Accounts of an aggressive raid by federal agents on a Big Horn, Wyoming, couple’s home in 2023 brings back memories for former Sublette County Sheriff Hank Ruland of a similar incident in his county in 2002. 

“I had never had a problem with federal agents before,” Ruland told Cowboy State Daily. “But boy, when they (ATF agents) hit the ground here, it was bad.”

Conversely, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) assesses the potential risks and level of response of each individual case, an agency spokeswoman said.

“There is a risk assessment, to not just the agents, but to the entire situation” and anybody else who might be involved, ATF Denver Field Division spokeswoman Crystal McCoy told Cowboy State Daily.