Sequester Blues

[Tom Servo]

Lots of federal agencies saw their funding slashed as of Friday. Among them is the ATF, which has lost $60 million.

The FBI has lost $480 million, some of which is going to affect the NICS system. Expect delays when buying guns from FFLs.

Also, expect FFL's to groan because they're going to be listening to this music all day.

The good news is that this whole mess is going to drive gun control farther from the front page, and that'll slow its momentum. The Senate Judiciary Committee will be hearing three bills next week.

One is Dianne Feinstein's S. 150, which we can all point fingers and laugh at. The second is S. 54, Leahy's anti-trafficking act. I'm not sure, but this might not be a bad thing for us if passed.

The third one is S. 374. While it's still in its infancy, it's Chuck Schumer's universal background check bill, and we need to oppose it while the language is still up for review. Get over to Popvox and do the form-letter thingy so your Senators know you oppose it.

[sigcurious]

S 54

Without having fully cross referenced the amended sections, I'd say it's pretty harmless. Unfortunately while it seems to provide clarifications that would make prosecutions of certain crimes easier, it would still require those crimes to be prosecuted with regularity in the first place.

[TLeo]

all of the attempts by our dear leader and the libs to panic people over this has been sickening. I saw a story the other day that pointed out the facts that this is really just a simple 2% reduction in the increase of the budget instead of 5% so it's not really cuts. There are all sorts of ways for govt waste to be eliminated. One of them would be for this pres to stop going on taxpayer paid vacations every other week.

[Webleymkv]

Given their shenanigans over the past few years, I can't say that I'm all that heartbroken about the ATF's budget being cut. Given the repeated and unapologetic attempts by that agency to harass law-abiding gun owners and dealers and the failed attempt to manufacture a crisis in order to build public opinion in favor of gun control ('cough' Fast & Furious 'cough'), they'd be rolling pennies to keep the lights on if I had my way.

[SPEMack618]

The problem with the BATFE budget being slashed though, is from what I read, it isn't going to affect thier field operation, but is going to hurt thier licensing department, which means longer wait times of NFA items and such.

[iraiam]

In every case, they are going to implement these budget cuts in the manner which is most painful for the public. They will do this out of sheer spite in an attempt to justify our need for more pencil pushing, I dotting, chair squashing government bureaucrats.

[HarrySchell]

[QUOTEIn every case, they are going to implement these budget cuts in the manner which is most painful for the public. They will do this out of sheer spite in an attempt to justify our need for more pencil pushing, I dotting, chair squashing government bureaucrats.][/QUOTE]

Well, yes. It is in the interest of the WH and cadre to make citizens "pay" and blame those who resist them. It is a feature, not a bug, of the program.

Which raises what the motivation for the timing of a massive, coordinated push on "gun control" really is.

No polls showed it as a matter of intense interest. A distraction from inaction on other issues of more importance. Or a necessary element of an overall agenda.

I dunno, but neither answer is a happy one.

[NWPilgrim]

As mentioned, the sequester is hugely over hyped. It is a reduction in spending growth from 7.4% increase to a 5% increase over last year. Half of the cuts are soaked up by the military. All depts should have 5% more money than they had last year so any cuts made to ATF, FBI, etc are purely political to inflict pain on the public and extort more tax revenue. Local giovts do this all the time with police, fire, and libraries.

I suspect many of the "cuts" announced are not cuts from current levels, but from the expected increased levels they planned for 2013/2014 or as they like to do these days over the next ten years.

So when the WH says 333 (or whatever many) FBI positions will be cut, the public thinks this is actually 333 from the current 20,000 (or whatever it is). In fact, it is probably a reduction from the planned growth from 20,000 to the desired 28,000 to instead just 27,667. Same applies if it is just dollars being "cut". Oh the pain and suffering!

These games are played because govt uses baseline budgeting instead of zero based budgeting like most sane organizations use. Baseline budgeting assumes everything you spent last year had been previously justified so you do not review that again. Only changes to the baseline (previous budget) are reviewed. Also, an automatic inflation increase in baked into the assumptions of the baseline budget, which was 12% back when this happened with Clinton and now is 7.4% automatic increase. In zero based budgeting you start from zero and have to account/justify EVERY dime spent.

[Patriot86]

Unless you live in a state with its own system like Colorado , the worst they can do is delay you three days right?

I thought (maybe this is an Illinois thing I don't know) they had a maximum of three days after a "delay" to deny you or the FFL can proceed with the transfer?

[Tom Servo]

Unless you live in a state with its own system like Colorado , the worst they can do is delay you three days right?

Correct, but the three-day delay might be too long for someone who has an immediate threat. Moreover, it represents a burden that just shouldn't be there.

What's more, many dealers insist on receiving a "proceed" from the FBI before releasing the firearm, and that could back things up for many buyers.

[Tickling]

Nifty site (popvox.com).

[johnwilliamson062]

Half of the cuts are soaked up by the military.

This isn't my understanding, although the military comprises such a large portion of the budget I could see someone ?rounding up? to half in regards to "discretionary" government spending.

What's more, many dealers insist on receiving a "proceed" from the FBI before releasing the firearm, and that could back things up for many buyers.

I don't doubt you, but I am surprised by this claim. In my area they do not. In most cases the delays I hear of expire at three days and the person never hears anything from ATFE. I kind of wondered if maybe ATFE never even follows up on them. I can just imagine reports of delays that need to be followed up on printing on continuous-form paper from an old dot-matrix printer pointed out a window flowing into a dumpster below several stories below.

I guess 13,000 people at WPAFB are getting un-paid vacations this month. Seems pretty serious to me. I am all for cutting the budget, but this isn't the way to do it.

[SPEMack618]

And the military has to stick to the confines of our budget.

The Thunderbirds and Blue Angles are grounded, atleast one CVNBG isn't going to deploy, and training ammo alotments are all jacked up.

So, yeah, no major cuts at all.

[NWPilgrim]

Yes the military will bear a greater portion of the cuts, it is not evenly distributed cuts. The sequester agreement specifies that 50% of the supposed cuts (actually a reduction to spending increases) will be within DoD, the other 50% from non-military depts.

The govt will have to try real hard to find "cuts" that actually impact the public. They are still getting a 5% increase and many of us would be fine with DC taking a two year furlough. Leave us alone.

The background checks have to be done in three days or the dealer can just go ahead with the sale. It will depend on the dealer's own policy whether he does so or not. Dealers that go ahead with dales after the ATF wait will do a ton of business

[Come and take it.]

I can see a solution for our struggling Department of Homeland Security. Perhaps they can sale their hoarded ammunition to the public, sell their 7000 machine guns to another country, and sell their MRAVs (which weigh more than a ww2 light tank) to a country fighting a war where APCs are needed.

I certianly have a problem understanding why 1700 wheeled armored personel carriers would be needed on the streets of the USA.

If they can sale that stuff they can probably make good and than some on the cuts.

[johnwilliamson062]

atleast one CVNBG isn't going to deploy

We will still be the ONLY nation operating a real blue water navy.
Also, We will still be outspending all other nations on this planet combined when it comes to defense. You can probably throw in the hundreds of terrorist organizations and the US is still ahead.

[jimbob86]

The .mil should could get their training ammo (and a few light armored vehichles, too) from the DHS. They have a billion or so rounds to spare.

[Patriot86]

My LGS waits the required three days then lets the guns go. I mostly buy handguns from them so I have never noticed the difference(3 day waiting period in Illinois )
I was talking to an employee there in October, he was telling me how many times they get a "delay" after the 3 days has passed and the guns have been picked up. I know some places like Walmart will make you wait, one reason I do not buy firearms there.


I keep forgetting you have states that just let you "cash and carry" longguns and sometimes even handguns, as an Illinois resident I would LOVE to be able to walk into my LGS, pay, go through the background check and leave with a long gun. It is an expensive pain in the butt to drive the 45 mins to my LGS twice.

I certianly have a problem understanding why 1700 wheeled armored personel carriers would be needed on the streets of the USA.

In my mind this could be one of two things:
Further "Federalizing" disaster response (taking it out of the hands of the National Guard).
Or B: Planning for situations where the guard cannot or will not respond. The main two scenarios playing out being some kind of a massive disaster or attack that overwhelms the guard, or a situation such as illegal confiscation of firearms where the national guard refuses to follow such orders and reliable "federal" forces are needed.

Why does DHS need MRAP type vehicles? The guard even uses Duce and a Half type trucks, I don't remember seeing photos of Bradley IFV's on the streets of New Orleans after Katrina.

[johnwilliamson062]

Dayton police now have an MRAP. Several hundred thousand dollars into it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/homel...ts-mrap-2013-3

[war_elephant]

NJs NICS system is now 6-8 days behind. They have passed out a directive from the NJSP that guns may not be released until we have a NICS response, regardless of the wait. Also the ATF has backed them up, the 3 day wait is now null and void, we have to wait for NJ NICS to catch up. 1600-1800 checks behind now and counting. What a mess. Any dealer that releases a gun without waiting, (3 days by federal law) will have it's state dealers license revoked and the owner and employee prosecuted. I know its crazy but then again, This is NJ, federal law and the constitution don't apply to NJ, per the State Atty General. Crazy huh, cant wait till house sells, and I move to Tennessee!

[JimDandy]

Strangely my "blue" state figured out that if they trusted me to run around with a gun in my pants, maybe making me wait 3 days wasn't THAT big of a deal. Without that precious $60+ scrap of government paper though, I'd be in the 3-Day line again.

[Come and take it.]

scare tactics. Anything to make it look like the american people cannot live without the government getting more and more money.

With Obama's intentions clear do you really think the FBI is going to work feverishly to get background checks done? They have probably been encouraged to take more donut breaks.

[Tom Servo]

They have probably been encouraged to take more donut breaks.

I don't think the folks in West Virginia get many donut breaks.

That said, if I wanted under-the-radar gun control, all I'd have to do is slash payroll for the NICS system, and that would throw a wrench into the works something awful.

Some might remember its inception in 1998-1999. It wasn't uncommon for the system to just be down for days on end. It was a hassle for dealers, and many first-time buyers were unnecessarily intimidated by the process. Gold star for anyone who can name the guy in charge of it at that point.

[TATER]

It was Brady fall out from Reagan was it not? So Meese started and handed
off to Reno?

[NWPilgrim]

And Eric Holder was Deputy Attorney General under Reno starting 1997. (Sounds like the cast for Scream). I have a sick feeling Tom is hinting at Holder being the NICS guy in 1998.