The Gun Owners of America (GOA) just dropped a bombshell: thanks to a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, it’s now confirmed that the ATF has been spying on gun forums, social media, and online communities for over a decade.

Instead of focusing on actual criminals, the ATF has been monitoring and harassing law-abiding gun owners.

The 35-page FOIA document GOA obtained reveals that since at least 2015, the ATF has been tracking legal and illegal firearm sales, keeping tabs on popular online gun forums, and even monitoring Reddit and Facebook groups.

According to the ATF’s own intelligence assessment, they continue to track gun owners even after they determine there is no criminal activity.

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The ATF’s report is full of misstatements of federal law and outright hostility toward private gun ownership. Some of the biggest takeaways from GOA’s findings:

• The ATF considers Craigslist, AR15.com, and even Facebook gun groups as “unregulated marketplaces” that need more government oversight.
• They claim that gun owners who value privacy are more likely to be engaged in illegal activity—a ridiculous and dangerous assumption.
• They openly criticize Congress for allowing private firearm sales and suggest the government should have more control over these legal transactions.
• Even when no crime is found, the ATF continues monitoring gun owners.

One of the most disturbing parts of GOA’s investigation is the connection to an ATF inspector, Nicholas Speranza Jr., who was previously caught illegally seizing records and harassing gun store customers.

He was a key player in the ATF’s zero-tolerance policy. Which has been used to shut down FFLs over minor clerical errors.

GOA previously stopped the ATF from shutting down Kiloton Tactical, a Florida-based gun store, after Speranza illegally seized their records.

The fact that he’s also tied to the ATF’s online surveillance program shows just how deep this anti-gun agenda runs.

With President Trump back in office and Kash Patel now leading the ATF, there’s a real opportunity to shut down these abuses. GOA is calling for:

1. An immediate investigation into the ATF’s surveillance of law-abiding citizens
2. Rolling back ATF overreach and eliminating unconstitutional tracking programs
3. Holding anti-gun bureaucrats accountable for years of abuse

The fight isn’t over, but one thing is clear—the ATF’s war on gun owners is finally being exposed.

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