Waco: why didn't ATF make a peaceful arrest?
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Waco tragedy. Years back, I filed a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit for information relating to that event, and after 2-3 years of fighting, got a huge amount. From time to time, I'll blog some of the finds. The one discussed here was one of many shockers.
At the outset many people asked, why didn't ATF arrest David Koresh peacefully? The official line was that Koresh was a paranoid recluse who rarely, if ever, left the Davidian residence at Mt. Carmel. The only way to arrest him was a dramatic raid featuring 80+ armed agents and three military helicopters. One of the documents I obtained blew that argument to bits.
ATF had installed undercover agents in a house across the street from the Davidians, to observe them. This is the agents' report for Feb. 19, nine days before the ATF raid and initial gunfight, describing what they did that day.
They went shooting.
With David Koresh.
The same David Koresh that they supposedly couldn't arrest peacefully because he never left the building.
ATF needed the publicity; that was the purpose of the dramatic raid. A quiet arrest by a handful of agents wouldn't have made headlines.
History of the AR-15
As far as claims that it was a "weapon of war," it turns out that ATF approved the semi-auto rifle for civilian sales years before the military adopted the M-16. Great detective and FOIA work by Len Savage and Stephen Stamboulieh.
Busy day in the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals
Here's a report on the oral argument of five 2A cases on the same day. It sounds like the panel was very lively!
Biden moves to keep guns out of the hands of political advisors
That's what he said. I guess it's a new prohibited person category.
Supreme Court heating up: two petitions for cert.
Seekins v. United States. Defendant, a convicted felon given a four year sentence for possessing two shotgun shells, appeals on the basis of the Commerce Clause. The 5th Circuit upheld his conviction based on the argument (which most other circuits have accepted) that there is a sufficient connection with interstate commerce if the shells were shown to ever have moved in such commerce in the past.
United States v. Rahimi. Also a 5th Circuit case. The circuit struck down the prohibition on arms possession by persons subject to a domestic violence restraining order. The government took this one up since the facts are terrible for the defendant, who was a violent type who should've been behind bars.
California "unsafe handgun" rules enjoined
Preliminary injunction granted. The case is Boland v. Bonta, Central District of California.
Cases where legal gunowners stopped mass killings
John Lott has found 35 of them.