ATF busts trailer trash guy by using urban dictionary

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http://www.thesmokinggun.com/documents/feds-consult-urban-dictionary-876543

pAUGUST 31--Federal agents consulted with the online Urban Dictionary to learn the definition of a slang word before securing an arrest warrant for an Indiana man who has been accused of using Facebook to send a death threat to the manager of a gun shop.

According to a U.S. District Court complaint, Justin Kemble allegedly posted the threat Monday evening to the Facebook page of Midwest Gun Exchange in Mishawaka. “that 1 fag in there got my pistol confiscated, I got plenty of other guns but I want to murk that cocksucker,” Kemble wrote.

Investigators allege that Kemble, 27, posted the threat hours after visiting the gun shop with a Bersa .380 caliber pistol that had “a defaced/altered serial number.” Agent Laurie Jolley reported that Kemble “presented the firearm to a store clerk and asked if there was a problem with having the firearm because of the serial number.”

Kemble is pictured above in a photo from his Facebook page.

The clerk brought the firearm to his boss, manager Brad Rupert. After examining the defaced serial number, Rupert called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives to “report Kemble’s illegal possession of the firearm.” Agents immediately responded to the gun shop, where they interviewed Kemble and seized the weapon, according to the complaint.

Kemble, a South Bend resident, told agents that he had purchased the gun for $200 earlier this year from his former step-father (who later told agents that he had bought the weapon from a Craigslist advertiser).

After the gun’s seizure, Kemble wrote on his Facebook wall that, “ATF just took 1 of my guns .” In response to a friend who asked why the weapon was confiscated, Kemble noted, “im a dumb ass I bought the guy like 3 months ago from my step dad 4 days later i noticed the serial numbers were filed down but you could clearly read them my step dad said it would be cool, so today i took it to midwest gun exchange to verify it was legal and the f*****s called the ATF on me.”

Hours after that 4 PM exchange with a pal, Kemble allegedly posted the threat to “murk that cocksucker” on the Midwest Gun Exchange’s Facebook wall. After Rupert yesterday contacted Jolley to report the message, the ATF agent went to urbandictionary.com “and learned the word ‘murk’ referred to physically beating someone so severely as to cause their death.” The criminal complaint includes printouts from the web site showing slight variants on the definition of “murk.”

As a result of Jolley’s online research, Kemble was arrested yesterday on a pair of felony charges related to the August 29 Facebook posting. Kemble made his initial appearance this afternoon at the federal courthouse in South Bend, where a magistrate judge ordered him jailed in advance of a September 6 detention hearing.

I want to note that there is such a thing as a legal online firearm sale but that wasn't one of them (it's supposed to ship to a local dealer first), and the ATF is usually quick to spot illegal online sales.

Facebook to the rescue!! !

Yeah, the way he bought that gun was definitely illegal. I don't think you can buy it second hand because the gun owner cannot do a proper background on you.

He got 2 felony charges for saying online that he wanted to beat someone to death, but didn't actually raise a hand to anyone? One stupid post online and now he's in jail and if found guilty he could do real time in our incredibly brutal penal system and afterward have a lifetime of difficulty finding work? For posturing online. And maybe also for being "trailer trash"? That's definitely fair. Oh and super funny too
Also, he may be stupid but it sounds like he was trying to do the right thing by asking about the legality of the gun.
This is completely ridiculous.

If he was 'trying to do the right thing', why did he make a death threat after finding out his gun really was illegal?

Do you really think people should be allowed to make death threats without repurcussions?

Truthfully this:

According to a U.S. District Court complaint, Justin Kemble allegedly posted the threat Monday evening to the Facebook page of Midwest Gun Exchange in Mishawaka. “that 1 fag in there got my pistol confiscated, I got plenty of other guns but I want to murk that cocksucker,” Kemble wrote.

Sounds like idiot posturing to me with no mention at all of plan or actual intent. Granted it's a snippet from an article and I don't know what else he said, but based on the article alone, I don't really see a threat. I see someone's mouth running away with them.

I didn't say anything about no repercussions. He should get a legal spanking but based on what I read in the article it sounds more like misdemeanor territory. Community service, a fine. These were words and not violent acts. I would prefer not to house and clothe and feed this guy with my tax dollars just because he couldn't hold his tongue.

Depends on the state, in most places a private transaction is perfectly legal. I've bought guns at garage sales and off of bulletin boards before, as long as no one is boasting about their felony record and the guns themselves are legal, there's nothing legally wrong. Now a gun with a filed serial number is a different matter, you can't sell that period. Now a clever and handy person might have simply used a letter punch kit to put a new number on it, which wouldn't be exactly legal but would probably muddy the waters enough to claim ignorance...

In case their was any doubt, I don't suggest altering the serial numbers on your firearms, it's a federal violation if they catch you. Even as a gunsmith I have to be careful when doing refinishing work, as that often obliterates serial numbers which then have to be reapplied as quickly as possible. It never fails, the ATF wants to inspect you at the very moment you're about to put the serial number back on a refinished gun and then you have to do some fast talking to explain to the situation to them. Completely humorless people the ATF.

Too bad the ATF had to be involved. Anything they do is wrong just by virtue of them doing it.

Nitpick over serial numbers on one hand and run a gun smuggling operation in Mexico on the other.

The bigger problem is that the "evidence" consisted of something posted to facebook.

agree with "legal spanking"

how much does a felony cost the economy, taxpayers?

The ATF runs just these things to entrap gun dealers.

There was no reason to bring a gun to ask if missing numbers were a problem. All guns with missing numbers are illegal, it is the obligation of a dealer to act.

Sorry you were mistaken for an ATF agent, but dumb is as dumb does.

The system works, after this he will never have a legal gun.