Posted on 07/11/2011 2:40:53 PM PDT by stevie_d_64
WASHINGTON -- In an effort to stem the illicit flow of weapons into Mexico, the Justice Department announced Monday that all gun shops in four Southwest border states will be required to alert the federal government to frequent buyers of high-powered rifles.
The new policy comes amid criticism of a failed federal probe aimed at dismantling large-scale arms trafficking networks along the Arizona border with Mexico.
In the probe, called Operation Fast and Furious, several agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives say they were inexplicably ordered by superiors to stop tracking some small-time "straw" buyers who purchased large numbers of weapons apparently destined for drug cartels.
Under the new policy, federal firearms licensees in Texas, California, Arizona and New Mexico must report purchases of two or more of some types of rifles by the same person in a five-day span. The requirement applies to purchases of semi-automatic rifles that have detachable magazines and a caliber of greater than .22.
ATF estimates it will generate 18,000 reports a year.
Deputy Attorney General James Cole said the new reporting measure will improve the ATF's ability to disrupt illegal weapons trafficking networks that funnel firearms to criminal organizations.
One of the critics of Operation Fast and Furious called the new policy "the height of hypocrisy."
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Too Funny!! made me laugh out loud!
The NRA, and other civil rights groups should demand that Congress eliminate the BATF. They should have been done away with years ago.
The fix is in...I can hear it now....
_____________________________________________________
“Another mass shooting, mass murders, drug violence in Mexico....(followed by video of dead bodies in the street, children crying.)
We are reporting once again, it was discovered American guns were exported into Mexico which caused this.
We must do something to stop this bloodshed!
It’s out of control...We must take control, it’s destabilizing our good neighbor, Mexico...We have international support to bring this bloody violence to an end.
We’re calling for stricter regulation and common sense reforms to the 2nd Amendment...Once and for all, it’s up to us to stop this easy access to guns!”
Sorry, this is a violation of the 1968 GCA. The Federal Government was specifically forbidden to do exactly this.
Expect lawsuits over this and there damn well better be criminal charges filed for violation of Federal Law by the DOJ.
BATFE is trying to cover up the stench of scandal from “Fast and Furious”.
“During 2009 and 2010, 70 percent of the 30,000 guns that were recovered by authorities in Mexico were determined to have come from inside the United States.
Now we know why.”
Sorry to have to tell you, but your statement above is VERY wrong!
30,000 guns may have been recovered in Mex., but only a fraction of those came from the U.S.
The Mex. gov. can tell which guns were U.S. manufactured by looking at the serial number range, of THAT FRACTION 70% may have been CONFIRMED to have come from the U.S.
Bear in mind, guns lawfully sold to the Mex. government, then diverted to gangs, also “came from the U.S.”
As I recall the actual number of guns smuggled to Mexico from the U.S. is under 20% of the total.
Remember, the cartels get plenty of drugs from So. American countries who’s economy is worse than theirs, they get weapons from them too.
Many of these weapons were also originally lawfully sold to So. American governments, so technically they also “came from the U.S.”, but they were not smuggled across OUR border by cartel agents!
Automatic weapons, rocket launchers, and grenades are NOT coming from U.S. gun-shops!
Hugo Chavez is arming Mexican cartels and “Indian” groups to destabilize Mexico, he would like to make Mex. his puppet socialist state, or at least make life more miserable for the U.S. with a failed state on their border.
Accuracy is important, particularly when addressing members of congress.
Please do not become an unwitting agent for the BATFE/Gun grabbers/liberal media.
I haven’t bought a rifle in ten years... So I go in to buy a couple of rifles next week and they think I’m the Gunrunner??? wtf
MAYBE THE WHOLE “FAST AND FURIOUS’ WAS A SCAM TO CREATE THESE KIND OF REGULATIONS...
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There’s no maybe about it. That was the intent from the start.
When the administration and the corrupt Mexican government told the lie that most of the guns used by the cartels came from the U.S. the NRA and other civil rights groups showed that to be a lie.
The administration, through the BATF, FBI and the “Justice” Department, to turn the lie into the truth.
How long before the first gun store is sued for refusing to sell to a hispanic?
In this case BATFE is creating new law, there is no authorizing legislation to require registration of long guns.
They are attempting to bluff their way with a law that only permits these reports for Handguns.
BATFE is only supposed to oversee “Implementing regulations”, they are not empowered to create law.
As a federally funded agency they are forbidden to “Lobby for or against pending legislation”.
The whole F&F scandal is the worst sort of lethal manipulative lobbying.
It is past time to put a halt to all alphabet agencies ability to create “Regulations” which have the force and consequences of “Law” without the active participation and required vote of congress.
Delegation of the authority to create law is prohibited in our constitution.
Congress and SCOTUS have played semantics games to skirt this prohibition.
It’s time we demand a halt to this chicanery.
Congress will whine that they do not have time for oversight on so many laws and agencies.
True, and proof that we have too many of both!
The NRA, and other civil rights groups should demand that Congress eliminate the BATF.
They “help” us with a small matter, while slitting our femoral artery as part of the compromise.
Ever wonder why US citizens can no longer buy the ordinary small arms members of our “standing army” carry? Because the NRA wanted to make it easier for hunters to go to other states to hunt! (1986)
I just noticed I did not source this article. It was from “The American Dream” at:
I assumed that the comment about 70% OF the 30,000 guns are coming from the US—they were being sarcastic. I’m sure your right about the numbers. If I pass this on again I will put a comment in there about the numbers being totally wrong. Thanks
So, because ATF sent boat-loads of arms south of the border, the citizens’ purchase of firearms now have to be more closely scrutinized?
How Washington of them. No, don’t address the problem, instead make a new rule that penalizes people not involved in the problem.
Constitutional destruction creep....a portion at a time.
This came from the DOJ and nothing would make them happier than for us to blame the ATF.
If the ATF should be eliminated, they’ll just create another with different initials.
Waiting for November 2012 just keeps getting harder.
“Under what legal authority can they demand the reports?”
One could make a case they were using the South Park “You will respect my authoritah!” model of jurisprudence.
It would be a difficult case to make given that little done by this Regime could be deemed either ‘reasoned’ or ‘prudent’.
American Pravda. All lies, all the time.
No kidding, how far will this gov go before we all implode?
If the ATF should be eliminated, they’ll just create another with different initials.
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Not without permission from Congress.
I agree that there are civil rights organizations that are more aggressive. On the other hand, they are the biggest dog on the porch. We need to be relentless in pushing them to do the right thing.
They were burned by people who should have been on our side when Bush the Elder attacked them for pointing out that the BATF are jack-booted thugs. This is an evolving situation and we may not be able to take the FBI down a peg or two but the BATF is ripe for the picking. That being said, we are going to need all our forces to take them out and not fold them into another agency.
Their duties need to be given to Treasury with o increase in Treasury’s man power or budget.
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