From: [c--mi--o] at [inxpress.net] (John Q. Public)
Date: 6 Jul 1995 18:03:08 GMT
Subject: More Tales of the BATF

>From _The Gun Owner_, Fall 1992

Another BATF SWAT Attack on Women And Children

April 1, 1992 was a memorable April Fool's Day for Del Knudson of Col-
ville, Washington.  While Knudson was at work as a carpenter, BATF
agents raided his home.

        Malisa Knudson was bathing her 21-month-old daughter Kalee when
she heard the sound of traffic coming up their remote mile-long road.
As she came to the front door she saw several vehicles accompanying a
Ryder moving van and an ambulance.  About 30 agents piled out of the van
and swarmed over her property.
        She was forced to come outside in spite of her requests to first
get her baby out of the bath tub.  The  BATF was not to be tricked by
this mother and her baby, so Malisa was handcuffed and the baby left
alone in the bath.  A family friend who lived nearby was visiting and
he, too, was handcuffed to a chair.  In a model of police work, the BATF
secured the Knudson home in 28 seconds, despite the risks  the agents
obviously faced from Malisa and her three daughters (the other two are
aged seven and five).
        For three hours the Knudson home was searched and Malisa was
interrogated about the family's religious and political views.  The
government acted on the basis of an affidavit sworn out by a deranged
relative of a family friend.  He alleged that the Knudsons wanted to
overthrow the U.S. government, that they were white supremacists and
owned machine guns.
        Imagine the government's dismay when it found out their inform-
ant was certifiably insane and his charges were totally false.  The only
guns in the house were lawfully owned semi-automatic rifles and other
firearms.  The BATF finally had to admit that the guns were okay and
that the Knudsons had done nothing wrong.  The guns were finally re-
turned to Knudson.
        Gun owners should point out to their congressmen that they never
see 30 BATF agents swarming the hangouts of the street gangs who terror-
ize center cities across the country.  Perhaps there might be a bigger
contribution to law and order if the BATF targeted real thugs instead of
"dangerous" women and children.