Here’s philly.com‘s take on the National Rifle Association’s fight to deep-six the ATF’s new, unconstitutional long gun registry: “Is the NRA really saying that it wants to defend Mexican drug cartels’ right to arm themselves with U.S.-made semiautomatic rifles?” It’s difficult to contemplate the ATF’s Operation Fast and Furious—a program that actively armed Mexican drug cartels with U.S.-made semi-automatic rifles—and write a sentence like that. But this is what passes for critical thinking at the Enquirer. The left-leaning newspaper is so willfully ignorant it’s worth taking this anti-gun agitprop apart piece by piece. Let’s start with a few facts . . .
The rogue agency decided the best way to fight gun running to the cartels was to get into the cartel gun-running business. When US gun dealers notified the ATF of decidedly suspicious buyers – likely straw purchasers – they give them the Emily Litella routine, telling them ‘never mind.’ Which was par for the Fast and Furious course.
The only problem with their brilliant operation: people died. Both here and in Mexico. ICE and Border Patrol agents among them. To say nothing of hundreds of Mexicans. It undoubtedly makes it much more difficult to track straw purchasers with so much blood on your hands.
Now, the same agency that worked to hard to arm the narco-terrorists is doubling down by abrogating the law and the legislative process, requiring border state gun sellers to report multiple long arm sales. All in the name of stopping guns from getting to the narco-terrorists. It would be funny if it weren’t so horrifying.
The ATF’s strategy is aimed at so-called straw buyers who purchase weapons legally, then resell them to gun traffickers who supply drug lords south of the border.
Those would be the same straw buyers the ATF actively aided and abetted before their sordid scheme was exposed.
It makes perfect sense to ask the 8,500 gun dealers in the four border states covered by the directive to, in effect, serve as an early warning system for authorities.
Perfect sense if you disregard the inconvenient fact that it’s illegal. After all, the new ATF diktat is merely an end-around Congress and a violation of federal law. But extremism in the defense of gun control is no vice. At least as far as the Enquirer’s concerned.
Given the violent drug war still plaguing Mexico, it makes no sense to tie the ATF’s hands. That agency and Holder are already under scrutiny for botching an effort to track illegal guns in Mexico, likely resulting in the death of a Border Patrol agent. The NRA is making matters worse.
Hope the Enquirer editorial crew know a good chiropractor. Carrying that much water for the administration has to wear on you after a while.
All kidding aside, obtuseness of the magnitude shown in this editorial takes a special brand of chutzpah. The kind you need to twist hatred for the NRA with willful blindness regarding the ATF like a pretzel to fit the argument you’re trying to make. All in all, I’d rather not be in Philadelphia.
[Note: Tomorrow (Monday), TTAG will publish a major expose of the ATF’s gun running operation which will explain many of the mysteries and apparent contradictions surrounding the program.]
I’m a relatively new reader of TTAG, and I don’t follow the NRA’s every pronouncement, so I might have missed the answer to the questions at the end of my reply. Given that the ATF screwed up big time and was wrong, it’s still apparent that SOME number of guns other than those in the messed-up sting are illegally being exported outside the US. The ATF certainly can’t be the only one arming the enemy.
We can justifiably beat on the ATF until we’re exhausted, but I’m not sure if I’ve heard someone say what we should be doing to address the illegal export problem. If the answer is to enforce the existing laws, then how do we enforce them? Do we as responsible gun owners have any POSITIVE suggestions?
The VAST majority of guns getting to the cartels aren’t coming from Bob’s Gun Store near the border. They’re ‘leaking’ from the Mexican military’s vast inventory.
The answer isn’t to violate current law by creating a blatantly illegal border state long gun registry.
Straw purchases are already a big no-no. Instead of waving them through the border like a hyperactive toreador, here’s a suggestion…when an FFL calls to report a suspicious purchase, how about if the ATF actually investigates and intercepts them? That’s ostensibly their job.
I agree. Assuming that the ATF leadership was changed, would you support funding the ATF at a level sufficient for them to do their job?
Do what it takes to arm the Mexican population. I mean, restore their right to keep and bear arms.
MLJ:
Here are some positive suggestions: (1) Stop illegally shipping weapons to narco-terrorists and (2) Stop FMS to Mexico like the Sig Sauer did.
F&F was nothing more then a false flag operation designed to create an atmosphere where the Obama administration could impose new gun control measures. The new illegal regulations are not a double down move. When Obama and company plan something they execute it even if the circumstances change. As with every move they make it will become even a bigger political liability. You stick your finger in Congress’ eye but if you do it to a Federal judge you end up jailed for contempt.
Agreed on all of your points. I guess that my point is that instead of all of us expending our energy being reactive, that we be proactive instead.
I think it was H&K that stopped shipping certain weapons to Mexican police forces. It wasn’t voluntary, though. The German government forbad the sales because the guns were being used against the people instead of for the people. Gee, what a shock.
Now if only all gun manufacturers would have such morals – we could end the supply of arms to all corrupt governments (the US included) in a heartbeat.
“It makes perfect sense to ask the 8,500 gun dealers in the four border states [t0] serve as an early warning system for authorities.”
They were. And the ATF, in the Border Land, said “let those AKs go.” Sung to the tune of “When Moses was in Egypt Land.” Catchy tune. Amazing that the Enquirer never heard of it. I guess they’re not music lovers.
If we would be serious about controling the border, which is one of the prime functions of the federal government, it would do a great deal more than eroding the rule of law by trying to create a national register of military type rifles.
American guns are not the problem. The drug war is the problem, along with a corrupt Mexican government. The amount of money generated by the drug war is intensely corrupting, just as it was during prohibition.
There’s also the problem that the US government actually supports illegal immigration, thus will not risk doing anything that might prevent mexicans (whether dangerous or not) from illegally entering the country.
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