What is "anti-American sentiment?"

Whatever it is, it'll get you investigated by the FBI, and possibly entrapped until you do something illegal that they can bust you for. Links for the story:
Most recent
Another recent
June 6, 2006: Jurors Get Firearms Case Of Denver Firefighter
November 23, 2005: Denver Firefighter Arrested For Allegedly Selling Machine Guns
Read complete arrest affidavit (PDF File.)

The affidavit is what I found to be the most interesting. Here's a synopsis from the FBI's contention:

• Man has "anti-US sympathies and ties to an unknown domestic terrorist organization".
• Over the course of a year, the FBI gets a "cooperating witness" to solicit the sale of machine guns (a Sten and a G3) from the man in question.
• FBI busts anti-American bad guy.

So, whether you like it or not, the NFA is law, and if it went like the feds say it did, the guy committed a crime. Here's what I want you to take note of though:

The things that got him investigated in the first place WERE NOT CRIMES (that I know of).

• Holding "anti-US sympathies". Holding that certain aspects of the current government are not constitutional does not make someone anti-American. The reverse is true.
• Having "ties to an unknown domestic terrorist organization". WTF does that mean? How can you suspect someone of being tied to an unknown entity? My guess is they just wanted to get the word "terrorist" in there.
• "Ford and his associates allegedly obtained Chinese military weapons". What, like an SKS?
• Ford also sold some guns. He sold them as one private individual to another. His name didn't show up on the list of FFL's, so he was suspected of illegally being "engaged in the business of selling firearms at wholesale or retail".

One last bit of irony: One of the things that made Ford "anti-American" was that he thought the government would use his driver's license to track him. The affidavit details how the FBI obtained Ford's picture from the DMV and used it to ID him during the sting.