TWIN FALLS - When Ryan Horsley created a petition to demand that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives discontinue the way it treats licensed firearms dealers, he never thought it would receive this kind of response.

Within three weeks of posting it online, he received more than 2,200 signatures from people throughout Idaho and the United States. It includes the names of business owners, political figures, concerned citizens and those who are just simply fed up with the bureau's treatment of local gun shops.

"I wasn't expecting this type of response, but this really is not a Red's Trading Post issue. This is an issue that affects everyone," Horsley said. "We keep losing local gun stores left and right because of things like this."

Even gun control advocates say more licensed firearms dealers are being forced to close due to growing enforcement policies. According to the Violence Policy Center, a nonprofit organization that advocates stricter gun-control laws, the number of licensed gun dealers in the United States has dropped by more than 80 percent since 1994.

In 2004, the ATF revoked the firearms license for Blue Lakes Sporting Goods in Twin Falls because of similar violations.

"Most gun dealers are aware of this, but a lot of gun owners are not aware of it," Horsley said. "So what I want it (the petition) to do is expose the problem for what it is."

He said the petition will be sent to state representatives - the petition also has been signed by people living in other states besides Idaho - in an attempt to make them aware of the issue.

Times-News writer Joshua Palmer covers education. He can be reached at jpalmer@magicvalley.com or at (208) 420-0526.