I agree that Fast and Furious was a reckless operation under the broader Operation Gunrunner program started in 06 and someone should be held accountable. IMO, the acting ATF director who is now trying to save his own ass.
I say acting director because the Republicans in the Senate have blocked the appointment of a permanent director since 06 at the urging of the NRA.
And I agree that there are some ATF agents who are now speaking out against F&F.
But there are also numerous agents,
as I pointed out (but you guys ignore), that have been asking for years for tough specific laws to deal with the trafficking of weapons across the border, given that under current laws, straw purchasers only need sign a form indicating that multiple purchases of semi-automatic weapons are solely for personal use.
Example:
Quote:
The case of an alleged straw buyer in the Fast and Furious investigation, drawn from court records, illustrates one of the challenges facing investigators.
On Dec. 11, 2009, 23-year-old Uriel Patino walked into a shopping-center gun shop in Glendale, Ariz., and allegedly bought 20 AK-47 assault rifles. A month later, he allegedly bought 10 more on a single day from the same shop – Lone Wolf Trading – and two weeks after that bought another 15.
By February 2010, authorities say Patino had become a regular customer, hitting the store every few days. On Feb. 15 alone, court documents say he bought 40 AK-47s.
But ATF is powerless to immediately stop these sales, said the bureau’s former official, Bouchard, because there’s nothing illegal about buying a large number of assault weapons.
“It doesn’t look right, but under the law, there’s nothing wrong with it,” he said.
Bouchard said ATF doesn’t have enough agents to put every straw buyer under surveillance, so getting a conviction often means getting a confession. In Fast and Furious, the investigative trail eventually allowed agents able to get wiretaps on Patino and use them to try to prosecute the person orchestrating the scheme. Patino was ultimately charged with 33 others. But the probe dragged on for more than a year.
A straw buyer must sign a form at the gun shop declaring that they are buying the guns for themselves. Lying on the form is a crime. But in order to prove the lie, a prosecutor often must prove what the straw buyer was thinking when he or she bought the gun. Unless that straw buyer immediately delivers the weapon to someone prohibited from purchasing a firearm – like a convicted felon—all the buyer has to claim is that the gun was bought for personal use.
Weak laws, paltry resources hinder gun trafficking probes, say ATF backers | iWatch News
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Please tell me who needs 85 AK-47s for personal use? Why should legislation to address this at least be considered? I'll tell you why....the NRA.
I am trying to understand how this kind of straw purchasing will stop w/o stricter laws against trafficking; laws that WILL NOT impact law abiding citizens.
New regs that were implemented last week requiring dealers to report multiple purchases will help. But IMO and in the opinion of some former and current ATF agents, stricter laws are also needed.
Its time for the NRA to step up to the plate on this one and stop blaming everyone else.
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The latest twists from the right is that Holder knew about Fast and Furious based on a speech he made in March 09 and that increased funding by the Obama administration was for Fast and Furious.
But the speech was six months before Fast and Furious and was about the increased funding for Operation Gunrunner (Bush's program) under the stimulus bill, for more personal in CA, NM, and TX and had nothing to do with the Fast and Furious operation in Arizona.