Conservative Gun Store Owner Persecuted By Bidens ATF On Bogus Charges

Former Congressional Candidate Jeff Regnier raided by the ATF and Secret Service

File photo/ Jeff Regnier (2021)©️

Val Ojeda, Writer

Last Monday, February 27th, once again the Biden administration showed its true colors against the 2nd Amendment community. Before 7AM in a residential neighborhood in Manhattan, Illinois, gathered over 50 federal agents in SWAT gear and armored assault vehicles. They donned tactical gear, helmets, night vision goggles. Next heard were explosions from “flash bang” grenade devices meant to shock with sound and a bright explosive light meant to temporarily blind. Using battering rams, these agents broke down the doors and entered the home with force.

The home belonged to Jeff Regnier. Inside the home was himself, his wife, and two small children sleeping. When the agents announced themselves, Jeff immediately got out of bed and got on his knees, as did his wife. A son of a Chicago Police Officer, he knew their procedures and protocols. For the safety of himself and that of his wife and children, he cooperated with the agents. 

The children began screaming, not knowing what was happening. Screaming for their mother, the youngest child, Jeff's daughter, was screaming in shock because an agent pointed his rifle at her. Jeff reassured the children that the agents were the Police and to cooperate. But the damage was already done.

Jeff and his wife were placed in plastic handcuff ties. They were told that they were arrested. The agents then entered the home with evidence technicians from the ATF, Secret Service, and other agencies. Streets were closed off blocks down, with police vehicles refusing entry to anyone. 

Upon questioning, Jeff requested that he and his wife use the bathroom. The agents refused their request. The agents berated both of them and made threats of jail to them both. Meanwhile, the children cried, not understanding why this was happening to their parents. Later, the agents explained that their intelligence failed to disclose that there were children in the home.

At this very moment, in the Mt. Greenwood neighborhood of Chicago, Jeff's parent's home was also raided. Jeff's father is a retired Chicago Police Officer. The agents also raided their home, seizing lawfully owned guns and computers. The reason for the raid is that the home was once used for business. Friends and neighbors watched in shock as several dozen agents raided the home of a well-known Chicago Cop that had never done anything wrong.

Later, Jeff and his wife were transported to a secret location at the Will County jail to be interrogated. Jeff's sister took possession of the children, while for the next 12 hours Jeff was questioned by state and federal agents. At this time, the police failed to disclose their location to many that were attempting to locate them.

Jeff and his wife were separated as they questioned them. Upon reading them their rights, both Jeff and his wife requested lawyers, but we're both denied as they were pressured to cooperate or face dozens of years in prison. The agents questioned them about political dealings and about bank accounts that they had nothing to do with. They were questioned about contracts they had with the City of Chicago through their construction business.

Both Jeff and his wife have no criminal records and have strong ties to the community. Both Jeff and his wife Greta also are friends with many police officers in the region. The pillars of the community are them. They pay their taxes. Furthermore, they donate to causes and help others. Just last year, Jeff ran for Congress in Illinois in the 1st District. 

So, why did the federal government come after Jeff?

Let's begin by saying that Jeff Regnier is an everyday American that loves his country. There are thousands that are a testimony to that.

Jeff Regnier is a Conservative Republican, a father and a strong supporter of our Constitution. He is a small business owner who has built his business to provide a better future for his children, meanwhile providing well-paying jobs to the community. He started working construction building parks in low-income neighborhoods. At 23 years old, he worked a second job for General Motors as a mechanic to provide for his four kids as a single father. To Jeff, it's about family. A lifelong resident of Chicago, Jeff comes from a strong family upbringing. His father is a Chicago Police Officer and his brother is a Chicago firefighter another brother is a Cop with many other family members in the military. To provide a better future for his children, Jeff started a construction company when he was 32. Continuing to build parks in low-income neighborhoods and offering many jobs to those in need.

As a father of 6, 3 boys and 3 girls, Jeff wants what's best for his family. That's by working hard and by serving the community. Doing work for churches, the United Way and other non for-profit organizations. Just recently Jeff has entered a partnership with a Church of Faith in Chicago to assist in minority outreach and voter registration sponsoring community events to reach out and help families. Jeff also donated his time helping local food banks and supporting veteran causes. It's about giving back to the community. Jeff knows the struggles of being without. At 23 years old with 4 little children, he knew the hardship of struggling to pay the bills and to feed his children. For a time, to help him get by, he was even receiving public assistance. Through hard work and persistence, Jeff provided for his family and started his businesses, including a gun store he opened later in New Lenox, Illinois.

Jeff opened Kee Firearms and Training because he is a supporter of the 2nd Amendment. Jeff believes in the right of gun ownership and concealed carry. A lifelong member of the NRA and ISRA, Jeff is against limits on gun ownership, including the FOID card. As a business owner, Jeff provides a free service to all, so they may have the ability to conceal carry and understand gun safety. Jeff provides free gun training to hundreds of people every month. Many cannot afford gun training, and that is why Jeff is providing this service to the public. Jeff has offered this free service to over 8,000 gun owners, saving them 2 million dollars in fees alone. He also provides information to the public about new gun laws and what can be done to protect their 2nd Amendment freedoms. Jeff also works with the Police and other law enforcement agencies to provide them at a low cost the tools they need to do their job.

Jeff didn't stop there. He felt the call to serve in public service. To serve his community, state and country.

Later, Jeff announced he was running for Congress. At his announcement, he proclaimed:

“The reason I am running is because I am a parent. As a parent I want to provide a better future for my grandchildren down the road into our future. We cannot afford to mortgage our mistakes and financial problems so they have to deal with it later. As you know we are suffering from too much governmental control influencing our everyday lives. Because of mandates alone there has been a late portion of our population migrating to other states because of business shutdowns and people losing their jobs. Meanwhile, we are being taxed to death. This is not acceptable. Our kids are being taught sex education in school as babies while being forced to wear masks and suffering from school shutdowns. Our children are now social experiments. Let them be kids again. Our Police are attacked by activist Politicians. Now criminals have more rights than innocent citizens. Our economy is broken. Inflation is sky high. Taxes are increasing to pay for needless social programs while our pension will go and fail. I will protect our pensions. Crime is out of control. We need more enforcement to prevent crime. I want to provide better care for our seniors. Giving them the tools they need to live comfortably instead of fighting just to stay alive. I want better care for our veterans. For too long they have been neglected"

So why after a life of obeying the law, raising children and having a successful business did the federal government raid Jeff's home as he was a major dealer in a drug cartel or a murder suspect? The charges that he was charged with nonsense. In one case where they accused him of unemployment fraud but it was legitimate compensation due to the COVID crisis. Like many others that were accused and were redeemed, so will Jeff find redemption.

Let's begin with how this investigation began. America itself is under attack by the Biden administration and the Democrats. When you are vocal you become a target of the federal government. In this case Jeff is an outspoken Republican Conservative that is the President of a Political Action Committee. Time and time again he stood for 2nd Amendment gun rights. He ran for Congress and has donated to and helped dozens of candidates. He's attended public gatherings in support of the Constitution and 2A. 

Jeff is the owner of Kee Firearms and Training. He has the Midwest largest stock of firearms. He has daily sales from not only Illinois but all over the country. He also is the only gun dealer/Trainer that provides Concealed Weapons Carry training. Jeff is well known in social media producing hundreds of PSA videos and advertisements. 

Jeff also is part owner of Kee Construction, an enterprise he helped his wife start. 

Jeff has also appeared in numerous television stations, radio, podcasts and the subject of numerous written publications. 

The more visible Jeff became the more the federal government began to notice him. Let us not forget the attack the State of Illinois and the Federal government has made on the 2nd Amendment by passing laws and regulations banning guns in the beginning of this year. Because of these new laws and regulations they have affected Jeff's gun store costing him 80% of his business sales.

Just last year like many other gun store owners Jeff was the target of needless ATF audits. Biden and the Federal government instituted a new strategy. They know it would be difficult to have a total gun ban but they can target the 2A community another way. By supply and demand. 

The Biden strategy consists of revoking the (FFL) Federal Firearms Licenses of gun store owners by extreme audits. If you fail to check a form or sign a document then the ATF will revoke your ticket. Hundreds of gun owners are closing down because of this attack on the gun stores. If you eliminate the gun stores, how can you purchase ammunition and guns?

Remember, when it comes to “gun control,” the important word is control,” not gun.”

When the mentally ill individual committed the horrific act in Highland Park last year, the Democrats circled the wagons and right away went on the attack attacking 2A. Governor Pritzker called the White House and the very next day Vice-President Kamila Harris visited the crime scene demanding a ban on guns in a press conference. 

Soon, the powers that be were devising plans at a federal and state level. First, President Biden instructed the ATF to begin yanking Federal Firearm Licenses for minor infractions. That means one by one, gun stores have been closing down because their FFLs were revoked. When this happens, the federal government takes control of your inventory. It's then auctioned off, and the former gun owner is given what's left from the auction, losing hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Biden administration is using this procedure to cut off the flow of guns and ammo to the American people. Soon we will be like Mexico. To purchase a gun in Mexico, you have to pay an expensive fee and have a referral by a politician. When you have that, you can purchase a gun at the only gun store located in Mexico City. Mexican residents travel 1,000 miles just to purchase one pistol. That's what Biden wants to do with us. Meanwhile, the drug cartels are taking control of entire cities and are killing Mexican politicians, Police Officers and soldiers and the population have nothing for self-defense. A fine example of the liberal rationale of social rights.

Illinois passed their gun ban and 3 days later President Biden issued a gun ban following suit. Do you think this was a coincidence? They very deceitfully plan this to rob gun owners of their gun rights and risk making them felons overnight. It's CONTROL. Ban the weapons for sale and the ones that the owners have, to register or else. In both instances, they are requiring you to register your weapons with them for their database. Why? Gun confiscation. 

Do you remember the scenes from the 1980s  movie “Red Dawn”? The Russian soldiers were tracking down the gun owners by the state's gun registry. Nowhere in the constitution is there a clause for gun registration because of that reason. Government cannot intrude on our rights? What's next? We already register our children with birth certificates and our vehicles with the state.

In June 2021, the Biden administration announced it would change how it enforces the Gun Control Act of 1968. The act allows the federal government to revoke gun dealers’ license to sell firearms—commonly called federal firearms licenses or “FFLs”—when dealers “willfully” violate federal or state gun laws. Central to its policy is a new zeal to revoke licenses for minor clerical errors that don’t result in unauthorized individuals getting a firearm. The results have been staggering, as some estimates have FFL revocations up to 500% from recent years.

This enforcement policy is the latest in the administration’s many attempts to twist the meaning of old statutes to impose its preferred regulatory agenda. The administration’s policy focuses on paperwork errors when gun shops and buyers fill out a “firearms transaction record,” commonly called a Form 4473. The form requires roughly 100 data points, and a medium-sized gun shop might complete about 5,000 of them a year. If either the buyer or seller answers any of these prompts incorrectly or incompletely—such as one buyer in Florida who mistook “county” for “country”—that is technically a violation of the Gun Control Act. The Administration has revoked licenses based on a handful of these inadvertent mistakes among thousands of Form 4473s that do not result in criminals or prohibited possessors getting guns. There’s just one problem: The Administration’s enforcement policy ignores the text of the Gun Control Act.

The Act only allows revocation of federal firearms licenses when licensees “willfully” violate it. For decades, the federal government took the position that it would only try to revoke licenses when dealers intentionally violated the Gun Control Act or acted in reckless disregard of or indifference to the Act’s requirements. No more. The ATF—the agency in charge of enforcing the Gun Control Act—now seeks to enforce it without regard to a dealer’s mental state, a position completely inconsistent with the Act’s language.

Now remember why Biden and the ATF are revoking gun store owners FFLs. For a national gun registry. There is no law that requires you to register all your guns including pistols. However, with the new Illinois state law it requires you to register certain weapons such as AR style long guns. The federal government now wants you to register any AR pistol with a gun brace. Any other gun or rifle is exempt. What the ATF is now doing is that when they revoke the gun store owner's firearm license they then take possession of their 4473s. This is a record of every gun purchase and who the owner is. Once the ATF obtains this information they upload this into the federal gun registry. Now they can track every gun by serial number back to the owner. 

For every gun store owner they can shut down or arrest, eliminate the supply and demand and add more names to their gun registry to track gun owners. They also will prevent the gun store owners from ever opening again. Intimidating others that may want to go into the gun dealing business for fear of investigation and arrest.

Biden has called out gun store owners as “merchants of death”. It's no surprise that he will use the full weight of the government, and its law enforcement agencies to come after gun store owners civilly and criminally. If you choose to fight them in court or fight back, then they will come after you any way they can.

American history can recite instances where the ATF has overstepped their bounds. Remember Waco and Ruby Ridge. Recently President Donald Trump had his home in Mar-a-Lago raided by the FBI and SWAT for claims that he had classified documents. Later it was revealed, it was nothing but a political hit. Trump's lawyer was also raided. Rudy Giuliani's home and offices were raided as the FBI looked for incriminating evidence. They found nothing. Hundreds of other high-profile conservatives were arrested on trumped-up charges, including Steve Bannon, who was accused of using non-for-profit funds for personal uses but was innocent. 

In Jeff's case, he took the ATF to court to fight to keep his FFL. For the federal government to take away his gun store would be to take away his life's work. The means to provide for his family. They feared him running for office again. So petty they were that when they seized items from his home as evidence, they took his candidate for Congress name tags. As an outspoken Conservative and protector of the 2nd Amendment, they had to take him out. That is why they developed these false and malicious charges to destroy his character and his way of life, including the means to make a living.

It's time that as Americans we fight back against the Biden/Democrat agenda. Do you think he will stop with the 2nd Amendment? He will continue attacking the Constitution and our liberties. It's time that we rise together in defense of those like Jeff that are under attack. In times like these, you know who your true friends are. As conservatives, we can only remain as strong as our fight for our principles. Our Republican values. We must circle the wagons to protect those that liberals and those in power want to remove from voicing our Constitutional freedoms.

I know Jeff personally. I can testify to his character. He's an honest man who loves his country. This man knows what it's like to go hungry. By no means is he wealthy. The federal government wants to sell to you a story of a man who's committed fraud and theft. That's a far fetch. This is a man who's worked hard to provide for his family and provided jobs to many people. 

When I heard of his arrest, I was on the phone with his family by the hour. We attempted to locate Jeff, to no avail. The federal government tried to break him for 12 hours, then kept him overnight in jail to break him. Outside of murder, who is given a million dollar bail and has all his cars seized? They raided his businesses and seized his computers there. After all this, the agents got nothing, not even a confession because there was nothing there. 

The above is a social medial post in response to a posting of the raid.

The Constitution is an amazing document. People are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Jeff will have his day in court. A Will County Judge the next day even reduced his bond, by arguing with the prosecutor. He, too, smelled something wasn't right with this case. 

In time, there will be revelations how the federal government falsely charged Jeff. Remember, even though federal agents raided and arrested Jeff, he is facing state charges and not federal ones. Even the feds know, they prosecute him on bogus charges and evidence. 

Across the country, hundreds of innocent Americans are facing years in prison for the incidents that happened on Capitol Hill on January 6th, 2021. They are forever being prosecuted just for being present in the people's Capitol. Their lives and reputations, forever destroyed by Biden's Department of Justice. Or injustice, should I say.

The government uses intimidation techniques such as this to scare conservatives. They can indict a ham sandwich with a grand jury with limited information if need be. They do this knowing they can never obtain a conviction yet they will try you in a court of public opinion meanwhile destroying your reputation.

Even after being arrested and embarrassed Jeff and his wife have yet to be formally charged. This is a fishing expedition.

Jeff and his beautiful wife, Greta, will find redemption because they are innocent. The justice system is a process. Many of the same people that will sit on the jury to try him may have voted for him just this last year when he ran for Congress. The people in Will County love Jeff and the Regnier family because they know they are good people. Let us support these patriots as they fight for their innocence. 

Let this be an example that this can also happen to any of us. So let us come together to continue the fight to protect our conservative ideals and values and to support conservatives that are under attack by Biden, the Democrats and leftist liberals.

Jeff, we are behind you 100% Keep the faith. Stay strong and may God bless you and your family!

©️Val Ojeda is a Republican Author, Media Personality, Strategist and Consultant. Ojeda manages federal political campaigns also serving as President Trump's Hispanic Coalition Leader. Ojeda is also a businessman, entrepreneur and the founder of FAMA a 501c3 Chamber of Commerce. Ojeda served as law enforcement Veteran Officer/Detective.