The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Federal agents hunt for guns, one house at a time

Doc Intrepid · July 3, 2009, 10:42 AM

I stand corrected.

It would appear that I failed to discern (from reading this one linked article) that federal agents were indeed conducting broad searches of firearms dealers records to search for gunrunners based on number or type of firearms purchased.

I'd like to thank the other participants in this thread for providing citations and additional links that clarified the extent of the problem for me.

While I find BATF actions troubling, I have difficulty believing that they are patently illegal - it would seem counterproductive for the feds to engage in activity that could result in future cases being thrown out of court due to evidence having been illegally obtained. Above all else, careers rest on successful prosecution of cases. The issue of guns crossing the Mexican border is a high-profile case for the Obama Administration, and will be subjected to significant scrutiny. Office directors are unlikely to deliberately engage in criminal activity - it would represent a poor career choice. I work for the U.S. DOE, and am aware that good intentions do not always result in rational (or legal) behavior; but I suspect that someone in DOJ/DHS has reviewed and approved BATF's plan of operations to ensure that it meets (at least) the letter of the law.

Bottom line for me remains the same. I distrust the federal government when it comes to defending my second amendment rights; however, those who are involved in strawman purchases of weapons to supply Mexican narcotics traffickers need to be stopped.

They're a threat to your future rights and mine.

(IMHO. YMMV.)

July 3, 2009, 10:42 AM	#25
Doc Intrepid Senior Member Join Date: May 22, 2009 Location: Washington State Posts: 1,037	I stand corrected. It would appear that I failed to discern (from reading this one linked article) that federal agents were indeed conducting broad searches of firearms dealers records to search for gunrunners based on number or type of firearms purchased. I'd like to thank the other participants in this thread for providing citations and additional links that clarified the extent of the problem for me. While I find BATF actions troubling, I have difficulty believing that they are patently illegal - it would seem counterproductive for the feds to engage in activity that could result in future cases being thrown out of court due to evidence having been illegally obtained. Above all else, careers rest on successful prosecution of cases. The issue of guns crossing the Mexican border is a high-profile case for the Obama Administration, and will be subjected to significant scrutiny. Office directors are unlikely to deliberately engage in criminal activity - it would represent a poor career choice. I work for the U.S. DOE, and am aware that good intentions do not always result in rational (or legal) behavior; but I suspect that someone in DOJ/DHS has reviewed and approved BATF's plan of operations to ensure that it meets (at least) the letter of the law. Bottom line for me remains the same. I distrust the federal government when it comes to defending my second amendment rights; however, those who are involved in strawman purchases of weapons to supply Mexican narcotics traffickers need to be stopped. They're a threat to your future rights and mine. (IMHO. YMMV.)