There’s been speculation that the Democrats would use the Operation Fast and Furious debacle as a way to push for tougher gun laws. In fact, it’s already begun, at least for those democrats who are even aware of it. Now there’s evidence that the ATF planned to use the reckless and illegal operation to push for new rules for gun sales. [Emphasis added]
Documents obtained by CBS News show that the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) discussed using their covert operation “Fast and Furious” to argue for controversial new rules about gun sales.
PICTURES: ATF “Gunwalking” scandal timeline
In Fast and Furious, ATF secretly encouraged gun dealers to sell to suspected traffickers for Mexican drug cartels to go after the “big fish.” But ATF whistleblowers told CBS News and Congress it was a dangerous practice called “gunwalking,” and it put thousands of weapons on the street. Many were used in violent crimes in Mexico. Two were found at the murder scene of a U.S. Border Patrol agent.
ATF officials didn’t intend to publicly disclose their own role in letting Mexican cartels obtain the weapons, but emails show they discussed using the sales, including sales encouraged by ATF, to justify a new gun regulation called “Demand Letter 3″. That would require some U.S. gun shops to report the sale of multiple rifles or “long guns.” Demand Letter 3 was so named because it would be the third ATF program demanding gun dealers report tracing information.
On July 14, 2010 after ATF headquarters in Washington D.C. received an update on Fast and Furious, ATF Field Ops Assistant Director Mark Chait emailed Bill Newell, ATF’s Phoenix Special Agent in Charge of Fast and Furious:
“Bill – can you see if these guns were all purchased from the same (licensed gun dealer) and at one time. We are looking at anecdotal cases to support a demand letter on long gun multiple sales. Thanks.”
Read the whole thing. It’s amazing that Sharyl Attkisson is still employed by CBS News.
Of course, this scandal didn’t make Time Magazine’s list of the top stories of 2011.
Update: Scared Monkeys linked in a post regarding some Democrats’ ignorance of this deadly scandal. It’s willful ignorance if you ask me.
Update 2: Poh Diaries linked – thanks!
Tags: ATF, gun control, Operation Fast and Furious, rules
I believe that operation Fast and Furious should be used to promote law enforcement efforts in the United States and jail time for all people involved. This is an act of war! When a government purposefully arms a known radical militia, a.k.a., the drug cartels of Mexico, and any Mexican citizen or leader is killed, the seeds of war have been sown. World War One started under similar circumstances!
The Mexican government has asked for six people involved in gun running activities to be extradited to stand trial for murder. If we do not honor this legal request, we have no legitimate claim to ask for the extradition of Mexican criminals.
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There must be some constituency in the demorat party that keeps calling for this, and has been since Clinton was ginning up the war on anyone who believes in the second amendment.
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[...] However, you know what liberal Democrats were probably aware of … as stated at the Lonely Conservative, how the ATF was going to use ‘Fast & Furious’ as a way to promote new gun [...]
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[...] out the Fast and Furious Scandal may be about nothing more than a liberal ploy for gun control. Well, [...]
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Everything was just fine with this, including the killing of people, until they got caught. That was all that went wrong. Just think if this happened with a GOP Att’y Gen., the media feast would be taking place.
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[...] was helping Mexican cartels launder money. Also this week, evidence surfaced indicating that the ATF planned to use Operation Fast and Furious as a means to promote new gun regulations.The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has launched a new website where you can [...]
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