like this?

[ryan_j 0]

I actually did think he was Russian. I figured he is making his accent worse than it is for entertainment purposes. damn . .....

 

Really? He sounded pretty darn American to me. I work with a good few real Russians though, so I know the Russian accent very well. And I can even tell it apart from the Ukrainian one too.

[Albanian 121]

Because there aren't real criminals to be going after in this country.