Project Gunwalker an ATF disaster!

[Mr VJP]

This is an editorial from The Shooting Wire.

To whom do you turn when the chief law enforcement officer of the land  ignores you? That's the question being asked across the firearms industry  as Attorney General Eric  Holder continues to turn a blind eye to BATFE  disaster increasingly being referred to as "Project Gunwalker".

 

  As facts emerge, it appears that ATF agents actually let firearms "walk"  into Mexico as part of some screwball operation designed to see where the  guns turned up. The idea they would let this number of guns (some are now  saying up to 2,500) "walk" into what is basically a combat zone (Mexico),  is screwball enough; the truly crazy thing now the Justice Department  continuing to call for crackdowns on legal gun dealers while ignoring a  half-baked scheme to go investigated.

 

  Increasingly, evidence says that murdered Border Patrol agent Brian Terry  was killed by one of those walking firearms. And the Justice Department  refuses to comment.

 

  Fortunately, National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea and blogger Mike  Vanderboegh got onto the story early and refused to let it die - or be  swept under the bureaucratic carpet.

 

  Now, it's  getting major national attention. In fact, CBS News has called  it a story bigger than Ruby Ridge or Waco - not what an administration that  wants to crackdown on private firearms rights wants to hear.

 

  Now, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa-who just so happens to be ranking  minority member of the Senate Judiciary Committee - is calling for a full  investigation of the ATF and Justice Department actions.

 

  ATF and Justice have stonewalled to this point, but organizations like the  Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) have  started calling for more than an investigation- they want the immediate  firing of acting ATF Director Kenneth Melson, a new director from outside  the agency, and a full and open investigation of the whole sorry mess.

 

  And CCRKBA head Alan Gottlieb has said that, should Attorney General  Holder remain reluctant to investigate ATF and "gunwalker" he, too, should  be shown the door.

 

  After roiling  across the internet via discussion boards, forums and all  the social media much the same way democracy has shaken up the middle east  and given Colonel Khadafy and other despots fits, it looks like mainstream  media -or at least CBS News - has found a hot story to ride. 

 

  Here, in the crucible where the idea of democracy was formed,  it remains  to be seen if our current leadership is even paying attention.

 

  Unfortunately, the administration's idea of policing firearms is much like  the old saw about the NCAA's unwillingness to punish marquee schools. "The  NCAA's so angry at Kentucky," the old saw used to go, "that they've given  Slippery Rock three more years of probation."

 

  In this sad scenario, anyone who is a law-abiding gun owner is being cast  as Slippery Rock.

 

  Hopefully, Senator Grassley will stick to his proverbial guns and get to  the bottom of "gunwalker" - no matter how distasteful the findings.

 

  Should the  administration not toss the old cloak of "national security"  over the whole thing, we'll likely find that once again, we've set our  lowered expectations not nearly low enough.

 

  The Justice Department has already started their crab-walk away from the  whole affair, saying ATF - an agency under their ultimate responsibility-  would never "knowingly" allow such a thing to happen.

 

  Unfortunately, we've become so numbed to poor conduct from our government  that it's not going to be hard to predict the way the administration would  like to see this play out.

 

  If- the Senate gets its investigation, top officials will disavow any  knowledge of the event - or be unable to determine who gave the ultimate  permission for it to happen. A few lower-level administrators will be  ceremonially tossed to the wolves in a bit of misdirection that would make  a Las Vegas magician proud.

 

  I realize that's cynical; but it has been allowed to happen  innumerable  times before. This time, we need to let our "elite leadership" know they're  neither following nor above the law.

 

  A housecleaning is still essential to clean up the mess, even if there is  an honest investigation.

 

  --Jim Shepherd

[bpb]

ATF Project Gun Walker

Follw the link on my blog and the news paper has several links posted

[2BRKnot2B]

It's shameful what is going on in our executive branch these days. What worries me is I don't think this is a first time thing (Nixon, Lincoln, Madison,  Wilson, FDR, LBJ). I think presidents and their officers, have been similarly engaged for a very long time. It's a constant buildup of power. Even the congress has given up way too much of its authority to the office. Time to devolve, deny, disparage this gov't. It's no longer a constitutional republic, but instead has become a socialized democracy.