Do you have a hobby?

What do you think would happen if your hobby caught the attention of ATF agents?

Bryan Malinowski was a highly successful airport executive at the Lehigh Valley International Airport, a certified flight instructor with instrument and multi-engine ratings, and a husband of 25 years.

In his free time, Bryan was also a coin collector. He had been collecting coins since childhood. He also showed his coin collection to other collectors, including at gun shows, which led to collecting firearms as well.

It was this collection, and his occasional purchase and sale of guns, that led to unwanted attention from the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF).

At some point prior to 2024, agents took note of his presence and started investigating whether he had shifted from a “hobbyist” to someone “engaged in the business” of selling firearms, which would have required him to purchase an annual Federal Firearms License (FFL) for $65.

Instead of asking Malinowski a simple question about his hobby, ATF agents and local police officers went undercover, placed GPS trackers on his car, and obtained a warrant to raid Bryan’s house.

On March 19, 2024, ATF agents, along with officers from the Little Rock police department, donned SWAT gear and arrived at the Malinowski residence before dawn. They cut power to the house, taped over the doorbell camera, and entered the house.

Within about 57 seconds of entering his home, an agent shot Bryan in the head.

Bryan Malinowski was an innocent man, but ATF agents still killed him.

Because those ATF agents and local police officers were not wearing body cameras, in violation of both groups’ policies, the otherwise easy-to-understand details have been lost.

Their methods and the tactics that they chose were the most aggressive possible for executing a search warrant for probably the lowest level alleged federal crime in the book.

Now, Bryan’s wife, family, and the city of Little Rock are left with more questions than answers.

This is why Respect America exists.

Through the use of real and up-close human experiences, Respect America will memorably demonstrate the effects of coercion, theft, and violence on human happiness, inspiring people to seek solutions that increase harmony and prosperity.

Help Respect America share stories like Bryan Malinowski’s to help create a better and freer world for all of us by donating below >>

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Legislators in Arkansas have been keen to understand what went wrong. The issue has also been brought up before federal legislators – though neither state nor federal officials have done more than talk about possible accountability.

The warrant was granted, but it continues to be unclear whether even that bureaucratic step was justified.

The information presented by the ATF, stating that Malinowski had bought and sold 142 guns between 2019 and 2023, has been challenged by the Malinowski family attorney, who says “the total number of firearms described as sold by Malinowski in the affidavit is less than a dozen.”

Even if he had been buying and selling guns beyond a legal threshold, there was:

• No evidence that Malinowski was a threat to himself or others
• No claim that he had been peacefully made aware that there may be administrative paperwork required of him
• No path explored by the ATF for resolving these questions without initiating violence

Was $65 worth the loss of a life?

With so many other paths available, there is little doubt that decision-makers at every step of this process made the wrong choice to authorize what happened next.

And with so little evidence to justify the raid and the killing, it is not a stretch to imagine that this could have happened in your neighborhood, to your friends, or to your spouse.

Respect America shares stories about how agents carrying out government coercion hurt human happiness and flourishing.

These powerful narratives put a name and a face to the human suffering caused by these intolerable mechanisms.

You can help us share Bryan’s story and demand better of those who are supposed to protect us from violence by donating today.

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Bryan Malinowski was laid to rest on Wednesday, March 27, 2024, with a memorial service in Little Rock, Arkansas.

It didn’t have to end this way.

Bryan was just a man enjoying his hobby before other people decided to break down his door and shoot him instead of asking him a few simple questions about his hobby or for him to pay the $65 for the licensing fee.

I’m sure he’d have said yes, or provided proof that he hadn’t hit the threshold.

However, that’s not what happened.

Bryan was buried, and the ATF agents who killed him continue to put food on their table, courtesy of local residents’ tax dollars.

Federal prosecutors have declined to bring charges against the ATF agents who raided the Malinowskis’ home, leaving the door open for future reckless raids against law-abiding citizens.

That begs the question: Are those ATF agents protecting happiness, harmony, and prosperity – or initiating violence that undermines those vital elements of human flourishing?

According to an investigation by NBC News, between 2018 and 2022, 223 people were shot by officers working for or with the ATF, FBI, DEA, and Marshals Service in 216 different incidents.

22 of them were bystanders or not the intended target of the operation.

And as long as agents like those of the ATF are allowed to act with such reckless abandon, there will be more stories like Bryan’s in the future.

At Respect America, we use our platform to highlight a particular type of human suffering that is often overlooked. Our goal is to create a culture of respect and flourishing for a freer and happier America.

You can help create a culture of Human Respect to build a flourishing and more harmonious America by donating today. >>>

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Thank you,

Hannah Henriksen