Page 71 - American Rifleman (February 2020)

The release also noted that “Garmo received an explicit
warning” from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Elvie
Explosives (ATF) “that excessive resales for profit could violate
federal law.” Under federal law, a person engaged in the sale Shane
of firearms “with the principal objective of livelihood and
profit” must obtain a Federal Firearms License.
The indictment of Garmo also alleged that the former is
sheriff’s captain was engaged in an elaborate scheme
involving kickbacks from “consultant” Waiel Anton. The feds
have accused Anton of working with a member of the county’s
permit processing staff to fast track the Concealed Weapons
Permit applications of certain individuals. The release noted:
“Anton aided and abetted Garmo’s unlicensed firearms
dealing by helping Garmo’s firearms buyers apply for permits
to carry a concealed weapon (‘CCW’) as part of Anton’s
‘consulting’ business. In exchange, the indictment alleges
that Anton received cash payments from his clients and then
paid a kickback to Garmo for referrals. The benefit of Anton’s f you dig a good ole country tune infused with the soul of
‘consulting’ arrangement was to secure early appointments Southern Rock, you’re going to love Elvie Shane, one of the
for his clients to avoid the substantial backlog of CCW I newest artists signed to Broken Bow Records in Nashville.
applicants—a benefit that Anton provided by leveraging his The Kentucky native caught the attention of Music City execs Photo courtesy Elvie Shane
relationship with a member of the CCW processing staff to with his song “My Boy,” a beautifully written tune about a
whom he had made an unlawful cash payment.” father’s unconditional love for his stepson. Inspired by real-life
In California, local permitting authorities are given significant experiences, Shane uses his storytelling to reach his audience
leeway in the issuance of Concealed Weapons Permits. As through his music. His firsthand knowledge of working in the
a result, some jurisdictions operate shall-issue permitting mills helps Shane relate to the small town working man. Shane
regimes, whereby permits are issued to all applicants who meet loves the outdoors and is quick to note his respect for the hunt.
a discrete set of predictable criteria. Other jurisdictions operate NRA Country’s Vanessa Shahidi threw a few questions at one of
may-issue regimes, whereby a permit may be denied for any the hottest emerging artists in Nashville.
number of subjective criteria and applicants are forced to justify
a “good cause” for exercising their Right-to-Carry. VS: Do you have a favorite personal firearm?
Such may-issue permitting regimes invite corruption. Back ES: My favorite gun is an heirloom shotgun passed down from
in 2016, a wide-ranging federal probe of the New York Police my Great-Grandpa Elvie. He hand-checkered the stock with a
Department uncovered a New York City gun-license bribery pocketknife and everyone who’s had it has added something
scheme. According to the federal indictment in that case, to it, such as a pearl heart imbedded in the bottom of the grip.
applicants paid a person who had influence with the NYPD
VS: Does your time in the woods influence your
License Division $18,000 to facilitate issuance of gun licenses.
Authorities later uncovered further evidence of corruption songwriting?
involving so-called “gun-license expeditors.” According to ES: I do my best songwriting in a little cabin built by my
a complaint in that case, members of the License Division father-in-law smack dab in the middle of Daniel Boone National
“sought and/or obtained cash, paid vacations, personal Forest. I try to make it out there as often as possible. It always
jewelry, catered parties, guns, gun paraphernalia and other delivers.
benefits from multiple expediters.”
In the San Diego case, federal authorities alleged that VS: What’s your favorite hunting season?
“Garmo’s business of firearms dealing as undertaken for ES: I would have to say deer season in Kentucky. I always block
both financial profit and to cultivate future donors for his off a week to be able to go up and sit in the blind with my little
anticipated campaign for Sheriff of San Diego County.” brother. We haven’t harvested a deer together in five years,
As NRA-ILA has previously noted, police corruption in the but we have a hell of a lot of fun.
administration of gun laws is detestable, but merely a symptom
of the underlying problem. It is California’s restrictive handgun VS: When can we expect new music?
laws and may-issue concealed weapons permit regime that ES: We’re working on an EP that will be released in a few
allows those tasked with enforcing the law to use it for their months. I came into all of this on a mission to give a voice to
political and pecuniary advantage. what I believe to be a forgotten demographic. There’s even
a song called “Country Roads” with my high school chorus in
Grayson County, Ky., singing about growin’ up in rural America.
IN MEMORY NRA-ILA CONTRIBUTIONS
November 1 – November 30, 2019 Be sure to check out Elvie Shane in Instagram, Facebook and
Twitter at @elvieshanemusic. NRA Country is a lifestyle and a
Floyd “Bud” Rieck, Grants, NM (from: Patricia Rylander); Joseph “Joe” Powless, bond between the country music community and hard-working
Big Spring, TX (from: David and Candace Samuelson); Marvin Bowlin, St. Joseph, MO Americans everywhere. It’s powered by pride, freedom, love
(from: St. Joseph Pistol and Rifle Club); Martha Ann Corrie, Plainfield, IN (from: Valerie
and Marvin Sweeney); Mancil Wilfred, (from: Gail Wilfred); Mernard D. Sapp, Bossier of country, respect for the military, and the responsibilities of
City, LA (from: Hellen S. Sapp); Stanley Garnsworthy, Menomonie, WI (from: Sue protecting the great American life. Visit nracountry.com and follow
Garnsworthy); Dustin “Dusty” Michael Scott, Stanfield, OR (from: Tom and Ru th Lane) us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

69
AMERICANRIFLEMAN.ORG FEBRUARY 2020