So, what exactly does the ATF do? And what exactly does it think it should be doing?
The ATF had a little love fest for Jeff Sessions saying it was going to do whatever it could to help reduce crime. Aren’t you guys supposed to be, essentially, tax collectors, inspectors and paper pushers*? But in the day where everyone gets a SWAT team, I suppose they feel the need to branch out:
Brandon’s prepared remarks said ATF urged the prosecution of thousands of people last year, and is prepared to do more this year.
“We focus our resources on the worst of the worst violent offenders,” he said. “In fiscal year 2016, ATF recommended more than 14,000 individual subjects for prosecution; on average, those subjects had 8.5 prior arrests and 2.2 prior convictions.”
“Many of ATF’s prosecution referrals involve gangs and other violent criminal organizations, and we work closely with our State, local and Federal partners to disrupt and dismantle these organizations,” he added.
Interesting to me is the use of the words “recommended”, “urged”, and “referrals”. So, are you guys not actually arresting and prosecuting people?
* Given the backlog for NFA transfers, you should probably focus more resources and attention on the paper pushers.
April 5th, 2017 at 7:39 pm
“Interesting to me is the use of the words “recommended”, “urged”, and “referrals”. So, are you guys not actually arresting and prosecuting people?”
Correct, ATF does not prosecute. ATF recommends, urges and refers cases to the HMFIC, the United States Attorney for each of the 93 districts.
The HMFICs: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Attorney
April 5th, 2017 at 7:53 pm
The ATF has morphed from a tax collection agency (originally a branch of Treasury) into what is ostensibly a federal crime bureau, “ostensibly” being the operative word. Eventually your local dog catcher and city water department will also have SWAT teams and will be “reccommending” “urging” and “referring”. That’s the natural progression, and since we’re not stopping them, they’ll do it.
April 5th, 2017 at 9:36 pm
The only two real powers government has is:
1) physical violence or threats thereof.
2) being a Schelling point.
because of this, every government agency eventually ends up either being:
1) a (para)military force
2) something like the bureau of weights and measures
April 6th, 2017 at 7:39 am
These are some numbers I bumped into regarding Enforcement of the Brady Act, 2006-2010.
2006: Total denials: 77,233. Referred for prosecution: 172. Guilty Plea or Conviction: 73.
2007: Total denials: 66,817. Referred for prosecution: 196. Guilty Plea or Conviction: 48.
2008: Total denials: 78,906. Referred for prosecution: 147. Guilty Plea or Conviction: 43.
2009: Total denials: 67,324. Referred for prosecution: 140. Guilty Plea or Conviction: 32.
2010: Total denials: 76,142. Referred for prosecution: 62. Guilty Plea or Conviction: 13.
The data is at the bottom of this post.
http://gunfreezone.net/index.php/2015/09/12/we-need-more-background-checks-and-the-statistics-prove-it-or-not/
April 6th, 2017 at 11:24 am
ATFE does not administer NICS. NICS is FBI.
April 6th, 2017 at 12:57 pm
@DocMerlin, well- said! Furthermore, government may only do what has been delegated to it in enumerated powers and NOTHING else according to the clear, precise wording of the 10th Amendment. (The greater always delegates to the lesser)
April 6th, 2017 at 12:58 pm
Addendum: …may only LAWFULLY do…
April 6th, 2017 at 3:59 pm
ATF should be
1. Collecting Alcohol taxes
2. Collecting Tobacco taxes
3. Collecting Firearms taxes – like the ones that fund public hunting lands and shooting ranges
4. Investigating Bootleggers/moonshiners (although only in the sense of moonshiners avoiding paying federal alcohol taxes – if they’re only avoiding state taxes, then it’s a state problem)
5. Investigating cigarette smugglers (although most of that is also state issues) – see the case of the NY dealer who died while being arrested. The reason he was selling cigs by the each was for his customers to avoid paying the exorbitant NY and NYC tax. He was also probably BUYING from a smuggler from VA or some other low tax state.
6. Possibly investigating FFLs – but
A. since NICS is FBI, why wouldn’t FBI investigate a dealer bypassing NICS.
B. Personally, since firearms are a fundamental right, regulation of SELLERS of firearms could be used to restrict access, and therefore there should be no such thing as an FFL so this one goes away as soon as we fix the law.
April 6th, 2017 at 9:45 pm
I’ve seen some atf ffl inspectors first hand, some do there job, a astonishing amount are ego manic sociopaths.
And a small handfull are truely Mentaly Unhinged.