With no action on the topic more than two months into the Trump Administration, Gun Owners of America (GOA) has announced it has filed a lawsuit against the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) over a gag order placed on its attorneys in the matter of secret surveillance documents gained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.
GOA filed the action on March 12, a year and a half after a protective order was placed on GOA lawyers to not release the information, which the gun-rights group says is still pertinent today.
According to a report at ammoland.com, the order was issued after GOA filed a 2021 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking “records about a secret government surveillance program which unlawfully and unconstitutionally monitors and records the firearm purchases of American citizens who are perfectly eligible to purchase and possess firearms.” The ATF eventually gave the documents to GOA, then tried to force the group to return all the documents and destroy any copies made of them.
When GOA refused, ATF asked the court for a protective order to keep the organization from releasing the documents. Since that order has been in effect, GOA has not released the documents, but now is asking the court to allow it to release the papers.
“Relying on the asserted ‘implied power’ of courts ‘to issue a temporary protective order for inadvertently produced FOIA materials,’ this Court granted Defendant’s requests, issuing first an order to ‘sequester’ and subsequently a protective order that ‘plaintiffs and their counsel’ ‘shall sequester’ and ‘shall not disseminate, disclose, or use for any purpose those records or the content of those records,’” the brief states. “Thus, for the past 17 months, Plaintiffs—members of the press—have been prohibited from printing the news, while Plaintiffs’ lawyers have been prohibited from communicating with their clients, advocating for their clients’ interests, or even accessing portions of their own attorney work product.”
As GOA also pointed out in their brief, if the documents were classified, they still would not be entitled to a “sweeping protective order.” Only portions of the papers affecting national security would be eligible for protection via a protective order.
Ultimately, it’s a shame that GOA must continue fighting in court a questionable decision resulting from President Joe Biden’s weaponized ATF now that the new administration is in place. With the change of administration, ATF should back off of all such actions but seems to be reluctant to do so.
In fact, earlier this month we reported how Biden holdovers at the ATF are attempting to stall litigation on the ATF’s “engaged in the business” Final Rule by filing a motion asking for a stay. In response, GOA, Gun Owners Foundation (GOF) and the states of Texas, Louisiana, Utah and Mississippi filed an opposition to the DOJ’s motion, arguing that a stay in the ruling could harm gun owners across the nation.
Lately, some in the gun-rights community have been questioning the Trump Administration’s dedication to protecting the right to keep and bear arms in light of Trump only addressing guns once, in an executive order, in his first two months in office. In that order, he instructed new Attorney General Pam Bondi to “examine all orders, regulations, guidance, plans, international agreements, and other actions of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to assess any ongoing infringements of the Second Amendment rights.” The deadline for that report passed last week and at the time of this writing, Bondi still had not submitted a report.
ATF Lied to Convict Patrick Adamiak and President Trump Should Pardon Him.
https://www.shootingnewsweekly.com/atf/atf-lied-to-convict-patrick-adamiak-and-president-trump-should-pardon-him/
Ya’ll need to stop using white for the font title over the pics on the front page. Its a horrible choice of color for the use.
“Ya’ll need to stop using white for the font title”
Indeed. Try reading and you will see the lack of contrast.
This is NOT an improvement!
The computer folk at TTAG did something for now the white is clearer than it was this morning and now is easily read………..Thank You
They could use a lot of design help, fonts and left margins especially.
The much hyped re-design was simply changing a few WordPress theme presets.
I hope somebody didn’t pay good money to have somebody else swap stylesheets. Web design grifting like it’s 1999.
TTAG Suggestion Box:
1. Don’t require people to click/touch on the title text to open that article. Make it open by clicking/touching anywhere within that particular box. People unfamiliar with this site might think the site is broken.
2. Bring the edit and delete functions back.
On a positive note, some of that weird word/phrase moderation is gone.
This is what happens when amateurs attempt graphic design and copy editing — a third rate website with AI generated articles and garish visuals.
Can’t help but wonder if there isn’t some ultra liberal nonsense going on with TTAG of recent. I attempted to post a comment over 2 hours ago that contained no foul language, no disparaging of any person and it went to moderation jail where it remains. AI may be in charge and if so then AI has no grit.
Well kiss my as they published it.
And that too………….amazing I tell ya amazing!
Wow my reply button is working.
At this point I am curious how many of us have screen names in the documents as “persons of interest”.
Golly I’m ready come whut may! BTW ttag has been a lot worse than it is now @ trolls r us🙄
More curious for entertainment value as a lot of suggestions I put out are perfectly legal but could create complications given their typical methods.
It was noted in the JFK files that they were opening all mail headed to the USSR and making lists of those people.
All of us.
It all began with the Feds sticking their noses in library records more than seventy years ago. Most of these agencies are unConstitutional and should be shut down.
Problem with that word should, rarely applies to could or would. Totally correct on your asse just……yeah vested interests tend to override (often while laughing) what is constitutional.
*correct on assessment
Time for coffee
“Bondi still had not submitted a report.”
In her defense, I’m guessing that just compiling a list of ongoing infringements would be a vey big job, even if everyone involved was cooperative. And again I’m guessing that many of the government employees involved are less than cooperative.
I’m sure it is a big job and a lot of the lifer bureaucretins are obstructing the process in every way they can.
Time to realize that the political classes on both sides hate us gun owners. They only “like” us when we are useful, ie VOTES.
The political classes, regardless of their stated affiliation, went to the same schools colleges, and universities, and so do their children.
I know quite a few people think that all current hope of DC getting fixed is only for suckers. I won’t be shocked if that turns out to be the case. No matter who controls the Congress and oval office, it sure has seemed like the DC establishment and their cronies get what they want when it’s crucial to them, and the power of the entrenched bureaucracy keeps on growing. Like when we were all promised that Obamacare would be repealed, the GOP had the juice to do it, and….didn’t. And the times when our current house speaker, who was supposed to push for real reform…pushed through more obscene continuing resolutions full of pork and debt.
True. This goes for most issues. Like Phil mentioned about Obamacare, many of these “fights” are fake.
Republican DC critters have more in common with Democrat DC critters than they do with their constituents back home. That’s just a fact.
They use us to get what they want. Instead of falling in love with them, we have to learn how to use them to get what we want.
Well that would be one reason they play with their constituents’ emotions. Keeps them from having to achieve objective measurable goals and but votes for cheap.
As for me, Bondi’s record as A G in Florida would have been enough to disqualify her. It seems her record is clear evidence that she is not a staunch supporter of the 2A.
However, President Trump did not consult me before nominating her which I am certain comes as a surprise.
However, Pam Bondi has the job and I cautiously support her presently. The task the President gave her is by no means a little task. I can only imagine the hurdles she has to clear to get even the slightest of issues resolved. No telling what she has discovered under the surface of the tasks she has been handed. Patience at times is a 4 letter word ending in K( such as walk, talk, balk, buck, hulk).
I know I commented.
Where did it go?
I reread my comment once now it’s gone?
I think it’s the BATFE gremlins messing with me.
Dang it , I voted for Biden .
If that happens again, refresh the page, and I bet your comment will appear.
No it’s the BATFE gremlins messing with me because I only voted for Biden twice.
post
intersesting. something showed up.
The BATFE is the govenments strong arm tax collection agency.
I think they should create a new dog breed, something on the lines of a Doberman Pinscher seems appropriate.