Runaway jury supports government union thugs over 2nd Amendment capitalist

[JollyRoger]

Jurors ordered a Wisconsin gun store to pay nearly $6 million on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed by two Milwaukee police officers who were shot and seriously wounded by a gun purchased at the store.

The ruling came in a negligence lawsuit filed by the officers against Badger Guns, a shop in suburban Milwaukee that authorities have linked to hundreds of firearms found at crime scenes. The lawsuit said the shop ignored several warning signs that the gun used to shoot the officers was being sold to a so-called straw buyer who was illegally purchasing the weapon for someone else.

Officer Bryan Norberg and former Officer Graham Kunisch were both shot in the face after they stopped Julius Burton for riding his bike on the sidewalk in the summer of 2009. Investigators said Burton got the weapon, a Taurus .40-caliber handgun, a month before the confrontation, after giving $40 to another man, Jacob Collins, to make the purchase at the store in West Milwaukee.

One bullet shattered eight of Norberg's teeth, blew through his cheek and lodged into his shoulder. He remains on the force but said his wounds have made his work difficult. Kunisch was shot several times, resulting in him losing an eye and part of the frontal lobe of his brain. He said the wounds forced him to retire.

Jurors sided with the officers, ruling that the store was negligent. Jurors ordered the store to pay Norberg $1.5 million, Kunisch $3.6 million and punitive damages of $730,000.

http://news.yahoo.com/gun-shop-ordered-pay-millions-injured-police-officers-223257328.html

This could hurt Scott Walker politically.

 

[FriendlyFire]

In 2006, ATF investigators recommended revoking Badger Outdoors' license, but there was no revocation. The license was surrendered, and co-owner Mick Beatovic retired. The other owner, Wally Allan, went to work for his son, Adam, who pulled a new license and changed the name to Badger Guns.

Beatovic moved to Arizona but remains landlord of the store. Beatovic declined to comment Tuesday, citing advice from his attorney in the civil suit filed by the police officers.

The changes made in 2006 created what one federal official called a "clean slate," erasing violations found by federal regulators over 17 years at Badger Outdoors - which had been the top seller of crime guns not just in Milwaukee but the nation in 2005 with 537 such guns, according to ATF records.

In 2008, ATF investigators conducted an inspection at Badger Guns and found violations. After that inspection, the agency issued a warning letter that told store owner Adam Allan his license could be revoked if violations were found again.

ATF investigators were back in 2010. Officials denied Adam Allan's license renewal after finding violations, the Journal Sentinel reported in December.

The ATF generally is not allowed to disclose violations because of secrecy laws passed by Congress that protect gun dealers.

Allan said the agency found minor paperwork violations. Former ATF officials have said there are no other violations but paperwork found during inspections, and sometimes they indicate a serious problem.

After two Milwaukee polices officers were shot in mid-2009, Flynn ordered an operation outside of Badger Guns. Officers discovered that felons frequented Badger Guns, with some even practicing on the shooting range, which is against the law. Federal law does not require gun shops to run background checks on people using gun ranges.

Police also found evidence of straw buying, where guns are sold through someone with a clean record to felons and others prohibited from buying them. In response, Allan posted a sign in front of the store calling the Milwaukee police racist.

Scott Walker should just pass a law ending background checks !
Problem solved

 

[Timsup2nothin]

There is no such thing as "evidence of straw buying." There may be admissions of straw buying. But if you say "at the time I made the purchase I intended to keep the gun for my own use" no evidence of your thoughts exists. When you later 'change your mind' it doesn't leave a physical trace that they can time stamp.

 

[FriendlyFire]

There is no such thing as "evidence of straw buying." There may be admissions of straw buying. But if you say "at the time I made the purchase I intended to keep the gun for my own use" no evidence of your thoughts exists. When you later 'change your mind' it doesn't leave a physical trace that they can time stamp.

Thats might depend on the state, Fast and Furious did not produce a prosecution because it is legal to buy large number of weapons and then walk out and immediately change ones "mind" and sell the guns to known criminals just outside the door of the gun shop. Thats Arizona for you. They will scream endlessly about illegal murders and rapiest but dont touch their guns

 

[Formaldehyde]

Something really strange is going on here. One particular gun shop shouldn't be well above all other gun shops in the number of firearms used in crimes unless it has proportionally more sales than everybody else.

It would appear this particular gun shop spread the word that they encouraged straw purchases in order to sell more guns. It became so bad that the police started staking out the store and noticing that two people would enter the store together. One of them would ask all the questions and make the decision which weapon to purchase. But the other one would fill out the paperwork and pay for the gun. Then the actual purchaser would not even have to show back up to pick up the firearm after the waiting period.

This is a classic example why we desperately need far stricter gun laws, automated systems at the ATF so that cops can know far more about stores which are selling guns that are getting into the hands of those who commit crimes, and even the capability to surreptitiously monitor these gun stores for illegal activities.

Gun stores should be similarly licensed the way liquor stores and restaurants which sell alcohol currently are, but even far more strictly. That license should be immediately revoked at any sign of illegal activity, and the owners banned from ever selling another firearm again.

There should also be criminal laws so that those who sell or transfer guns to those who cannot pass background checks go to prison themselves, regardless of whether it was done through a gun store or privately.

 

[Flying Pig]

Something really strange is going on here. One particular gun shop shouldn't be well above all other gun shops in the number of firearms used in crimes unless it has proportionally more sales than everybody else.

It would appear this particular gun shop spread the word that they encouraged straw purchases in order to sell more guns. It became so bad that the police started staking out the store and noticing that two people would enter the store together. One of them would ask all the questions and make the decision which weapon to purchase. But the other one would fill out the paperwork and pay for the gun. Then the actual purchaser would not even have to show back up to pick up the firearm after the waiting period.

This is a classic example why we desperately need far stricter gun laws, automated systems at the ATF so that cops can know far more about stores which are selling guns that are getting into the hands of those who commit crimes, and even the capability to surreptitiously monitor these gun stores for illegal activities.

Gun stores should be similarly licensed the way liquor stores and restaurants which sell alcohol currently are, but even far more strictly. That license should be immediately revoked at any sign of illegal activity, and the owners banned from ever selling another firearm again.

There should also be criminal laws so that those who sell or transfer guns to those who cannot pass background checks go to prison themselves, regardless of whether it was done through a gun store or privately.

That's not a very valid leap, I don't think. It might be that the shop happens to be in an area with a lot of people looking to make straw purchases, relative to other shops. It might be that a few people made straw purchases there, and spread the word that the owner was nice but a bit dim and easy to fool. Admittedly, I'm in favour of regulation by results, so I think the reaction to all of those should be to tell the owner that he needs to fix it or he loses his license, but you can't jump to the conclusion that there is evil going on.

 

[Formaldehyde]

Did you read the article FriendlyFire posted above?

The changes made in 2006 created what one federal official called a "clean slate," erasing violations found by federal regulators over 17 years at Badger Outdoors - which had been the top seller of crime guns not just in Milwaukee but the nation in 2005 with 537 such guns, according to ATF records.

535 guns in a single year? Top in the nation?

Here's more:

In court Monday, the officers' attorney, Patrick Dunphy, said the clerk who sold the gun, Donald Flora, and Badger Guns' owner Adam Allan failed to act as gatekeeper of a potentially deadly product.

"They failed to stop a sale that frankly reeked with doubt," said Dunphy. "A gun dealer can't wash his hands, walk away from his job and turn a blind eye. The risk to the public is too great."

He laid out what he called telltale signs of a straw buy: Burton was in the store and pointed to the gun he wanted; Collins initially marked that he was not the buyer of the gun on the form, but was allowed to change that — and also change his address; Collins and Burton left the store to get more cash to pay for the gun; Collins didn't present an ID when he picked up the gun.

No wonder the jury awarded the cops the judgment.

There is no way these owners should be able to sell a gun in the US ever again.

 

[warpus]

You guys need some sort of a stricter gun selling license inspection engineer squad. I assume that right now you have 1 guy with a notepad in his hand covering the entire country by himself.

 

[hobbsyoyo]

What is an engineer squad? How do I join? Do I get a badge and a gun?

 

[warpus]

Not sure, but this is what I keep thinking about for some reason

Spoiler :

Link to video.

 

[Formaldehyde]

You guys need some sort of a stricter gun selling license inspection engineer squad. I assume that right now you have 1 guy with a notepad in his hand covering the entire country by himself.

We have such an "engineer squad". It's called the ATF. They were the ones who invaded the Branch Davidians back in the 90s with automatic weapons after they discerned the group had a huge cache of illegally modified assault weapons so they could fire full auto, as well as other illegally modified weapons like sawed off shotguns. The Branch Davidians we so well equipped and prepared to defend their compound that they killed 4 ATF agents who were wearing full body armor.


Link to video.

The ATF are intentionally handicapped to only be able to use a primitive manual system to keep track of gun owners and vendors. This is because the gun nuts have so much influence in Congress which forces the ATF to be essentially powerless in many regards. The gun nuts claim the feds would come and take away all their playtoys if the ATF had modern technology at their disposal to keep track of who has the biggest cache of now largely unregistered firearms.

The ATF are hindered even further by law. They knew this one gun store was chronically breaking the law, yet they had to keep that information confidential even from local law enforcement. The system is so intentionally full of holes that they could not permanently shut these people down, even though they have been chronically violating the gun laws for well over a decade. Even so, and the owners could keep getting licenses to sell firearms through various loopholes.

We seemingly don't even know how many gun stores like this are even in existence because the information is confidential. Apparently, the only reason these details have been made public in this particular case is due to this lawsuit.

What is ironic is that all our rights have been trampled on after 9/11 to supposedly make us so much safer. The NSA and other governmental agencies are spending tens of billions of dollars to snoop on everything we do. Yet the information which is obviously vital to law enforcement and counter terrorism groups to properly keep track of all these fanatics with huge arsenals is still considered to be so sacrosanct that it can't apparently even be shared in a reasonable manner with those whose jobs it is to monitor these groups. In the rare cases where it is specifically requested from the ATF on an individual basis, it takes days to research each inquiry due to the totally manual system.

 

[chijohnaok]

We have such an "engineer squad". It's called the ATF. They were the ones who invaded the Branch Davidians back in the 90s with automatic weapons after they discerned the group had a huge cache of illegally modified assault weapons so they could fire full auto, as well as other illegally modified weapons like sawed off shotguns. The Branch Davidians we so well equipped and prepared to defend their compound that they killed 4 ATF agents who were wearing full body armor.


Link to video.

The ATF are intentionally handicapped to only be able to use a primitive manual system to keep track of gun owners and vendors. This is because the gun nuts have so much influence in Congress which forces the ATF to be essentially powerless in many regards. The gun nuts claim the feds would come and take away all their playtoys if the ATF had modern technology at their disposal to keep track of who has the biggest cache of now largely unregistered firearms.

The ATF are hindered even further by law. They knew this one gun store was chronically breaking the law, yet they had to keep that information confidential even from local law enforcement. The system is so intentionally full of holes that they could not permanently shut these people down, even though they have been chronically violating the gun laws for well over a decade. Even so, and the owners could keep getting licenses to sell firearms through various loopholes.

We seemingly don't even know how many gun stores like this are even in existence because the information is confidential. Apparently, the only reason these details have been made public in this particular case is due to this lawsuit.

What is ironic is that all our rights have been trampled on after 9/11 to supposedly make us so much safer. The NSA and other governmental agencies are spending tens of billions of dollars to snoop on everything we do. Yet the information which is obviously vital to law enforcement and counter terrorism groups to properly keep track of all these fanatics with huge arsenals is still considered to be so sacrosanct that it can't apparently even be shared in a reasonable manner with those whose jobs it is to monitor these groups. In the rare cases where it is specifically requested from the ATF on an individual basis, it takes days to research each inquiry due to the totally manual system.

The ATF has also been responsible for gems like this:

"Fast and Furious"

By SHARYL ATTKISSON CBS NEWS February 12, 2013, 4:25 PM

A primer on the "Fast and Furious" scandal

What is "gunwalking"?

"Gunwalking" is law enforcement vernacular for the concept of allowing criminal suspects to "walk" off with guns, without police interdicting or tracking them. It's widely considered taboo, since "walked" guns may be used in violent crimes, including murders.

What is "Project Gunrunner"?

"Project Gunrunner" is a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) national initiative under the Justice Department started in 2006 aimed at reducing US-Mexico cross-border drug and gun trafficking and violence.

What is "Fast and Furious"?

"Fast and Furious" is the name ATF assigned to a group of Phoenix, Arizona-area gun trafficking cases under Project Gunrunner that began in fall of 2009. It's the largest of several known operations in which ATF employed gunwalking, involving more than 2,000 weapons, including hundreds of AK-47 type semi-automatic rifles and .50 caliber rifles. According to sources who worked directly on the case, the vast majority of guns were not tracked and Mexico's government was not fully informed of the case. The ATF Special Agent in Charge of the operation was Bill Newell.

Complete coverage of the "Fast and Furious" scandal from CBS News

What is "Wide Receiver"?

"Wide Receiver" is the name ATF assigned to a group of gun trafficking cases investigated out of the Tucson, Arizona office beginning in 2006. Like Fast and Furious, it was supervised by ATF Special Agent in Charge Bill Newell. Sources indicate it involved about 275 "walked" guns. According to sources who worked directly on the case, the vast majority of guns were not tracked and Mexico's government was not fully informed of the case. Apparently worried that the gunwalking tactics could be viewed as inappropriate, federal prosecutors in Arizona abandoned the case. Then, in fall of 2009, Justice Department officials decided to go ahead and prosecute the case.


How did Fast and Furious start?

A number of Federal Firearms Licensed (FFL) gun dealers in the Phoenix area routinely contacted ATF when they noticed suspicious customers attempting purchases; for example, someone ordering large numbers of AK-47 variant rifles and other so-called "weapons of choice" used by the Mexican drug cartels, and paying with large sums of cash brought in a paper bag. But starting in fall 2009, instead of stopping the transactions or questioning the customers, ATF often encouraged select gun dealers to go ahead and complete suspicious sales. ATF further asked the gun dealers to continue to cooperate by selling to the suspicious customers repeatedly, and providing ATF with names and weapons' serial numbers. Several gun dealers expressed concerns to ATF: they worried if they cooperated in selling guns to suspected criminals, they would later be unfairly blamed or even prosecuted, and that some of the weapons might be used one day to murder federal agents.

What was the motivation for ATF to employ such a controversial tactic?

Many U.S.-sold guns were being trafficked to Mexico and used in drug cartel violence. Though the exact percentage and number is the subject of debate, ATF was tasked with trying to stop the flow of guns. A year after Fast and Furious began, ATF remained under pressure from a Nov. 2011 Inspector General review (PDF) of Project Gunrunner that criticized ATF's focus on low level gun dealers and straw purchasers "rather than on higher-level traffickers, smugglers, and the ultimate recipients of the trafficked guns."

ATF officials who supported "gunwalking" say they thought that by seeing where the guns later "ended up" in Mexico would help them take down a cartel big fish.

Who thought up the idea to use gunwalking to try to counter gun trafficking to Mexican drug cartels?

Nobody has publicly acknowledged being the architect of the plan and available documents shed no light on the answer. Justice Department officials have maintained it was a scandal brainstormed at the ATF Phoenix level. The same ATF Special Agent in Charge, Bill Newell, supervised the Bush era Wide Receiver gunwalking operation and some of the later gunwalking cases, including Fast and Furious.

How did Fast and Furious come to light and who was Brian Terry?

Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was gunned down on Dec. 14, 2010 in Arizona just north of the Mexican border, allegedly by illegal aliens armed with at least two AK-47 variant rifles trafficked by Fast and Furious suspects who had not been arrested by ATF. The public was not told about the link between Terry's murder and Fast and Furious, nor was the gunwalking revealed. But ATF insiders began sharing their concerns anonymously online, including to the forum CleanupATF.org. Gun rights advocates including David Codrea and Mike Vanderboegh wrote extensively on the controversy and rumors surrounding Terry's death, and the allegation that ATF was attempting to "bump up its case numbers" by letting large numbers of guns "walk" into the hands of Mexican drug cartels. Several ATF agents became whistleblowers and contacted Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who began investigating the controversy in Jan. 2011. CBS News spoke to a half dozen ATF sources and reported the story on Feb. 22, 2011.

On March 3, 2011, the first ATF whistleblower, John Dodson, spoke publicly to CBS News.

Who was Jaime Zapata?

Jaime Zapata was an Immigration and Customs Special Agent under the Department of Homeland Security who was ambushed and murdered on assignment on a desolate road in Mexico on Feb. 15, 2011, two months after Brian Terry was murdered. Two weapons used in Zapata's murder were linked to suspects who had been under ATF surveillance for at least six months before Zapata's murder, but were not arrested.

What are Operations "Castaway," "Too Hot to Handle," and the Hernandez case?

Operations Castaway and Too Hot to Handle are among a dozen or so other cases ATF operated that allegedly employed gunwalking in recent years including Florida, New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. In the Hernandez case, started under the Bush Administration in 2007, documents show ATF agents watched several suspects and weapons cross the border in coordination with Mexican officials who then failed to stop the suspects, so they were lost.

What's the controversy over the Justice Department's Feb. 4, 2011 letter to Sen. Grassley?

In its earliest response to Sen. Grassley's questions about the gunwalking operation, the Justice Department sent a letter that contained inaccurate information. The letter, signed by Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich, stated that ATF never "knowingly allowed the sale of assault weapons to a straw purchaser who then transported them into Mexico." Ten months later, the Justice Department withdrew the letter acknowledging that it contained inaccuracies. In April 2012, Weich announced his intention to resign from the Justice Department to become dean of the University of Baltimore Law School. Documents subpoenaed by the House Oversight Committee, but not turned over, include Justice Department communications after the Feb. 4, 2011 letter leading up to the Dec. 2011 retraction of the inaccurate letter. Republicans in Congress want to see who-knew-when that the Feb. 4 assertion denying gunwalking was false, and why it took ten months for the administration's retraction.

What law enforcement agencies were involved in "Fast and Furious"?

Records show that in addition to ATF; Immigration and Customs (ICE) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the Arizona US Attorney's office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) played roles in Fast and Furious.

Who is the highest-ranking official who has admitted knowing about gunwalking?

The head of the Justice Department's criminal division, Lanny Breuer, is the highest-ranking official who admits knowing that ATF had used the tactic of gunwalking early on. Breuer's deputy wrote him in April 2010 that in Wide Receiver, a case started under the Bush Administration. "ATF let a bunch of guns walk," and said it could be "embarrassing" to ATF. When those documents were made public on Oct. 31, 2011, Breuer issued a statement saying he didn't alert others in Justice Department leadership about the gunwalking, that he "regrets" not having done so, and that he likewise regretted not alerting leaders about the similarities between Wide Receiver, started in 2006, and Fast and Furious, started in 2009, at a time when the Justice Department's public position was that no gunwalking had ever occurred. Documents show two other justice officials mulled over gunwalking in Wide Receiver on Oct. 18, 2011 as they discussed the pros and cons of prosecuting the case. "It's a tricky case given the number of guns that have walked but is a significant set of prosecutions," wrote Jason Weinstein, Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the Criminal Division. Deputy Chief of the National Gang Unit James Trusty replied "I'm not sure how much grief we get for 'guns walking.' It may be more like, "Finally they're going after the people who sent guns down there."

Wide Receiver under their watch?

Former Bush Administration Attorney General Alberto Gonzales (Attorney General from Feb. 2005- Sept. 2007) has denied repeated interview and information requests made by CBS News. In a 2006 memo to the US Attorney's office, an ATF attorney outlined a gunwalking proposal from his agency and stated that he had "moral objections" to the idea. In an interview with CBS News, the US Attorney at the time, Paul Charlton, said he had no memory of the memo but that "I don't believe I would or ever did approve letting guns walk." However, we know the gunwalking operation proceeded anyway. (In a strange twist, Charlton is the lawyer for Brian Terry's family, but after questions about Wide Receiver, handed the lead role in the case to a partner ). Gonzales' successor, Michael Mukasey (Attorney General from Nov. 2007-Jan. 2009) has provided no public comment. At a Senate Judiciary hearing on June 12, 2012 Holder claimed Mukasey "was briefed" on gunwalking tactics in Wide Receiver "and did nothing to stop them - nothing." When Sen. Grassley asked Holder's office to provide any evidence to back the claim, Holder retracted it saying the statement was "inadvertent."

What's the controversy over wiretap applications?

Several detailed wiretap applications were approved by the Justice Department's Breuer for Fast and Furious in 2011. Republicans who were provided the applications by a source contend the documents disclose that gunwalking tactics were being used and, therefore, the Justice Department was well aware of gunwalking despite the agency's subsequent denials. The Justice Department disputes that, and says approving the wiretap applications doesn't mean Breuer actually read the applications or was aware of the tactics of letting guns walk. The wiretap applications are technically under court seal, and so neither side has released them to the public.

What is Attorney General Holder's position on what-he-knew-when?

Holder has consistently denied knowing anything about gunwalking within his agency when it was occurring. ATF is a division of Holder's Justice Department. He asked the Justice Department Inspector General to investigate in late February 2011. That investigation is ongoing. Holder has answered Congressional questions on Fast and Furious at nine hearings. On May 3, 2011 he told a Judiciary Committee hearing, "I'm not sure of the exact date, but I probably heard about Fast and Furious for the first time over the last few weeks." Yet documents show that at least ten months before the hearing, frequent memos discussing Fast and Furious were addressed to Holder. There were memos dating as far back as July 2010 to Holder from Breuer and the head of the National Drug Intelligence Center. However, the Justice Department says Holder didn't read the memos, and that any mention of Fast and Furious did not discuss the controversial gunwalking tactics. The Justice Department also said that Holder misunderstood the question at the May 3, 2011 hearing and that, while he heard of Fast and Furious much earlier than he'd stated, he meant to say that he hadn't heard specifically about any gunwalking.

What is the White House position on who-knew-what-when?

President Obama has consistently said he knew nothing of any gunwalking while it was occurring. When asked about the gunwalking allegations by a reporter from Univision on March 22, 2011, President Obama stated that "a serious mistake may have been made." He also stated that there would be an investigation and whoever was found to be responsible would be held accountable. Documents and testimony since that time indicate then-National Security staffer at the White House named Kevin O'Reilly repeatedly communicated by email and telephone with ATF Special Agent in Charge of Fast and Furious, Bill Newell, about the case while it was under way. O'Reilly indicated in one email that he wanted to share information about the case with other National Security staffers, but stated that it would go no further than that. White House officials have said there is no evidence that Newell and O'Reilly ever discussed the controversial tactic of gunwalking and, on those grounds, have blocked the attempts of Congressional Republicans to interview O'Reilly, who has since been sent on assignment to Iraq for the State Department. In documents turned over by the White House to date, there is no evidence the President or others at the White House had knowledge of gunwalking.

What is "Grenadewalker"?

"Grenadewalker" refers to another controversial ATF case out of Phoenix. In it, Jean Baptiste Kingery allegedly smuggled parts for as many as 2,000 grenades from the US to Mexico for killer drug cartels, sometimes under the direct watch of US law enforcement. Sources say Kingery could have been prosecuted twice in the US for violating export control laws but that each time, prosecutors in Arizona refused to make a case. In one instance, Kingery had allegedly gotten caught leaving the US with 114 disassembled grenades in a tire, but the ATF agent on the case says he was ordered by the US Attorney's office to let Kingery go because the grenade parts were "novelty items" and the case "lacked jury appeal." A year and a half after Kingery was first let go, Mexican authorities raided Kingery's stash house and factory and found materials for 1,000 grenades. Kingery allegedly admitted teaching cartels how to make grenades as well as helping cartel members convert semi-automatic rifles to fully-automatic.

 

[Timsup2nothin]

instead of stopping the transactions or questioning the customers

Which accomplished nothing, since under Arizona law no crime had been committed so unless the "suspect" chose to blurt out "hey, guess what, I'm a straw buyer for a drug cartel," nothing would come of it.

Gee, why would they try something else?

Thank goodness for the ridiculous Benghazi witch hunt, since it supplanted the ridiculous F&F witch hunt. Catch up with the times man.

 

[illram]

We really need to repeal the Federal PLCAA and let loose the lawsuit kraken. States rights and small government after all, right guys? Enough with this big government red tape, let freedom ring (in the courthouse).

 

[Formaldehyde]

The ATF has also been responsible for gems like this

Yes. They are pure evil for trying to stop people from buying guns in the US and using them in the Mexico drug war.

Everybody in the Obama administration should be burned at the stake for this whether they actually had anything to do with it or not, much like the Republicans are still trying to do with Hillary.

 

[Bugfatty300]

Mexican citizens have been doing their gun shopping north of the border for quite a long time. An illegal import is pretty much the only practical and affordable way the average joe can get a handgun.

In the meantime, the US DoD supplies Mexico with weapons which go missing by thousands. The gun walking fiascos were a drop in the bucket.

 

[FriendlyFire]

The ATF has also been responsible for gems like this

I heared the US spent Hundreds Millions of weapons in places like Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, Maybe they should have some kinds of checks before giving out Hundreds of millions of Dollars worth of US arms. ..... oh wait that would be unconsitutional

 

[warpus]

We have such an "engineer squad". It's called the ATF.

All the issues you've pointed out with this organization aside..

Alcohol... Tobacco.. and.. explosives.. and firearms?

And tacos?

Who thought this one up, someone who's really really bad at that "which one of these doesn't belong?" puzzles? Do y'all have a "Bureau of tax fraud investigations, bathtub maintenance, and sour cream standards."?

 

[Formaldehyde]

I suppose they could have different bureaus to monitor and apprehend those who violate the various laws in these different domains. But it would likely mean they wouldn't have the necessary manpower in cases where they really needed it. Or they could have simply rolled it all into the FBI's jurisdiction, which probably makes the most sense.

The bureau was originally part of the Treasury Department to tax those who made moonshine. It was even part of the FBI for a short period. I have no idea why they decided to break it back out again other than bureaucratic politics. Firearms wasn't even part of their agenda until 1968.

 

[Rashiminos]

There is no such thing as "evidence of straw buying." There may be admissions of straw buying. But if you say "at the time I made the purchase I intended to keep the gun for my own use" no evidence of your thoughts exists. When you later 'change your mind' it doesn't leave a physical trace that they can time stamp.

Google rumors suggest that there were inconsistencies such as the address given by the purchaser and that the eventual recipient of the gun was physically present in the store.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/13/us/milwaukee-gun-store-trial.html

MILWAUKEE — At 18, Julius Burton could not legally buy a gun. So he paid a 21-year-old acquaintance $40 to accompany him to Badger Guns, just outside the city limits here, and be the official buyer of a weapon.

Mr. Burton pointed to a Taurus semiautomatic pistol and said, “That’s the one I want,” according to surveillance video from that day in 2009 and trial testimony. Then he helped his friend, who was struggling to fill out a two-page form. A hovering store clerk helped as well, showing the friend how to correct mistakes and ensure he was listed as the buyer.

http://bearingarms.com/wisconsin-jury-verdict-guts-clinton-gun-control-talking-point/