Anyone remember that the leaked memo from ATF central asking their agents to generate “positive publicity?” You know; in the wake of the Gunwalker Scandal, in which the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives stands accused of allowing thousands of guns to flow unimpeded from American gun stores to Mexican drug cartels? It looks like the entire friggin’ Agency has heeded that call. At the same time. In the same place. “Special agent Kimberly Riddell, public information officer for the ATF, told The Star Press that 70 ATF agents, investigators and support personnel were at the [Parker City Ludco gun] shop, with assistance from the Indiana State Police .. .

The gun shop, located on west Washington Street, was taped off by police, and more than 20 cars were on the scene, where officials were removing guns from the shop, placing them in boxes and then loading the boxes onto moving vans.

So who’s paying for all those agents to travel to Indiana, how many members of the press were “invited” and what, pray tell, was the problem?

Ludco Gun Shop owner Fred Ludington was arrested this morning on federal charges.

Ludington was charged with selling firearms to felons and non-Indiana residents.

What’s the bet that this bust is down to entrapment or technical violations? Besides, 70 agents? And . . . anyone see any irony here?

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40 COMMENTS

  1. I feel sooooooooo much safer now.

    We’re supposed to forgive project gun runner now, obviously.

  3. How the hell did they fit 70 agents, investigators and support personnel in that damned store? Not to mention the assisting Indiana State Police. How many gun stores have you been in that could accommodate a posse that large? I guess I should only be surprised they didn’t show up in full tactical gear with flash-bangs.

    This guy had BETTER have been one of the biggest illegal gun sellers in the mid west.

    • Seventy BATFAGs, wow. Ludington must be some bad dude. Probably a preacher of some minor offshoot religion.

  5. They were trying to impress Guinness how many agent they could shovel(crap) into the store at one time. This is stopping the cartels how?

  6. 1) How many state and local were involved on top of the 70 BATFE&RBFs&GHs?
    2) Is this store the “smoking gun” (pun intended) connecting legally purchased US guns to the thousands of murders in Mexico? If so, how did all those guns get from Indiana to Mexico? Semi-trucks? Railroad?

  7. Felon(s), multiple is a bad sign. 70 is overkill by far. Probably could have been done with 10. But as we all know, the ATF has nothing to do really, so those agents have to do *something* , even if it’s a “And *I* helped!” hamburger-helper moment.

  9. What, no APC’s or Abrams? They’re really getting off their A game these days. With that many personel you’d think that they could at least spring for a little close air support. You know, for the cameras and to show our tax dollars being put to good use and all.

    • haha! Dude! I was flipping the channels the other day and I saw a movie with old fancy hands shooting at a helicopter with a handgun… three shots and it blew up twice before it hit the ground. I really think he is trying to take the Chuck Norris crown.

  11. Well now, … maybe this guy got into the business of selling guns to pukes, ass maggots, rogues, scamps, scalawags, known ne’r-do-wells and nefarious rapscallions. I imagine there can be good money in that and a steady clientele willing to pay a hefty premium. In which case, he got what he deserved.

    Or, maybe it’s another case like the Gestapo here in Nassau Co., NY. The DA (Katherine Rice) is harassing the local merchants of liberty for selling ARs with pinned A4 stocks where the pins are “easily removed”. Among other things.

    http://www.longislandlawyerblog.com/what-was-really-behind-nassau-countys-gun-store-raids

  12. I didn’t know ATF agents were unionized. I count 1 worker, 52 supervisors and 17 union stewards. When did the SEIU change their official colors to blue & yellow?

    • Not if it’s a face to face transaction legal in the state of sale and the home state of the buyer.

  14. A while back I read a post on CleanUpATF.org about how when an ATF agent was retiring, his home office would throw a retirement party for him. First, what he and his co-workers would do is plan a big bust in or around their home town. Like say Parker City, Indiana for instance. Then the local guys would arrange so that all of their out-of-town buddy’s could get in on the bust and that way they would get their travel, room/board and Per Diem paid for by the ATF. Then the whole bunch of them get together, go and destroy some poor slob’s life over a stupid technicality bust and when they’re done they get to hang out for a few days afterward, debrief/do paperwork and whoop it up on the taxpayer’s dime. So that might be a great big retirement party they’re having there.

    I have been to that gun store, by the way. Back in 1997 when I had moved to Indiana. I was having an issue with one of my 1911’s and those guys fixed me right up. They were all very nice as I recall.

  15. You guys have it all wrong. The ATF was staging a re-enactment of the climax in the Cook County Tax Assessor’s office in the classic flick The Blues Brothers.

    Or maybe it’s their new motto: Ecquid facere valet facere nimis, which translates to “anything worth doing is worth overdoing.”

    • +1 to Blues Brothers… HA

      They were probably yelling “hut hut hut hut” as they invaded the store…

  16. These women ATF agents, the ones yucking it up with their hands in their pockets, inspire much confidence in the ability of the government to enact affirmative action policy. Oh well, at least one of the woman agents–who is obviously on the…uh…er…larger size of “fit and trim,” seems at least to be doing something–confiscating a rifle?

  19. Kimberly Riddell is an ATF public information officer at the national level, and appears at ATF raids all over the country. Clearly, this raid was coordinated at the national level as a publicity stunt. There can be no justification for 75+ ATF personnel (as is now reported), brought in on temporary duty, descending on a lone FFL for (gasp!) bookkeeping violations. It certainly looks like the felon sales were entrapment by ATF. Our tax dollars at work!

    Here’s an extract from the ATF memo from early March 2011:

    “Public Information Officers:
    Please make every effort for the next two weeks to maximize coverage of ATF operations/enforcement actions/arrests at the local and regional level. Given the negative coverage by CBS Evening News last week and upcoming events this week, the bureau should look for every opportunity to push coverage of good stories……..

    ATF needs to proactively push positive stories this week, in an effort to preempt some negative reporting, or at minimum, lessen the coverage of such stories in the news cycle by replacing them with good stories about ATF. The more time we spend highlighting the great work of the agents through press releases and various media outreaches in the coming days and weeks, the better off we will be.

    Thanks for your cooperation in this matter. If you have any significant operations that should get national media coverage, please reach out to the Public Affairs Division for support, coordination and clearance.

    Thank you,
    Scot L. Thomasson
    Chief ATF Public Affairs Division, Washington, DC”

  21. If you want to see something interesting, Google search on [“Kimberly Riddell” ATF] or [“Kim Riddell” ATF] just to see how extensive ATF’s propaganda machine really is. Kim is behind many ATF press releases and appears at many raids around the country, to provide a “talking head” and put the proper ‘spin’ on the facts to make ATF look good – which equates to propaganda.

    ATF certainly doesn’t want the press to come to their own conclusions about ATF fraud, waste and abuse. The press has to be spoon-fed the right ‘spin’ by the ATF PIO (Propaganda Information Officer)…..

    Of course, when ATF gets their butts handed to them on a platter with a “Not Guilty” verdict, they get very quiet (no more press releases). For example; George Iknadosian in Phoenix. At the same time ATF was encouraging and facilitating gun trafficking to Mexico (Gunwalker) through other dealers, they were prosecuting George Iknadosian for the exact same thing. Judge Gottsfield concluded that the ATF evidence against Iknadosian was insufficient to support conviction and tossed out the entire case with a directed verdict of Not Guilty.

  23. Additional information regarding George Iknadosian:

    “According to his attorney, Iknadosian is still fighting to recover his assets, which were seized at the time of his arrest and which he says are worth an estimated $2.2 million. He has sued the government for wrongful and malicious prosecution and for refusing to return his assets despite state court decisions ordering the government to return his property.”

  24. Damned shame they weren’t wearing blue helmets. See ’em for miles, and they make excellent targets.

    • Gentlemen, in the future, please refer to the AP Style-book. Agents for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms are to be referred to by their initials, “BATFAGs”. The “AG” on the end stands for “Agent”. Ergo, BATF-AG or BATFAGs when plural. Thank you for your cooperation.

  25. I think this COULD turn out to be Obama’s Mini-Waco. Apparently no shooting or helicopters or tracked vehicles to destroy the building. This will undoubtedly be another case where Ludington has already lost his assets. The fact that Amerikans in our Amerikan govt. can treat American citizens like this is just beyond any reason.
    We are well on our way to being (not becoming) a real POLICE STATE. Your papers, please!

  26. This is the same ATF which seized all those toy gun M-4 assault rifles in Washington state last year. The guns with a orange muzzle tip that shoot white plastic pellets. The ATF said they could be turned easily into real firearms with just a few parts (like the muzzle, trigger, stock), for a few hundred dollars

  28. If I was the owner of that gun store, I’d barricade myself in the store and open fire on the agents. Fucking despots.

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