More on the ATF hearings – 2
Federal agents made mistakes while searching for illegal firearm sales at Richmond gun shows, a top federal law enforcement officer told congressional investigators yesterday.
But the official also defended aggressive gun-show patrols conducted by Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agents and local police, saying that they had prevented violent criminals from buying weapons.
Breaking the law is just a mistake? More:
Show organizers also complained that their buyers were subjected to an unfair level of scrutiny. In several cases, ATF agents or officers with city, county or state police were dispatched to talk with a buyers’ relatives or neighbors to confirm an address listed on background check forms.
Bouchard defended these residency checks as necessary to stopping illegal sales.
Yeah, that’s the illegal part. I found this interesting:
ATF said it polices about one in 50 gun shows nationally.
Seems low to me. And congress folks called them on it, right? Not really:
Subcommittee chairman Rep. Howard Coble, R-N.C., said he appreciated that ATF officials had worked to keep guns out of the hands of criminals. But he called the aggressive tactics heavy-handed.
“It appears some mistakes were made . . . and hopefully they won’t be repeated,” Coble said.
Those aren’t mistakes. They intentionally used rather questionable techniques that were illegal. Someone needs to be held to account.
March 1st, 2006 at 2:40 pm
[…] Say Uncle has been all over this. […]
March 1st, 2006 at 2:48 pm
So, if I happen to have an old rifle, and mistakingly fail to replace a part so that it will occasionally malfunction and fire twice on a single trigger pull, I’m OK as long as I don’t repeat it, right?
Oh yeah, that’s right, laws for me, not for thee.
March 1st, 2006 at 11:08 pm
One show in 50 may be right, or it may be low. If they patrol here in the Northwest, they make a very, very low-key presence. A lot of people here remember Ruby Ridge, and a lot of those have taken a new or renewed interest in marksmanship since. Every once in a while we would get some dick openly asking how to convert an AK to full auto. I figured most or all of those were ATF. My answer was always some variation of; “Well, it’s real easy – just call the ATF and talk to them. They will be glad to help you obtain all the requisite paperwork. Be sure and ask them about SOT status. Yes, I am serious…”
They were never very clever. Always want to be your good buddy – that sort of crap.
Believing their actions at gun shows are going to “keep violent criminals from getting guns” would be equivalent to believing they’ll keep controlled substances out of the hands of drug dealers by hanging out at pharmacies. But, it’s a job after all… How long before we’re sending goons out to car shows “keep speeders from getting cars”? Last time I checked there were far more traffic deaths than all the murders (by any method) put together.
March 1st, 2006 at 11:14 pm
I sorta want them to show up at a Houston show. They’d get an interesting response. We don’t have those silly gun laws, and I for one would be most entertained telling them to back off.