The ATF Has Gone Nuts

Once in a while there is a story that shows that this government really has lost its way.  Recently we have heard about the ATF allowing obvious gun runners access to illegal weapons in an effort to find Mexican  gangs is an example of what is going wrong with this country.  It only got worse when the gun shop owners call ATF and were told to sell the guns.  Someone who was paranoid might think that the government was out to frame those who sell legal firearms but that would not really happen with this administration, right?

Unfortunately we believe the current Congressional investigation is only going to scratch the surface and I doubt that we will really find out what was the original intent of the operation and how it morphed into something if not illegal, definitely immoral.  We have laws that require a citizen who wishes to purchase a firearm to go through a background check and if he is approved, then the sale can go through.  In this case, the law's intent was thrown under the bus.

I think that most law abiding citizens have no problem checking to see if the prospective buyer has a criminal record or is not psychologically stable. However, our concerns are raised when government changes the rules or makes it impossible for Joe Citizen to buy the gun he desires.

Unless the government charges those who violated the law, illegal operations will continue and without a doubt, innocent individuals will be caught up in them. My fear is that when they are charged, it will be nearly impossible for them to prove their innocence due to the fact that the power of the government will be against them.

 Although we need to find those who are shipping guns to Mexico, we cannot violate our own laws for expediant reasons.  If we do, all of our rights will be minimized, again.

Congressional report criticizes ATF gun operation

By Pete Yost June 15, 2011 1:01 pm

   WASHINGTON (AP) - Three federal firearms investigators told Congress on Wednesday that they were repeatedly ordered to step aside while gun buyers in Arizona walked away with AK-47s and other high-powered weaponry headed for Mexican drug cartels in a risky U.S. law enforcement operation that went out of control.

Rep. Darrell Issa of California said leaders of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were fully aware of the details of Operation Fast and Furious, which was designed to track small-time gun buyers to major weapons traffickers along the Southwest border.

At a hearing before Issa's panel, Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa said "hundreds upon hundreds of weapons" destined for cartels in Mexico were purchased in Arizona gun shops.

The operation was designed to respond to criticism that the agency had focused on small-time gun arrests while major traffickers eluded prosecution.

In December, two assault rifles purchased by a now-indicted small-time buyer under scrutiny in Fast and Furious turned up at the scene of a shootout in Arizona where Customs and Border Protection agent Brian Terry was killed.

"We ask that if a government official made a wrong decision that they admit their error and take responsibility for his or her actions," Robert Heyer, the slain agent's cousin, told the committee. "We hope that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is forthcoming with all information" Congress is seeking.

John Dodson, an ATF agent who feared the operation would result in deaths, told the committee that "although my instincts made me want to intervene and interdict these weapons, my supervisors directed me and my colleagues not to make any stop or arrest, but rather, to keep the straw purchaser under surveillance while allowing the guns to walk."

"Allowing loads of weapons that we knew to be destined for criminals — this was the plan," said Dodson. "It was so mandated."

ATF agent Olindo James Casa said that "on several occasions I personally requested to interdict or seize firearms, but I was always ordered to stand down and not to seize the firearms."

"We were told to just fall in line," said Casa.

ATF agent Peter Forcelli said that "when I voiced surprise and concern with this tactic ... my concerns were dismissed" by superiors.

"To allow a gun to walk is idiotic .... This was a catastrophic disaster," said Forcelli.

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