Proposal to eliminate ATF opposed from both sides of gun debate

Milwaukee J-S ^ | 14 july 2014 | John Diedrich

[rellimpank]

A proposal to eliminate the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is drawing opposition from groups that typically sit on opposite sides of the gun debate.

The idea, advanced last week by Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and a left-leaning think tank, also is drawing support from powerful Republicans, and some Democrats are indicating a willingness to at least discuss the idea.

A longtime former top ATF supervisor said his former employer is hobbled by a lack of supervision and leadership and folding it into the FBI and other agencies has merit.

"I am not surprised by the proposed bill because of the leadership failures, especially in the past few years," said James Zammillo, who retired as deputy assistant director of field operations for industry operations at the ATF. "How long do you allow it go on until you have to take this route? I don't know what the other options are."

B. Todd Jones was confirmed as director of the ATF last year, after the agency went for seven years without a permanent director. A spokeswoman for the ATF said last week the agency would not comment on Sensenbrenner's proposal without seeing a bill's language. A bill has not been drafted. She did not return calls for comment.

[backwoods-engineer]

F-Troop should be eliminated, but what would take its place would probably be worse, as Democrats would use the legislation for its replacement to create all kinds of new Federal regulations on the Constitutionally-enumerated right to keep and bear arms.

[Crazieman]

[knarf]

As I read the article, there be no "taking it's place" ... they will be folded into the FBI, LMNOP and etcetera's.

One great, big, happy family gummint.

I predict this will pass in the future

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Now if they could merge Education and Energy into the Department of worthless gum flapping...

[JRandomFreeper]

BATF is a tax agency, and falls under Treasury.

Go figure.

/johnny

[ZULU]

ATF, IRS, BLM, and a host of other government agencies should be eliminated for various reasons, cost, intrusiveness, duplication of services, and need for another revenue source instead of an income tax among them.

If the COnstitution does not specifically provide for the provision of a service by the Federal Government, it shouldn’t exist.

[ZULU]

You can fight individual laws but you can't fight a government bureaucracy which grinds out reams and reams of its OWN regulations most people are unaware of.

[Triple]

Ahhh - “both sides” the GOPe and the democrats.

Perhaps there truly exists opposition to big intrusive government...

(The author is a lazy idiot who assume we all are too.)

[wita]

Frankly, gunowners and second amendment supporters who consider the NSSF as a friend, don’t know enough about infringement and who their friends are.

[unread]

The purchase of armored vehicles formerly used in anti-terror operations overseas has prompted widespread concern that domestic law enforcement in the United States is becoming increasingly militarized and violent. A recent ACLU investigation into the issue decried the fact that American neighborhoods are turning into warzones as SWAT tactics become more brutal, causing an increase in deaths, injuries and property damage. Back in May, Indiana Police Sergeant Dan Downing admitted that the militarization of domestic law enforcement was partly to deal with returning veterans who are now seen as a homegrown terror threat. A local Fox affiliate reported that the cops were now “armed for war” against such threats.

Reprint from Infowars.com

[IYAS9YAS]

BATF is a tax agency, and falls under Treasury.

Actually, the original Treasury BATF was split when DHS was created. The tax and regulatory side are still under the Treasury, and are now called the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB for short). The law enforcement and investigatory sides stayed as the BATFE (the E is Explosives) and moved under the Department of Justice. This was all done sometime in 2003, IIRC. There is still overlap, as is typical with the Fed.

[RedStateRocker]

The only thing ATF should be is three aisles at Wal Mart.

Note my tagline.

[MasterGunner01]

Back in the 1970s, the ATF shooting of Ken Bellew and abuse of his wife were being investigated by Congress. Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) wanted ATF (or “jackbooted thugs” as he named them) disbanded. However, the politicians could not find any federal law enforcement arm that would take any AFT agents. The ATF agents’ reputation was so bad that all other federal LEOs considered former ATF as unsuitable. Because abolishing the ATF would have meant actual layoffs of federal workers and REAL pain within the bureaucracy, this idea was quickly killed and ATF was allowed to continue its out of control ways. Now that 45 years have passed, we're back where we started.

[JimRed]

Darn, I was going to be IBTFATFSBACSNAGA...

In before the first “ATF should be a convenience store...”

[JimRed]

...to deal with returning veterans who are now seen as a homegrown terror threat.

Once again, we've let the left define the narrative. Are our returning veterans likely to be murdering innocent women and children? That's what terrorists DO. By lumping those who are likely to resist tyranny by the regime in with that kind the left hopes to diminish support for us among the uninvolved.

[School of Rational Thought]

Just folding the ATF into FBI is just asking the corrupt to change hats.