More ATF stuff
Here are some accounts of more issues with the ATF. Now, I don’t necessarily share the views of some gunnies that the ATF should be completely disbanded. However, I think their actions should be under more scrutiny. Someone should enforce the law but the zeal they use is a bit much. Also, since I recently read that over 75% of their arrests were for technical violations, it seems some of the usefulness of that type of stuff is questionable.
March 30th, 2006 at 12:33 pm
“I don’t necessarily share the views of some gunnies that the ATF should be completely disbanded.”
I agree. The BATFE should give reviews of booze, cigars, firearms and explosives. They should hold workshops on how to make the same. Maybe some reloading tips, brewing tips, ag info to grow your own leaf and the lists of the best fertilizers to use for blowing a stump out of the ground.
Workers at BATFE could be selected from the winners of still and brew contests, cigar rolling contestants, shooting match winners and Joe Huffman.
Make BATFE a resource!
March 30th, 2006 at 1:20 pm
BATFE should be an advisory agency and the FBI should do the enforcing. Keep the law enforcing to those trained in it and keep the bookkeeping to the treasury agencies where it belongs.
March 30th, 2006 at 2:31 pm
Um, why the hell wouldn’t we want to disband an agency whose purpose is to enforce an unconstitutional law? Or shift said enforcement of said unconstitutional law to another agency?
as for the idea of BAFU giving reviews & such – c’mon. The only reason these guys aren’t the widely known scourge of the nation is their incompetence. You really want reloading recipes from the same group of guys that threw a grenade in a window that one of their own boys just went through? Or gunsmithing advice from the guy who thought an FAL was a machinegun cause it had severely worn parts?
Nope; they should be disbanded. The constitutional duties (administering the alcohol & tobacco tax) should be turned over to Treasury, but the firearms stuff should just be unassigned until such time as Congress sees fit to repeal said constitutionally conflicting statutes.
Oh, and any BATFU agent who can be proven to have enforced said constitutionally prohibited laws should be prosecuted. Tarring & feathering should be an option for the jury to hand down upon conviction. Bringing back the stocks should also be an option. & if we could work out a way for a temporary tattoo to be administered (say one that fades or is easily removable after 2 to 5 years) then that might be worth considering. I’m thinking a scarlet “A” – for “Asswipe”.
But thanks Unc for keeping up with this stuff.
March 30th, 2006 at 6:46 pm
Not disbanded, just reduced back to their original “revenooers” role of collecting tobacco and alcohol taxes. They don’t need SWAT teams for that. The 90% or so of their agents that thereby become redundant can transfer to the border patrol – if they can pass a course to make sure they are physically fit and know enough about guns to handle that job. Marine Corps boot camp should be able to open up a few extra slots for this retraining, right?
March 30th, 2006 at 7:29 pm
I just want our congress-critters (or the supremes, for that matter, but they missed their chance) to recognize that a part of the executive branch should not be able to invent or interpret regulations with the force of law.
It’s pretty clear that the Constitution only lets congress do that.
March 31st, 2006 at 12:17 pm
Publicola, I was kidding. But since it’s virtually impossible to get rid of a .gov agency why not transform it into something more benign. Heck, I’d do the gun reviews.
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:31 pm
Disband ’em.
“Publicola, I was kidding. But since it’s virtually impossible to get rid of a .gov agency…” – Marc
Yeah, well… gets easier if one starts by disbanding their parent umbrella via the “Rope, politician, utility pole: some assembly required” method. ;]
April 2nd, 2006 at 4:36 pm
Can’t go with that, Unc. When someone is enforcing a law that’s unconstitutional and illegal to begin with, how much or little zeal they use is irrelevant. “Usefulness” of their activities is irrelevant.
Guess you’ll have to list me with the gunnies who think they should be disbanded, prosecuted, and serve time for criminal violation of their duties to uphold the Constitution… assuming that execution for treason isn’t in the options.
April 12th, 2006 at 11:38 am
[…] A bit back, some readers gave me some grief over the fact I said I didn’t advocate the ATF being completely disbanded. Scaled back and scrutinized definitely but not disbanded. If we’re going to have gun laws (and we are), someone needs to enforce them. One such reason why they’re useful is I’m certain they had a hand in this: Authorities have taken four men into custody in Honolulu because federal agents said the men were trying to smuggle a shipment of weapons through Honolulu International Airport to Indonesia. […]