FBI accused of targeting Trump types; agents who served in military deemed ‘disloyal’

More whistleblowers have stepped forward to tell Congress that high-ranking FBI officials are targeting agents, specifically former military members, for their political beliefs and trying to force them out of the bureau.

A Marine and other military veterans at the FBI have been accused of disloyalty to the U.S. because they fit the profile of a supporter of former President Donald Trump, according to two disclosures sent to lawmakers on the House Judiciary Committee.

The Washington Times obtained copies of the disclosures.

The whistleblowers said Jeffrey Veltri, deputy assistant director of the bureau’s security division, and Dena Perkins, assistant section chief, specifically pursued employees who served in the Marine Corps or other military branches.

They stripped the agents of security clearances, which sidelined them on the job and pushed them toward the exit, according to the disclosures.

The whistleblower disclosures say Mr. Veltri and Ms. Perkins either declared or attempted to declare the Marine and other veterans as “disloyal to the United States of America.”

“In these cases there was no indication that any of the individuals had any affiliation to a foreign power or held any belief against the United States,” it said.

Other signs that an employee was a “right-wing radical and disloyal to the United States,” according to Ms. Perkins and Mr. Veltri, were failure to wear a face mask, refusing to take the COVID-19 vaccination and participating in religious activities.

Continue reading “”

Gun Hobbyists (and Liberty) Win Big in Court
Fifth Circuit judges slap the ATF for making up illegal rules against homemade guns.

The Biden administration’s scheme to threaten the public with tightened gun-control regulations by reinterpreting laws to mean what they never meant in the past is running into some speed bumps. Stumbling over one of those obstacles is an attempt by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to define unfinished firearm frames and receivers—functionally, paperweights—as firearms for the purpose of regulating homemade “ghost guns.” The courts aren’t buying the government’s argument and on November 9 delivered another slap to regulators and the White House.

Law Doesn’t Mean What You Claim It Means

“The agency rule at issue here flouts clear statutory text and exceeds the legislatively-imposed limits on agency authority in the name of public policy,” wrote Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt for three judges of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in ruling on VanDerStok v. Garland. “Because Congress has neither authorized the expansion of firearm regulation nor permitted the criminalization of previously lawful conduct, the proposed rule constitutes unlawful agency action, in direct contravention of the legislature’s will.”

Specifically, the court addressed portions of the ATF’s new “frame and receiver” rule which reinterpreted existing law, particularly elements of the Gun Control Act of 1968. The rule would extend the ATF’s reach and allow the government to restrict home construction of firearms in ways that the Biden White House wants as part of a crusade against so-called “ghost guns” but hasn’t been able to get through Congress.

In particular, the new ATF rule redefines firearms terms to incorporate modern devices that work differently than designs that were common when the law was written. The rule also treats unfinished parts that must be drilled, milled, and assembled by hobbyists to become working mechanisms—often called “80 percent receivers”—as if they are completed firearms. It additionally targets parts kits that can be combined with finished frames and receivers to make functioning guns. As I wrote last year, the rule’s language is “clear as mud” in seeking to subject as much activity as possible to regulation.

“The Final Rule is limitless,” wrote concurring Judge Andrew S. Oldham who agreed with the majority “without qualification” but wrote separately because he considered his colleagues insufficiently brutal to the ATF. “It purports to regulate any piece of metal or plastic that has been machined beyond its primordial state for fear that it might one day be turned into a gun, a gun frame, or a gun receiver. And it doesn’t stop regulating the metal or plastic until it’s melted back down to ooze.”

That was much the reaction of U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor who vacated the entire ATF rule in June. The appeals court panel upholds the district court’s findings, though it returns the case to the district “for further consideration of the remedy, considering this Court’s holding on the merits.” That might mean an outcome short of vacating the entirety of the rule, though Oldham’s concurrence suggests he prefers something rather more drastic to slap down the ATF for its presumption.

The ATF Gets an Earful

In fact, none of the Fifth Circuit judges were impressed by the ATF’s arguments.

“Both a ‘frame’ and a ‘receiver’ had set, well-known definitions at the time of the enactment of the GCA in 1968,” the court notes of the ATF’s efforts to extend its remit over unfinished components. “As written, the Final Rule states that the phrase ‘frame or receiver’ includes things that are admittedly not yet frames or receivers but that can easily become frames or receivers—in other words: parts… Such a proposition defies logic: ‘a part cannot be both not yet a receiver and a receiver at the same time.'”

The judges are equally scathing when it comes to the ATF’s efforts to regulate kits used by DIY hobbyists.

“Notably, the [privately made firearms] that play a central role in the Final Rule were not unknown at the time of the GCA’s—or, for that matter, its predecessors’— enactment,” they write, citing “The American Tradition of Self-Made Arms,” by Jospeh G.S. Greenlee, an article published this year in St. Mary’s Law Journal. “And in perfect accord with the historic tradition of at-home gunmaking, Congress made it exceedingly clear when enacting the GCA that ‘this title is not intended to discourage or eliminate the private ownership or use of firearms by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes.'”

“ATF’s Final Rule alters this understanding by adding significant requirements for those engaged in private gun-making activities,” they add.

“The Government argues that ATF has historically regulated parts that are not yet frames or receivers as frames or receivers, thus making the Final Rule a valid extension of past agency practice,” the court continues. “Simply because ATF may have acted outside of its clear statutory limits in the past does not mandate a decision in its favor today.”

That’s doesn’t mean the Biden administration and the ATF have no recourse if they want to further restrict firearms or regulate popular gun-related hobbies.

“ATF, in promulgating its Final Rule, attempted to take on the mantle of Congress to ‘do something’ with respect to gun control,” the court cautions. “But it is not the province of an executive agency to write laws for our nation. That vital duty, for better or for worse, lies solely with the legislature.”

“This is yet another massive victory against ATF and a huge blow to the Biden Administration’s gun control agenda,” commented Cody J. Wisniewski, the Firearms Policy Coalition Action Foundation General Counsel and counsel for plaintiffs. “ATF has no authority to make law, and the Biden Administration cannot circumvent Congress and the rights of the People through federal agency rulemakings–a point the Fifth Circuit just reiterated. We look forward to defending this win and to continuing to deliver additional victories to the People in the future.”

Despite the Fifth Circuit decision, the ATF rule remains in effect while the U.S. Supreme Court decides whether to take up the case, as per an August 8 order by Justice Samuel Alito.

Another Overreach Slapped Down

In a separate but related ruling, another court slapped down the ATF’s effort to redefine pistol braces as shoulder stocks, rendering firearms so equipped as short-barreled rifles under the National Firearms Act (NFA). Braces are intended to help disabled shooters more accurately handle weapons one-handed, but many designs very closely resemble shoulder stocks. That doesn’t matter, noted the court.

“Some form of protest can be expected when constitutional rights are allegedly infringed,” wrote Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk, of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, in acknowledging that many braces are used as stocks by people opposed to stringent firearms regulation. But Kacsmaryk observed that the braces are in “common use” and so enjoy constitutional protection. He added that the proposed rule was not a logical outgrowth of existing law and, in keeping with a recent Fifth Circuit ruling, “must be set aside as unlawful.”

Ultimately, government officials are failing in their efforts to end-run Congress by jamming through restrictive new gun policies as regulatory “reinterpretations” of old statutes. If they want to threaten more people with penalties for owning and using firearms, they’ll have to do so through the hard work of legislating.

While they’re now nothing much more than a politicized secret police mostly used as a weapon against political enemies; In this case, it’s not the FBI showing up – quite ineptly I might add – wanting to talk to her, It’s that she has information that jihadis are training and crossing into the U.S. that should be of concern.
If you haven’t already been doing so, prepare to defend yourselves

The Unnerving Reason FBI Showed Up to This Journalist’s Home

The FBI has reportedly knocked down the door of a journalist who, in the past, exposed illegal activities along the southern border, including sex trafficking.

This week, Sarah Fields, a journalist with The Publica Now, revealed on social media that FBI agents came to her home on October 17 unannounced. She claimed the agency demanded that she talk with them about her coverage of an alleged Hamas training camp on the US-Mexico border….

In recent years, she has covered numerous on-the-ground stories along the U.S. border with Mexico……….

 

ATF ignoring machinegun-toting thugs, will ban legally owned ARs instead

More than 500 people have been shot and killed in Chicago this year. More than 2,220 have been shot and wounded. On any weekend, Chicago streets reverberate with the sound of fully automatic fire. It remains America’s deadliest domestic war zone.

According to one violence tracker, a Chicagoan is shot every 2 hours and 45 minutes. Someone in the city is murdered every 13 hours, and it is no secret who’s doing the killing.

There are more than 100,000 documented gang members in the Windy City, and the influx of plastic Glock switches has armed thousands of them with converted machineguns. The plastic switches attach easily to most Glock-type handguns, giving the weapon an incredibly high cyclic rate. The switches are sold openly on a few unscrupulous Chinese websites, and they’re also very easy to 3D print.

One recent viral video shows Chicago teens showing off their Glock switches, brazenly taunting police. Another video shows a young man spraying fully automatic fire into a crowd.

Anyone who has ever tried to shoot the Glock 18 – Glock’s factory-made machine-pistol – knows how difficult it is to control a full-auto 9mm handgun, even for an experienced pistoleer. In the hands of young gang members – a group not known for their accuracy or target discrimination – these converted Glocks are a recipe for mass casualties.

To be clear, innocent lives are at risk.

If anyone at ATF had even half a brain, you’d think they would flood the zone with Special Agents whose sole mission would be to rid Chicago’s streets of machinegun-toting gangsters. Unfortunately, the ATF has other plans and priorities.

ATF Director Steven Dettelbach announced this week his intent to ban legally owned semi-automatic rifles, which he called “assault weapons.”

Dettelbach’s comments came at a discussion called “Gun Violence in America,” which was held at Harvard University, of course.

“The president has also said, and I agree, that we should consider and reinstate a ban on certain types of assault weapons,” Dettelbach said, adding he also supported the president’s call for universal background checks.

Dettelbach’s comments conflict with his earlier testimony, which was given under oath before a Senate confirmation committee, when he promised skeptical senators that he would not use his position to advocate for new gun regulations or laws.

Wrong priorities

Dettelbach and his agents could use a real-world mission. Nowadays, they have plenty of time on their hands.

As we have previously reported, most of ATF’s criminal charges are filed administratively after the fact, after another law enforcement agency has made an arrest. For example, when local police arrest an armed criminal with a prior felony conviction, they may ask ATF to pursue federal charges, which usually carry a stiffer penalty. Of course, ATF takes credit for the arrest, the investigation and the subsequent prosecution, often by claiming it was part of a task force or its Project Safe Neighborhoods program.

Currently, ATF is keeping busy by intimidating and harassing law-abiding gun dealers. They recently sent a 12-man ATF SWAT team to the rural Oklahoma home of a federal firearm licensee who had committed no crime. The dealer was so terrified he relinquished his FFL.

Wouldn’t ATF SWAT assets be more useful in Chicago, where local police are understaffed, underpaid and under Democrat control?

ATF leadership loves to tout how helpful they are to their law enforcement “partners.” It’s time for deeds not words. Rather sitting in their comfy Field Division offices, waiting for the phone to ring with a routine trace request, maybe ATF should consider committing some actual police work. Maybe they should take the lead role in disarming an actual threat, instead of their current supporting role.

Given the millions of undocumented military-age males Joe Biden allowed to walk across our border, and the $7 billion in weapons and military equipment he gifted the terrorists, which are already showing up in Israel, we’ll hang on to our ARs and AKs, thank you very much. After all, we may need them.

If Dettelbach wants to separate himself from the other political toadies who have helmed the ATF, he should dispatch hundreds of agents to Chicago where they’re actually needed – where they can save lives – rather than using them to harass law abiding Americans just to satisfy the whims of a faltering president.
>

The judge’s concurring opinion in a case that enjoins the bureaucraps of ATF redefining what a ‘receiver’ is:

The Final Rule is limitless. It purports to regulate any piece of metal or plastic that has been machined beyond its primordial state for fear that it might one day be turned into a gun, a gun frame, or a gun receiver. And it doesn’t stop regulating the metal or plastic until it’s melted back down to ooze. The GCA allows none of this. I concur in the majority’s opinion holding the Final Rule is unlawful. And I further concur that the matter should be remanded to the district court to fashion an appropriate remedy for the plaintiffs.

Andrew S. Oldham
U.S. Circuit Judge
VanDerStok v. Garland
November 9, 2023

‘Ghost Guns’ Rule Exceeds ATF Authority, Appeals Court Holds

A federal appeals court Thursday tossed part of a rule targeting build-at-home “ghost guns” in a case advocates brought, holding the regulation exceeds “limits on agency authority in the name of public policy.”

The US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit affirmed in part and vacated in part a lower court ruling that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives final “frame or receiver” rule targeting privately made firearms without serial numbers conflicts with the Gun Control Act.

“ATF, in promulgating its Final Rule, attempted to take on the mantle of Congress to ‘do something’ with respect to gun control. But it is not the province of an executive agency to write laws for our nation. That vital duty, for better or for worse, lies solely with the legislature,” Judge Kurt D. Engelhardt wrote for the court.

ATF must operate within the statutory text’s limits until Congress acts, the judge said. “The Final Rule impermissibly exceeds those limits, such that ATF has essentially rewritten the law,” Engelhardt said.

Continue reading “”

SCOTUS Grants Cert to Bump Stock Case

The Supreme Court will decide whether the Trump administration’s ban on bump stocks, implemented by the ATF in 2018 after the Route 91 music festival shootings in Las Vegas, was a proper exercise of agency authority or an overreach on the part of the administration. On Friday the Court granted cert in a case known as Garland v. Cargill; one of several cases that have been bouncing around the lower courts since the ban was first put in place.

The Court’s granting of the case wasn’t exactly a surprise, for a couple of reasons. The Solicitor General had sought Supreme Court review, but there are also splits in the federal appellate courts over the legality of the ban. The Fifth Circuit has ruled the bump stock ban was improperly put into effect, while the D.C. Circuit, Sixth Circuit, and Tenth Circuit have all allowed the ban to remain in effect.

The question before the Court is whether a bump stock can be considered a “machine gun” under the statutory definition provided by the National Firearms Act; “any weapon which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The term shall also include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machinegun, and any combination of parts from which a machinegun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person.”

Continue reading “”

Republican spending bill would block gun background check rule
Proposed rule would implement a provision in the first bipartisan anti-gun violence package passed in years

As the Biden administration reiterates calls for tougher gun measures in response to the mass shooting in Maine last week, House Republicans updated a fiscal 2024 spending bill with provisions that take the opposite track.

House Republicans are looking to use the appropriations process to block a proposed rule to implement a provision included in the first bipartisan anti-gun violence package passed in years.

That gun package, which received the support of Republican senators such as Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, widened the definition of engaging in the business of firearm dealing, according to the Justice Department.

The law was enacted in the aftermath of a shooter killing 19 students and two teachers at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, and another shooter killing 10 Black people at a grocery store in Buffalo, N.Y.

A proposed rule the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives published Sept. 8 would clarify the circumstances in which a seller would be required to obtain a federal firearm license and run background checks.

A new version of the House fiscal 2024 Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations bill, posted on the House Rules Committee website, adds a provision that would prohibit federal funds from being spent to enforce that rule, along with at least two other provisions that would roll back ATF enforcement against firearms dealers.

Continue reading “”

ATF Director Calls for “Assault Weapons” Ban, But Won’t Define the Term

ATF Director Steve Dettelbach wants Congress to pass an “assault weapons ban”. Just don’t ask him to define what an “assault weapon” actually is.

While speaking at Harvard University’s Institute of Politics this week, Dettelbach was asked what’s on his “wishlist” of legislation that he’d like to see Congress adopt. Dettelbach, who was Joe Biden’s second choice to head up the ATF after it became clear that gun control activist and former ATF agent David Chipman didn’t have the votes to get confirmed, didn’t talk about increasing penalties for straw purchases or thefts from gun stores. Instead, he acted like Biden’s loyal lapdog by backing the president’s call for a ban on so-called assault weapons while declining to define the term.

“I think it would be helpful if we had universal background checks in this country. I think that’s something that makes some sense,” Dettelbach said.

He added that he supports a ban on assault weapons.

“The president has also said, and I agree, that we should consider and reinstate a ban on certain types of assault weapons,” he said.

“I am not trying to be cute when I say this. It is emphatically the job of the United States Congress to write a definition” of assault weapons, he added.

Oh, I don’t think too many people will think he’s being cute with his response. Duplicitous? Sure. Evasive? Absolutely. Cute, not so much.

If Dettelbach believes that “assault weapons” should be prohibited, then surely he must have some idea about what guns would be covered by such a ban. If Congress defined “assault weapon” as “long guns possessed by federal agencies like the ATF”, for example, Dettelbach’s support for a ban would vanish in an instant. So why won’t Dettelbach offer up his own definition of what makes a gun an “assault weapon”?

If nothing else, Dettelbach’s refusal to define the term is proof positive that the phase “assault weapon” has no real definition at all. It’s the opposite of a term of art; a catchphrase with no specific meaning beyond “a gun I want to ban”. California, for instance, has revised its “assault weapons” ban multiple times since lawmakers first adopted a ban back in 1989, and state-level bans vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. Some states like Massachusetts ban guns based on both features and by specific models, while other states impose prohibitions based solely on the presence of one or more features like an adjustable stock or a flash suppressor.

So how would Dettelbach himself determine whether a particular firearm is an “assault weapon”? He won’t say, but my guess is it would be as expansively as possible, especially given some of his other comments at Harvard.

Dettelbach said an overemphasis on individual rights, including the Second Amendment right to bear arms, impairs the ability to address gun violence as a public safety issue.

“People who have the view that their rights, their individual rights, are the only thing that should be taken into account — it is just not who we are as Americans,” he said. “We care about our rights, of course, but we respect other people’s rights, too.”

That’s a helluva straw man that Dettelbach constructed on stage. If you don’t support a gun ban, however it might be defined, you’re just selfish; more concerned with your individual rights than public safety, obsessed with your guns and blithely unconcerned about violent crime or mass murder.

Dettelbach simply can’t accept that many of us understand that more gun control won’t make us safer. The promise of increased safety at the expense of our individual rights is simply false, and you only have to look at the sky-high homicide rates in cities like Washington, D.C. and Chicago over the decades when those locales had banned the possession of handguns.

I’m sure Dettelbach’s job would be much easier if the ATF could ignore our Second, Fourth, and Fifth Amendment rights, but that is not who we are as Americans. I’d say that we also don’t blame law-abiding citizens for the actions of violent criminals, but unfortunately that’s not true… at least for the anti-gunner-in-chief, his lackeys, and those Americans hoping we can ban our way to safety.

US Halts Exports Of Most Civilian Firearms And Ammunition For 90 Days

Now the US has halted the exports of a lot of civilian firearms and ammunition for a total of 90 days citing national security. It has been claimed that the halts are going to cover most of the guns and ammunition that can be purchased in the United States gun store. This news has been officially claimed by Johanna Reeves who is a lawyer who specializes in export controls and firearms with the law firm Reeves and Dola in Washington, D.C. This is a very shocking announcement which has been made by a lawyer. Now to know everything that the lawyer has shared with us, read this entire article without missing anything.

According to the Commerce Department, the United States has officially stopped issuing export licenses for most civilian firearms and ammunition for a total of 90 days for all non-government users. Commerce Department officially claimed this statement on 27th October 2023, Friday, citing national security and foreign policy interests. The Commerce Department (CD) has not given more details regarding the pause as it also includes shotguns and optical sights. However, the CD has claimed that the review is going to assess the risk of the firearms that are being diverted to the activities and entities that have promoted regional instability, fueled criminal activities, and violated human rights.

On Friday, The Commerce Department declined to give any statement on the posting on its website. A famous lawyer who specializes in export control and firearms with the law firm Reeves and Dola in Washington, D.C., Johanna Reeves has officially given a statement in which she has claimed that the halt covers most of the ammunition and funds that can be purchased from the United States gun stores. She has also claimed that she has never seen the Commerce Department taking a sweeping action like this. They might have some individual country policies but there is nothing like this.

According to the experts, the license exports for Israel Ukraine, and some other close allies are going to be exempted from the temporary halt in the exports. The US companies that sell the firearms are Strum Ruger & Co., Vista Outdoor, and Smith & Wesson Brands they might face a big impact because of the ban on exports. The exporters can submit, the license requests at the time of the pause but the requests are going to be held without the action till the pause is lifted.

As I understand it, the ‘gray area’ law letters got the ATF bureaucrap’s attention and the destroyed Russian AK-12 ‘parts kits’ were the cherry on top of the sundae.
Trying to play fast and loose with U.S. code and regulation can be hazardous, as the federal bureaucraps do not like the peasantry devising ‘inventive’ ways to circumvent their restrictive regulations

United States of America v. Larry A. Vickers
Famed Delta Force veteran faces 25 years in a federal prison.

Special operations combat veteran, firearms industry consultant, tactical instructor and YouTube personality with more than a million loyal followers, Larry Allen Vickers, pleaded guilty last week to a multi-count federal indictment that accused him of conspiring to illegally import and obtain machineguns and other restricted firearms, and conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions against a Russian arms manufacturer.

Vickers, 60, faces up to 25 years in prison, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland. The judge overseeing the case has not yet scheduled a sentencing date.

Vickers’ influence on the firearms industry was massive — especially for all things tactical — because he had the right combination of training, real-world experience and business acumen. Vickers and other operators participated in Operation Acid Gambit — a hostage rescue operation to free American Kurt Muse, a CIA operative who was being held in a Panamanian prison. Today, actual hostage-rescue missions are rare, even for Tier One operators.

Vickers’ expertise was much sought after by small arms manufacturers. He developed improvements, innovations and accessories for Wilson Combat, Aimpoint, Glock and most notably, Heckler & Koch. He helped the German firm with their redesign of the M16, which led to the HK416 — the rifle of choice for special operations units around the world.

Vickers was also a firearms historian and scholar. His Vickers Guide series offered unique insight into the 1911, German small arms of World War II, the AR-15 and he wrote two volumes about the AK-47. He became a voice for AK proponents, and his advocacy led to new design features that improved the rifle’s ergonomics.

Vickers was one of the country’s most successful firearms instructors. A series of television shows and YouTube videos helped reinforce this brand. Although some will say much of his training was pre-9/11, he was one of the first Delta Force retirees to train civilians and law enforcement. His classes almost always sold out.

Vickers high profile and service to this country did not go unnoticed by federal law enforcement, especially the ATF.

The defendants    

Federal agents first raided Vickers’ home in October 2021, while Vickers was battling cancer. They seized 245 NFA weapons from his personal collection, including museum pieces some described as “priceless.” Many of the rare guns baffled ATF investigators, who referred to them on forfeiture paperwork as “unknown machinegun,” which they then valued at $1,000.

At the time, multiple sources said Vickers let his Special Operation Tax (SOT) payment lapse, which prompted the raid. But the federal indictment unsealed last week draws this conclusion into question.

“That indictment alleges that beginning in June 2018 to March 2021, the defendants conspired to acquire machineguns and/or other restricted firearms, such as short-barreled rifles, by falsely representing that the firearms would be used for demonstrations to law enforcement agencies, including the Coats Police Department and the Ray Police Department.

Continue reading “”

You simply can not make up such a lie as this bureaucrap’s affidavit.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GUN OWNERS, V. THE TOWN OF SUPERIOR Yurgealitis Report

I kid you not:

1) “Assault weapons” are too complicated to use in self-defense because you may have to use a charging handle, turn off the safety, and load a magazine
2) AR-15s are too heavy and require two hands, which is why he recommends people use a pump-action 12-gauge shotgun with buckshot instead
3) You should store your shotgun with the internal magazine loaded
4) You should use a revolver with hollow-point bullets instead of a semi-auto pistol for self-defense because “there are no complicated safety mechanisms” and speed loaders are easy to use
5) AR-15s are just as lethal as full-auto M-16s

RMGO_v_Town_of_Superior_Yurgealitis_Report-1-90

 

Corrupt bureaucraps…but I repeat myself.


Former U.S. firearms investigator illegally trafficked guns to Mexico, government document alleges
Jose Luis Meneses, who worked as an investigator for ATF, admitted to buying firearm parts online and at a California gun store and then trafficking them to Mexico.

A former investigator for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) is accused of smuggling guns into Mexico while employed by the agency in 2017, according to a letter sent to ATF’s head this week by U.S. Senator Charles Grassley.

Jose Luis Meneses, a Mexican national who worked as an investigator for ATF at the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, admitted to buying firearm parts online and at a California gun store and trafficking them into Mexico for profit back in 2017, according to the letter and an ATF memo from the time obtained by Reuters.

The case has not been previously reported.

Continue reading “”

BLUF
The lower the threshold for taking away a person’s guns, the more likely it is that guns will be taken away from innocent people.

Feds Want SCOTUS To Let Judges Strip Gun Rights, Even When There’s Been No Crime

The Supreme Court has now received all the briefs for a case it will hear on Nov. 7 that could seriously affect how courts evaluate the constitutionality of gun-control laws. The Biden administration asked for a review of the Fifth Circuit Court’s decision not to deprive Zackey Rahimi of his right to own guns.

Rahimi is not a sympathetic character. He is a drug dealer with a long, violent criminal record. But instead of prosecuting Rahimi for his violent crimes or imposing sufficient bail to keep him in jail, prosecutors merely obtained a domestic violence protection order based on a 2020 assault against his girlfriend. The protection order was imposed without a hearing, and because he was not being criminally prosecuted, Rahimi was not provided with a lawyer.

The question before the court is: What is the standard of evidence needed to strip someone of their constitutional right to keep and bear arms? People lose their right to a gun when convicted of felonies and some violent misdemeanors. But should they lose that right after a mere noncriminal, civil decision — in the absence of a public hearing and a lawyer?

Continue reading “”

Obammy started a program where, if the VA decided vets had to have their financial matters handled by a ‘representative payee’ or conservator, the vet’s name was sent to the FBI to be put in NICS as a prohibited person for gun possession. There was no requirement for even a court decision or adjudication, just if the VA made a decision, on their own. Trump canned the program, but SloJoe reinstituted it.

Kennedy Says Deal Reached to Protect Veterans’ Gun Rights

There’s a joke about the VA: It gives veterans a second chance to die for their country.

We’re not big fans of how the VA does a lot of things. One of the things we’ve seen, though, is particularly alarming. That’s the idea of the VA having the authority to take action against their patients with regard to their gun rights.

Sure, I get the desire to do something for someone who is suicidal or whatnot, but this wasn’t limited to just that. It included people who simply needed some help with their finances or who were physically disabled.

Now, though, a deal has reportedly been reached that will put an end to that threat.

Sens. John Kennedy and Chuck Schumer have worked out a deal on a bill to protect veterans’ gun rights, according to the Hill.

At issue was an amendment proposed by Kennedy, R-La., that would allow military veterans, who have to enter a conservatorship, the ability to keep their firearms.

“I just left Chuck’s office. I think we got it worked out,” Kennedy told The Hill. “We’re going to hotline some new language. Frankly, I think it makes my amendment stronger. Now, not everyone’s going to be happy.”

Kennedy’s amendment was proposed as part of the Senate’s “minibus” appropriations bill that would fund the departments of Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Veterans Affairs and Agriculture.

“The original position was they wanted me to pull my amendment down and I said ‘no,’” he said.

If this does go through, it promises to protect the gun rights of veterans throughout the nation.

The thing about a conservatorship is that it’s not always because someone is mentally incompetent. If they are, then they can be adjudicated as such and their gun rights can be revoked that way, but it’s not the VA’s place to determine if a veteran is incompetent or not.

Many people enter conservatorship because of various reasons, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re unable to responsibly exercise their gun rights.

Either way, veterans aren’t going to be interested in utilizing VA services if their gun rights are going to be in danger. It’s one of the issues with red flag laws with regard to therapists. If people think their rights are at risk, they simply won’t get the help they need.

Kennedy’s bill seeks to fix that, to keep the VA from screwing over veterans like that.

What we need to be careful about now is that the deal actually goes through. I know what Sen. Kennedy said, but this is Schumer we’re talking about here. He’s not exactly gun-friendly, now is he? Could there have been a miscommunication there? Maybe. Or maybe Schumer just wants to get this bill through and if it has to swallow something that protects gun rights for veterans, then so be it.

Either way, we need to wait and see how this actually plays out, but I’m hopeful that this will become law. Our veterans deserve it and so much more.

ATF Seeks to Muzzle Gun Owners of America Advocacy Group

In 2021, AmmoLand News disclosed documents that indicated the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) had been using the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) to surveil Americans without proper authorization. Often, these individuals were monitored solely based on associations rather than concrete evidence of misconduct. This revelation prompted the Gun Owners of America (GOA) to seek further details via a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

In a 2021 exposé, reporter John Crump unveiled that leaked ATF records showed a secretive surveillance operation targeting numerous legal gun buyers. This was accomplished by monitoring all gun transactions processed through the NICS system, as detailed by GOA.

After facing potential legal actions and a year of persistence, ATF released some information concerning the initiative. However, inconsistencies in redaction led GOA to seek complete versions of these records. Upon realizing their oversight, the ATF pressed GOA to erase all obtained records.

Yet, GOA resisted. They had legally received the documents from ATF and believed they had every entitlement to retain and utilize them for public awareness regarding unauthorized surveillance. In a subsequent move, the ATF sought a legal directive against GOA, demanding the deletion of the records and a commitment to silence.

This situation mirrored a prior incident involving AmmoLand News in the AutoKey Card case. In that instance, backed by GOA-funded legal support from Stephen Stamboulieh, AmmoLand News successfully resisted ATF’s efforts to silence them. Now, with the tables turned, GOA has enlisted Stamboulieh to challenge another ATF attempt at suppression.

GOA firmly maintains that since they legally acquired the documents, they have full rights over them. They are willing to eliminate personal details like social security numbers but will resist a comprehensive deletion mandate. They allege that ATF’s primary intention is to conceal their clandestine surveillance.

GOA’s legal briefing emphasizes the importance of upholding First Amendment rights, highlighting the extraordinary nature of ATF’s request and labeling it as potentially unconstitutional.

While ATF asserts a motive of privacy protection for its subjects, GOA counters this by pointing out the inherent irony. The ATF’s very operation intrudes upon individual privacy. GOA’s intention is to make these records available to Congress, suggesting that ATF might be keen on keeping this information away from its regulators.

GOA’s briefing also notes, “It’s a profound paradox that while ATF claims to safeguard gun owners’ privacy, they are the very entity spying and collecting personal data on these individuals.” GOA has urged the judiciary to uphold their First Amendment rights and dismiss ATF’s claims against public interest.

With the ATF fervently attempting to suppress details about this operation, many are left pondering, “What is the ATF concealing?”

Continue reading “”