Russell Fincher resides in the small town of Tuskahoma, Oklahoma with a population barely above 151. Fincher is a federally licensed part-time gun dealer, Baptist pastor, high school history teacher, and a little league coach. 

Despite being a dealer, Fincher does not own a store, but does sell his firearms at gun shows regularly. Most of the time, he markets them at his own home, an act that would bring him into conflict with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 

Fincher ran a “Kitchen Table FFL,” something that caught the ATF’s eye. When it called in April and asked to do an inspection, the Oklahoma dealer said he had nothing to hide.  

While searching, both ATF agents were seen taking photos of Fincher’s firearms with their phones, an illegal practice that is somehow tolerated. 

The agents returned after two weeks, claiming certain forms were “illegible,” including an interchanged model number and a firearm serial number, which Fincher was correcting. 

On June 16, the ATF agent called back and said they needed to speak with Fincher before he left for a gun show, only to be greeted by a SWAT team. Fincher estimated the total value of the seized guns to be around $50,000 to $60,000.

During the raid, Special Agent Theodore Mongell told Fincher that he was being permanently shut down, alongside all of his other FFL compatriots. 

Overall, no reasonable explanation for using a SWAT team or the excessive display of force was given. 

Despite being handcuffed and verbally reprimanded for over an hour, the agents never informed Fincher if or when he would face charges. 

Fincher himself is concerned that being charged with a felony could result in the loss of his teaching position.