BATFE's Increasingly Rogue

BATFE's Increasingly Rogue

The lamestream media told you:

Project Gunrunner appears to be turning into Project Gunwalker, as the BATFE seems to have let hundreds and possibly thousands of big deadly black high-capacity assault weapons walk out of U.S. gun stores and directly to Mexican drug cartels. Possibly for as long as a year, the controversial bureau has apparently been getting stores to cooperate, in an upside-down effort to stop guns from getting into Mexico from the U.S. The agency is predictably stonewalling, especially now that one of the walked guns was used to kill a federal agent.

The Uninvited Ombudsman notes however that:

While this travesty from a rogue federal bureau is getting news, its more serious efforts to ban guns for Americans is operating under the radar. Unmentioned in the "news" reports is the fact that, the stronger the drug cartels get, the more work and job security the heavily armed agency has. No one in a position of authority is suggesting BATFE is arming drug cartels as a way to justify the agency's existence or increase its staff and funding at taxpayer expense.

Although Mr. Obama's fingerprints are nowhere to be found directly, underlings operating under his authority have been incrementally impeding the flow of decent and wholesome firearms to the public. This is something they could not likely do without his approval at some level. The staged, long-term, grand-scale straw purchases the agency has apparently orchestrated have been used to propose costly and time-consuming new regulations on firearms dealers, in the form of multiple sales reports. But that's just a coincidence, agency insiders claim.

Of a more serious nature, the agency has changed operating policies and import definitions without a change in law, regulation or any visible authority to do so. The Firearms Import/Export Roundtable (FAIR) Trade Group has filed suit to stop what appears to be powers exercised without any basis in law. Quoting from FAIR's press release, ATF stands accused of "arbitrarily changing interpretation of federal law regarding the importation of certain firearm barrels." The announcement continues:

"ATF reversed years of statutory interpretation of the Gun Control Act and is acting in conflict with published implementing regulations... ATF chose to reverse course 37 years after the GCA was passed and 18 years after the last amendments to the law. No underlying justification has been offered for ATF's decision to affirmatively reverse a published regulation to the detriment of the industry...

"FAIR is concerned the ATF is increasingly acting without regard to statutory obligations to the detriment of firearms collectors, sport shooters and enthusiasts..." The barrels in question are for sporting firearms and replacements for legally owned firearms. These small steps combine to present an ever tougher situation for firearms owners. FAIR also points out that ATF is fighting, despite its obligation to do the opposite, to allow U.S-issued M1 carbines into the country. More info: FAIR Trade Group at (202) 296-2573.