| Buyer Beware! |
| Avoid: Philip B Adkins, GFI, Gun Fun Inc, Marx Armory A.K.A. Mark Mullin of Panama City, FL |
| NOW HERE IS MY STORY: In June of 2003, I found a like new H&K 93 "sear gun" on www.gunsamerica.com for $9000. I spoke to the seller (Philip B Adkins) both by phone and E-mail and we agreed upon 1/2 down 1/2 on transfer to my dealer. Upon receipt of my deposit he would send me a copy of the Form 3 the gun was currently on. I checked the archieves of numerous "gun boards" and found nothing on Philip B Adkins. (I was never able to get the feedback to work on gunsamerica). Assuming he was a "small time player" I didn't sweat it, when he asked me to send funds to GFI I still didn't sweat it because a search of GFI also turned up nothing, and I just assumed it was his DBA. So I sent my $$$. Due to my wedding and honeymoon two months past without me giving much thought to the gun, or the fact tha no Form 3 ever showed up. He had already given me the serial # and maker info. However by September my dealer still didn't have the gun, so I began to call. From that point I am told I must speak to "Mark" because he handles all the machinegun sales. Mark is quite nice and gives me a number of believable excuses, so I give them more time. By October I begin to worry, I have called BATF on a number of occassions and they have no record of the transfer in "the system". I now call Mark weekly and he tells me he transposed a # on the form and will be resubmitting the forms to ATF. Again I am assured I would get a copy of the Form 3. Finnally in mid-November and I am on the internet trying to get a fax number for Philip B Adkins/GFI, by doing a reverse # look up on the computer, using the two phone numbers I have. Sure enough I get a number to Gun Fun Inc (GFI now makes a lot of sense), unfortunaely a quick check of "the boards" show Gun Fun Inc to be Mark Mullin of the Marx Armory. Clearly not someone I would have chosen to deal with, as he likes to sell guns he does not have or has already sold. It is now December and I send Mr. Mullin a letter, demanding that by Janusary 1, 2004, I be sent either the form 3 showing the gun exists (and is being transfered to my dealer) or simply send my dealer the host gun (without sear, until the sear is trnaserfered). January comes with no repsonse. At that point I contact "Ted in Tallahassee" and ask if he minds going over to Panama City to visit Mr. Mullin to see what is going on. You can see Ted's experience at: http://www.subguns.com/boards/inquiryarchive.cgi?read=31213 but suffice to say Ted convinced Mr. Mullin to issue me a full refund (thanks Ted). After a short wait I did receive that refund. Of course that "short wait" did come about 7 months after I ordered a gun, which Philip Adkins/Mark Mullin never had. So be warned: Philip B Adkins, GFI, Gun Fun Inc, Marx Armory, & Mark Mullin all seem to be one in the same or very well connected, and MUST BE AVOIDED. To: Mr. Mullin or Mr Adkins, should you read this remember, to have an actionable lible, what I have said above would have to be false, you know as well as I, that it is 100% true. |
| HOME |
 |
| UPDATE: August 4, 2005 Panama City- Gregory R. Miller, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced today that MARK ANTHONY MULLINS, 47, of Panama City was sentenced on Wednesday to 58 months in federal prison by U.S. District judge Casey Rodgers after pleading guilty to charges of mail fraud (2 counts) and possession of an unregistered machinegun (2 counts). Additionally, Mullins was assessed $4000 in fines, a special monetary asessment of $400, and was furthered ordered to pay $145,013.53 in restitution to 13 victims identified by the court. The sentence will be followed by 3 years supervised with firearm prohibitions. Mullins was the sole owner of Marx Armory/Gun Fun Inc. located at 3219 Hwy. 390, Panama City, Florida. The indictment, to which Mullins pled, alleged that Mullins engaged in numerous fraudulent internet sales to various victims located throughout the country using alias names. On January 20, 2005 an ATF undercover operation was launched in which a 1928 Thompson machine gun was purchased from Mullins for appoximately $25,000. Mullins had previously sold this same machine gun to at least to other victims. Two federal search warrants were served at Mullins' business and residence. Mullins was indicted in February 2005. He surrendered and pled to the four felonies listed above. During the investigation a total of 20 machineguns and silencers were seized by ATF. Mullins' abandoned these items to the government in a June 8, 2005 court hearing. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), the Bay County Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Swaim. |