NEWTOWN, CT -- Riverview Sales in East Windsor, a gun store that has been at the center of several recent, highly controversial incidents over the past several years, is under investigation by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
ATF Agent Debora Seifert confirmed that the store located at 4 Prospect Hill in East Windsor is subject to "an ongoing investigation" and was the target of a federal "enforcement activity" late Thursday afternoon.
Seifert said that she could not “speak to any of the particulars” of the investigation
On Thursday, East Windsor police confirmed that the store had sold a gun to Nancy Lanza, the mother of Adam Lanza, the 20-year-old who police said is responsible for the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook School. Adam Lanza killed his mother in their Sandy Hook home before he shot his way into the school and killed 20 students and six adults, state police said.
In a statement reported by the Associated Press, Riverview Sales owner David LaGuerica said that he was “appalled” that Nancy Lanza purchased a gun that may have been used in the tragedy.
“There is nothing more devastating than the loss of a child,” LaGuercia told the AP. “We are absolutely appalled that the product that we sold several years ago would be used in this type of horrendous crime. Our hearts go out to the victims and the families.”
“We are cooperating with law enforcement and their efforts to get to the bottom of this senseless tragedy,” LaGuercia said, according to the AP.
The gun shop has had a history of issues, particularly with being unable to track its inventory.
On Dec. 15, a South Windsor man was arrested after he attempted to steal a long rifle from Riverview Sales.
Jordan Marsh, 26, was charged with third-degree larceny, first-degree robbery, theft of a firearm and carrying of dangerous weapons. He was arraigned in Enfield on Monday and held on $2 million bail.
Further investigation revealed that Marsh had an AR-15 assault rifle stashed at a Hartford hotel where he had been staying, police said.
According to East Windsor Det. Matthew Carl, the AR-15 had been stolen from Riverview Sales, whose employees were unaware that the weapon was missing.
It was not the first time that Marsh had taken guns from Riverview Sales.
Marsh, who, according to relatives, is mentally ill, had previously received a two-year suspended sentence after it was discovered in June 2011 that he had stolen 12 firearms from Riverview Sales.
Store employees were not aware that Marsh had taken 12 guns from the store in the first incident until they were alerted in June 2011.
Marsh isn’t the only person who has stolen a large number of guns from Riverview Sales, according to police.
In 2007, Riverview Sales owner David E. LaGuercia notified the federal Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives that 33 guns were missing from his store, according to the Hartford Courant. Of those 33 guns, 28 were recovered when police searched the home of Brian H. McClelland, who was a frequent customer of the store and helped out on occasion, The Courant reported.
[Editor's note: This article was originally published on Dec. 21. The publication date was changed for layout purposes.]
It seems Stephen is using his own ideas as a template to judge all others.
I'm pretty sure all of us here have heard enough of your nonsense and baseless rantings...give it a rest won't you??
I have shown no lack of respect for any public servant...here...or anywhere else. I based my comments concerning you solely on your spelling...which is atrocious and all cops have to have a good grasp of the English language in order to write clear and concise reports! As far as any agency writing fellow officer traffic citations I don't have a clue. I have never done that during my career...although I did write one to a state supreme court judge who practically dared me to after he blatantly ran a stop sign. After he signed the ticket he threatened me...I simply smiled...wished him a safe and good day...and returned to my patrol car.
Are you kidding me? I don't think that anybody looks at a 120 mile round trip from Newtown to this store as a "few minutes drive." That is a long way to go to buy a weapon that (if all things being equal and on the up and up) could be attained far closer than that.
I'm in my 60's and I doubt you have ever heard me speak. While on that subject...please enlighten me as to the difference between the way an office speaks as opposed to a civilian. (in case you have forgotten...cops are civilians also...not military) The proper term is...citizens!
Such nonsense...health/medical records are not available to gunshop owners/licensed gun dealers! The only thing available in a background check is whether or not the person in question is prohibited or not from owning or possessing a firearm...period!!!!! That info comes from court records and the person doing the check is not told why the person is prohibited...only the person being checked can be told why he /she has been rejected and that info can only be obtained by filing the proper paperwork and sending it into the states Dept of Justice!!!! Medical records are never released to anyone except the person they belong to or by that persons direct...signed...permission!!!!!
" Usually, if there's a single discrepancy in a gun shop's paperwork the ATF will revoke their license right away." That's an outright lie and you know it! If there is one or even several discrepancies in the dealers A&D book the BATFE will sit down with him and try and figure out what has happened. They will give the dealer a certain amount of time to rectify the situation. If it can't be done then they will take administrative action...usually in the form of a civil penalty (fine) or such. It all depends on the circumstances. Revoking a license is the very last thing the BATFE does or wants to do. I have worked with them on both sides...as a police officer and as a licensed dealer...and found them to be easy to work with..friendly...polite...very cordial...and willing to bend over backwards to help when needed. On the whole, they are not the monsters they are made out to be in the media....nor by you Bobby!
"it is like being drunk all the time" Well John...if that is the condition you are in most of the time then I guess you can't be held responsible for the things you say on your postings, I therefore will discount your postings...meaning I simply will disregard them as being from someone intoxicated...sound fair to you? :o)
All that is needed for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. { Edmund Burke } Removing guns from the hands of our law abiding citizens and shutting down local gun stores will not stop tragedies from happening, all you will do is put people who at one time could defend them selves and there families from doing so