Has been found. Missing Andrew Traver Anti-Assault Rifle TV Interview Surfaces. This guy could be the future head of ATF.

ATF tells non-maker of firearms to stop not making firearms.

Joe on the new ATF director:

Does it really matter who the head of the Bureau of Political Speech and Book Censorship is? Or how about the Bureau of Blacks, Jews, and Homosexuals? The answer is a very vigorous, “No!”

Could be a recess appointment.

I wonder how NRA not endorsing Reid will play into Reid being willing to stop this?

David:

Testimony in the case of US v ONE HISTORIC ARMS MACHINE GUN revealed there are untold numbers of unregistered machine guns currently owned by Americans that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives not only knows about, but actually created the conditions whereby this situation exists.

Or Who is Andrew Traver?

The Truth about guns is not a fan. And notes that the Obama movie coincided with a Brady Campaign press release. He also has ties to anti-gun people and is not a fan of you owning semi-automatic rifles.

A disaster waiting to happen? And getting props from the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Ownership.

A look at Traver’s career, by John who totally called it.

David Hardy notes that he is a field guy rather than HQ bureaucrat.

Glenn: Well, Chicago has been at the forefront of Second Amendment infringement. Heh.

Update: Jesse Jackson Jr., sponsor of gun control bills, is a fan.

Obama picked someone from Chicago:

Nearly two years into his term, President Obama on Monday finally chose a director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Mr. Obama will submit the name of Andrew Taver, the special agent in charge of the bureau’s Chicago field division, to the Senate for consideration, the White House said.

Speculation there will be a confirmation fight. I hope so. We don’t need a guy from Chicago running an agency that deals with guns. We need Cletus and Bubba who like to blow stuff up.

ATF regulating airsoft guns, which aren’t guns.

David Hardy has thoughts on tracing guns in Mexico.

ATF creates 7 new project Gunrunner groups.

David has a look and notes that it has doubled in ten years.

Obama may nominate Chicago head of ATF to head up ATF.

I wish they’d stick with gloryholes:

Reversing an interpretation of the Gun Control Act that has been on the books for more than four decades, ATF today posted a ruling declaring any shipment of a firearm by a manufacturer (FFL) to any agent or business (e.g., an engineering-design firm, patent lawyer, testing lab, gun writer, etc.) for a bona fide business purpose to be a “transfer” under the Gun Control Act of 1968. As a consequence, legitimate business-related shipments will now require the recipient to complete a Form 4473 and undergo a Brady criminal background check. In many instances, these requirements will force shipments to a third party, thereby lengthening the process and the time that the firearm is in transit.

That’s pretty abysmal. And:

For more than four decades manufacturers have shipped firearms to agents for bona fide business purposes. ATF is unable to identify a single instance during the past 40 years where a single firearm shipped in reliance upon ATF’s rulings was used in a crime. This unwarranted reinterpretation of the law will cause significant disruption and additional costs for industry members and increase the cost of doing business, while doing nothing to advance public safety.

That’s probably the goal.

CNN discovers what a lot of gunnies have been yammering on about for years: ATF’s retaliation against its own employees who dare complain.

Hardy reports CNN will do a two parter on ATF’s management, hopefully focusing on its lack thereof.

Bob Owens has more on the issue. Seems ATF can’t comply with a simple FOIA request. And, like I said, you cannot convert them to machine guns:

An Airsoft expert from England dismissed the claim as absurd. In the U.S., AirSplat expert Jon Dibblee — who was once Sgt. Jon Dibblee, a U.S. Army infantryman — categorically denied that the WE Tech M4s could be made into machine guns, an expert opinion supported by a gunsmith specializing in the AR rifle who examined another WE Tech in great detail.

Power struggles between ATF and FBI require effort. You know, instead of those terror investigations.

Rivrdog is none too happy with a disclaimer. He notes:

I MIGHT have violated the rule if I OWN a complete stock for my Glock 22 AND it is in the same place as the Glock, and ready to be attached.

Actually, ATF would bust you for constructive possession. Doesn’t matter if you actually do it or not. I simply would not own a stock for a Glock unless I registered my Glock as an SBR.

Sorta related is Robb is a bit upset over it being unlawful to own a bit of metal:

Think about it. This is just the lower, serialized and stamped in a way that makes it a ‘machine gun’. Doesn’t matter if you put a bolt action 50 BMG upper on it, it’s considered a machine gun. And because that particular piece of aluminum was put into the registry after May 18th, 1986, it is illegal for me or you to own.

But, being a registered lower, it probably doesn’t have the extra bits of metal in it and would be classified as readily convertible. Doesn’t matter if you actually do it or not.

ATF: the country’s only pre-crime unit!

And why ATF is blocking access to a website.

Federal computers block access to the site about cleaning up and reforming ATF.

More on ATF’s stupid airsoft are machine guns ruling.

Bob Owens looks at ATF classifying airsoft guns as machine guns, such classification is both stupid and wrong. Past coverage here.

So, ATF is sticking to its story that an airsoft toy can be converted into a machine gun. I’d like to see someone produce one because, so far, I don’t see how it is possible. One, the pins don’t quite line up. Two, the fire control group won’t fit in the receiver. And the things reportedly won’t accept AR magazines. It does, however, appear to have a proper sear hole. But if you can’t get the FCG in there, it won’t help.

Here’s a video of an ATF agent implying anyone can easily convert one of these. You’ll note Mr. ATF agent inserts the magazine backwards. And these are the guys ruling on technical aspects of firearms. Then he says that with minimal work they can be converted to a machine gun. The airsoft sales guy calls it ridiculous, saying that even if you could finagle all the parts in and get it to fire, the gun would explode.

Well, let’s see a converted one, then. Because I doubt it due to the reasons mentioned above. Mike agrees that it’s unlikely and lists why as reported from an Airsoft shop working with a gunsmith:

The WE TTI M4’s lack any sort of functional gas tube which is integral to an AR15’s operation

The upper receiver of an AR15 fits onto the lower of the WE TTI M4

The stock trigger pack in the WE TTI cannot strike the firing pin of a AR15 bolt

The body of the WE TTI lower is several mils thinner than an AR15 lower, and shims would be needed for any AR trigger pack to work

The trigger pack of an AR15 appears to be able to fit onto the lower receiver of a WE TTI M4, one of the AR15 trigger pack retaining pins is impossible to insert without major modification, and the hammer isn’t operable with the WE TTI lower.

So, basically, it’s a machine gun because it has handguards?

Some more discussion on the issue of airsoft guns that can be converted to machine guns. Seems to me that you cannot possibly get a fire control group into that lower receiver. And, according to my sooper seekrit sources, a standard AR-15 magazine will not fit into the air soft receiver.

Headline:

Feds seize 30 ‘machine guns’ at Tacoma’s port

Except:

The guns were fashioned to shoot plastic balls but could have easily become real weapons, the feds said.

So, they’re airsoft guns? But wait:

Investigation by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive showed that the guns had been tooled to shoot plastic balls. However, parts could be switched out quickly to allow them to fire live ammunition.

Really? So these can be converted to a real gun? I’m skeptical.

Via The Real Gun Guys.

Update: In comments:

They’re right. If you replace the lower receiver, the lower parts group, the barrel, the fire control group, and the bolt carrier group, that Airsoft rifle is now a lethal weapon.

So, it’s a gun because it has stocks and handguards? You’d still have to get full auto fire control groups, bolts, and such. By this rational, an upper receiver is a machine gun.

They agreed to provide infiltrating agent with protection. Then, when the agent said it wasn’t good, they withdrew all protection and bad guys who were infiltrated burned his house down. Probably the first time ATF has been involved in a case with a fire in which they didn’t burn the house down.

This will come as a shock to no one:

ATF agent expected to say that investigators got wiretaps illegally

ATF solving crimes by committing them:

Undercover ATF agents in Virginia have funneled more than 250 million cigarettes onto the nation’s streets in the past three years through black market sales targeting smugglers, an Associated Press review has found.

Authorities say the flood of government-provided smokes – a pack and a half for every man, woman and child in New York City, the smugglers’ main destination – leads them to organized crime rings and can even cut off financing for terrorists.

The AP:

A Nashville man is suing an agent of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after he was falsely accused of selling cocaine to a confidential informant.

According to documents filed with the Davidson County Circuit Court on Friday, Dewayne Howard lost his job as a forklift operator and was unable to find new work as the case against him dragged on for nine months. Charges were eventually dropped in September

It’s a topic I’ve addressed a few times. But David notes three suppressors not in the database but there were approved forms and tax stamps.

And remember institutionalized perjury is the norm for ATF with respect to the database.:

when we testify in court, we testify that the database is 100 percent accurate. That’s what we testify to, and we will always testify to that. As you probably well know, that may not be 100 percent true . . . When I first came in a year ago, our error rate was between 49 and 50 percent, so you can imagine what the accuracy of the NFRTR could be, if your error rate’s 49 to 50 percent

Despite:

when I first came in a year ago, our error rate was between 49 and 50 percent, so you can imagine what the accuracy of the NFRTR could be, if your error rate’s 49 to 50 percent. The error rate now is down to below 8 percent, and that’s total. That’s common errors and critical errors.

The NSSF tells us about the bill:

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009 (S. 941), introduced by Sen. Mike Crapo (R-ID) and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT.), and H.R. 2296, introduced by Rep. Steve King (R-IA) and Rep. Zack Space (D-OH), would strike a fair balance between providing ATF with additional regulatory powers while at the same time affording licensees more rights and due process in the regulatory process. The bill would allow ATF new powers to issue fines and suspend licenses of firearms retailers (as opposed to current regulations which only allow for license revocation). The legislation would also define what a “willful” violation is and provide for revocation hearings before an administrative law judge, rather than an ATF official.

More stellar performance from ATF. This is the a director of industry operations for ATF’s Houston field office:

But the staffers and a deputy sheriff also discovered that someone had removed the bedroom door from its hinges and replaced it with a 5-by-4-foot piece of plywood affixed to the frame and the drywall with hinges and screws, the arrest report said. The door had two locks attached from the bedroom side and a circular hole padded with duct tape. The deputy noted in the arrest report that the hole appeared to be used “in some sort of sexual act.”

So, who was on the other side?

Update: The plot sickens. Read at own risk.