More details have come to light, along with voiced suspicions on a story TTAG shared last week with readers about a recent ATF raid on a Baltimore gun owner and his family. The early-morning flashbang raid on a black gun owner’s home by the ATF has the man convinced the raid was conducted simply to try to intimidate lawful black gun owners.
According to a Washington Times report, the ATF agents announced themselves to Mark “Choppa” Manley and his family by tossing a flashbang grenade into their living room. Agents then streamed through the door and ordered everyone outside at gunpoint.
Several hours later, after thoroughly searching the home and checking serial numbers on several of Manley’s firearms, the agents left, taking only one of his cell phones for evidence.
According to the Times report, Manley, 35, is a gun-rights activist who has “brought together hundreds of gun owners for his ‘Choppa Days’ events.” He told the Times that the raid was based on bad intel from someone in southern Maryland who allegedly told ATF agents that he was involved in weapons and drug trafficking.
“I do feel like I was targeted,” he told the Times. “I do feel like the amount of guns I have made me a target and [put] me on their radar. Especially being a minority from the inner city.”
According to the report, the ATF’s Baltimore Field Office told the Times that the search warrant is under seal and refused to comment on the case. However, Manley said his phone has been returned, and he hasn’t heard about any possible criminal action from authorities or his attorney.
Manley became a pro-gun advocate after, working as a security guard, he killed an armed robber at a D.C. vape shop in 2018. According to the Times report, the killing was ruled justified, but because Manley was working as an unlicensed security guard and used an unregistered weapon in the shooting the license for his security company was revoked.
Following that incident, Manley started educating himself about gun laws and sharing his insights on social media. He now has over 94,000 followers on his Instagram account, “Mark Choppa.”
Maj Toure, founder of the Black Guns Matter movement, told the Times that the raid at Manley’s home was just one of a series of such raids on prominent black gun owners.
“What’s happening is they’re trying to scare people—bluff them—into thinking ‘I better not do this. I better be quiet about it,’” Toure told the Times. “The wrong party here is the ATF. Not the Constitution, not the Bill of Rights, not the American people that are safe and responsible firearms owners.”
Manley has set up a GoFundMe page in case the ATF does take legal action against him, the Times reported. “The feds are known to bankrupt some of the richest people, and I just want to make sure that I’m protected,” he said.
