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September 2012
Fast & Furious: Univision investigative report coming out
On its program Aquí y Ahora,, Sunday, Sept. 30, at 7 PM Eastern and Pacific, 6 Central (and no idea what time Mountain). It'll be close captioned in English.
From the press release:
"A Univision News investigation reveals how the U.S. government armed Mexican drug cartels. The consequences of the controversial “Fast and Furious” undercover operation put in place by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in 2009 have been deadlier than what has been made public to date. The exclusive, in-depth investigation by Univision News’ award-winning Investigative Unit – Univision Investiga – has found that the guns that crossed the border as part of Operation Fast and Furious caused dozens of deaths inside Mexico.
Univision’s Investigative Unit identified massacres committed with guns from the ATF operation, including the killing of 16 young people attending a party in a residential area of Ciudad Juárez in January of 2010. This and many other shocking new revelations about Fast and Furious will be presented in a special edition of Univision Network’s newsmagazine “Aquí y Ahora” (Here and Now) this Sunday, September 30, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. ET/PT (6 p.m. Central). The Univision News special will be aired with closed captioning in English to expand the reach and impact of this eye-opening investigation.
Univision News’ Investigative Unit was also able to identify additional guns that escaped the control of ATF agents and were used in different types of crimes throughout Mexico. Furthermore, some of these guns –none of which were reported by Congressional investigators–were put in the hands of drug traffickers in Honduras, Puerto Rico, and Colombia. A person familiar with the recent Congressional hearings called Univision’s findings “the holy grail” that Congress had been searching for."
Permalink · BATFE · Comments (3)
Never bring a knife to a gunfight, pt. 3
Video here.
SAF's Gun Rights Policy Conference
It's set for this weekend, in Orlando; free registration here. I won't be able to make it due to a conflict with a court date, but they have some impressive speakers lined up. Among the latest additions are Former Navy SEAL Benjamin Smith, who played a role in the documentary "Dishonorable Disclosures," and George Zimmerman's attorney.
Oops....
"Gun belonging to Romney's Secret Service detail found unattended on candidate's plane. Apparently its owner left it in the plane's restroom.
And at Philadelphia, a flight attendant turns over a gun at the TSA checkpoint, and an agent or officer manages to fire it while trying to unload it.
Of course, gun carrying should be limited to those with government training, because only they can handle guns safely....
Sad to note
WWII submarine veteran's group disbands. Their last national convention was attended by 62 people; their youngest member is 86 years old.
"Submarines were just 2 percent of the Navy's fleet then [WWII], but subs sank more than 30 percent of the Japanese navy and nearly 5 million tons of shipping. About 16,000 men served on submarine war patrols. The submarine force lost 52 boats and more than 3,500 men."
Story on Reno U.S. Attorney refusing all ATF cases
I've mentioned this before, but here's a more in-depth story. Gist appears to be that ATF agents didn't want to work in a task force the US Attorney had created, and so the US Attorney has for a year turned down all ATF cases, while bad-mouthing the agents and telling them they were "on probation."
As Mel Brookes noted, it's nice to be king.
Permalink · BATFE · Comments (1)
Gun Culture 2.0
Interesting thoughts at Human Events.
"No single material thing is likely to have had a greater impact on humanity than the internet. The internet, and more specifically, the world wide web, has allowed people to communicate around the country and all over the world with virtually no interference from the government. Being able to come together and share ideas about politics, self defense and recreational shooting has helped cause a surge in new gun ownership – especially by people who have never been exposed to the “traditional” methods of introduction into our community.
Instead of the image of the white male father dressed in flannel taking his son off to the woods for the traditional deer hunt, the new image of gun ownership is much broader and more diverse. The members of the 2.0 gun culture are more likely to own an AR15 with a suppressor than a Winchester Model 70. And, you can rest assured that a new gen gun owner is likely to be carrying a Glock or KelTec when you run into them at the local coffee shop.
In today’s gun culture, there are many more women, a broader mix of races and a wider range of backgrounds. Instead of being a clean cut poster child of the 1950’s many gun owners are bikers or body art enthusiasts covered with tattoos. Others are fashion conscious while others still are computer nerds. Members of the new gun generation range in age from teens to retirees.
The point is, our culture has changed. And, it has changed for the better. We attract all kinds of people into the gun world because all of the lies about us are easily disproven now that the mass media no longer has control over what people know. The internet has allowed the truth about firearms to get out."
Proposed documentary
Assaulted: Civil Rights Under Fire". It documents the abuses under California's gun laws and tracks the role of racism and elitism in their promulgation. It's being promoted through Kickstarter, which means if the director gets to his goal of $65,000 (he now has $16,000 in pledges from 207 people), he gets funded, and if not, the pledges expire.
Called that one on the nose
This morning's paper, which has virtually ignored Fast & Furious, first page headline: "HOLDER IS ABSOLVED OF BLAME IN REPORT ON GUN-WALK CASE."
Fast & Furious IG report out, and David Codrea's already on it
Right here. I suspect he's stop on. Tomorrow the media will be running that the report exonerates Holder and the White House when, as he notes, key players (including the White House National Security Advisor with whom ATF officials were communicating) refused to be interviewed by the IG, and the IG did not ask for any White House internal communications.
UPDATE: Eric Holder's response. He announces that former Acting Director of ATF Ken Melson has resigned, as has Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jason Weinstein, and folks at the US Attorney's Office and the Phoenix Field Office have been referred for discipline, but that "“It is unfortunate that some were so quick to make baseless accusations before they possessed the facts about these operations – accusations that turned out to be without foundation and that have caused a great deal of unnecessary harm and confusion. I hope today’s report acts as a reminder of the dangers of adopting as fact unsubstantiated conclusions before an investigation of the circumstances is completed."
I guess he wants to have his cake and eat it, too. It's interesting that the effort at damage control, which started out as "a few guys in Phoenix screwed up," ends up sacrificing a Deputy AG as well.
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No great surprises here
"Emails Reveal Justice Dept. Regularly Enlists Media Matters to Spin Press". Daily Caller got the emails back and forth, largely dealing with Fast and Furious, via an FOIA request.
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iphone ballistic app
I was just told of such a thing -- no idea where it is to be found, as I'm new to the iphone...
Permalink · shooting · Comments (9)
Report on Florida's "no retreat" law
Conclusion: hard to find any impact on anything. Not too surprising, since as I recall Florida never had a retreat requirement in the first place. The reporter's words are interesting: "So-called "justifiable homicides" have more than doubled." So-called?
Permalink · Self defense · Comments (3)
Fast & Furious: the fingerpointing begins
Story here. Part of the upcoming IG report leaks, and it blames the local US Attorney and ATF office. They, in turn, point the finger at Washington:
"Both men recall a detailed briefing Voth delivered to senior ATF and DOJ staff in Washington on March 5, 2010. In a Power Point presentation, attended by at least two deputy attorneys general, Voth explained how the operation was run and how almost two-dozen largely unemployed men bought 1,026 assault weapons with $650,000 in just over four months, then smuggled the guns to Mexico while under surveillance.
"Following the briefing ... Mr. Voth received accolades from his superiors. No one in ATF leadership or at Main Justice raised any concerns with Mr. Voth about the direction of the investigation. If anything, they were encouraging him," Voth attorney Joshua Levy said.
Attorneys for the three contend that the report's conclusion that the strategy for Fast and Furious was hatched in Phoenix is not true. MacAllister's attorney claims that it was "part of the overall ATF Southwest Border strategy to deal with an international criminal enterprise engaged in firearms trafficking.""
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The Unorganized Militia
Glenn Reynolds has some serious thoughts about an under-rated asset.
IG gunwalking testimony delayed
Dave Workman has the story. The Inspector General's testimony is put off until September 19, which suggests the report is expected before then. The news comes as F&F guns begin turning up in Colombia.
Permalink · BATFE · Comments (1)
GAO study on CCW permits
Here, in pdf. It finds:
8,000,000 ccw permits have been issued.
Virtually the entire country, apart from Ill, Calif, and some NE states, has gone with "shall issue," or does not require a permit for concealed carry.
Revocations are rare (p. 26). Arizona had issued 12,000 permits, and revoked 30 (I assume these are annual figures, since total permits are much higher). Texas had issued 143,000 and revoked 900.
Data is also broken down by State (p. 78 ff). Florida has about 887,000 active permits, while Hawaii has zero. Pennsylvania has 786,000; Maryland has 12,000. Someone with spare time could compute out the ratio of permits to population, and compare that to crime rates.
UPDATE: GAO was requested to study CCW laws by, I believe, Nancy Pelosi, in hopes that they'd find data that she could use to argue against nationwide CCW reciprocity, by finding that standards vary widely. Which is pretty much the case. However, since permit holders seem to be quite law abiding whatever the standards are, the results are likely disappointing to her.
Permalink · CCW licensing · Comments (4)
Another Illegal Mayor takes the dive
Only Guns and Money is reporting that Trenton NJ mayor Tony Mack has been arrested for conspiracy to commit extortion. Bloomberg's group seems to be a political street gang.
Must be nice...
It must be nice to be young and in love.
Amusing tale
I had a doc's appointment, he had a few spare minutes, and we talked a bit. He mentioning knowing a fellow in his 90s who'd been, in WWII, a POW--he was a German, and was in the POW camp in the US. He said that "Hogan's Heroes" was modeled on their experiences, with roles reversed so that the German prisoners were Americans. The guards got pretty friendly after a time, and didn't mind if the POWs sneaked off into town so long as they returned. The POWs were happy, good food rations, no risk of getting shot up. The only escapes came after the end of the war, when they were to be repatriated. They got letters from home telling how the place had been bombed and destroyed, hunger was rampant, the economy was nonexistent, and in his case, he would be set to East Germany, looted by the USSR and under communist rule.
He and others chose that time to escape. They'd learned a good deal of English, and just blended in. Eventually he married an American, had children, became naturalized, and settled down.
Demo platform on firearms
Guns and Money is reporting the 2012 Demo platform on guns:
"We recognize that the individual right to bear arms is an important part of the American tradition, and we will preserve Americans’ Second Amendment right to own and use firearms. We believe that the right to own firearms is subject to reasonable regulation. We understand the terrible consequences of gun violence; it serves as a reminder that life is fragile, and our time here is limited and precious. We believe in an honest, open national conversation about firearms. We can focus on effective enforcement of existing laws, especially strengthening our background check system, and we can work together to enact commonsense improvements – like reinstating the assault weapons ban and closing the gun show loophole – so that guns do not fall into the hands of those irresponsible, law-breaking few."
Permalink · antigun groups · Comments (12)
That's a heck of a platform!
I can remember when the very best you could hope for was something like "We support the Second Amendment." Heck George Bush Sr. resigned from the NRA and imposed import bans, and even his son said that he'd sign a renewal of the "AW" ban. But the current GOP platform is:
"We uphold the right of individuals to keep and bear arms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We acknowledge, support, and defend the law-abiding citizens’ God-given right of self-defense. We call for the protection of such fundamental individual rights recognized in the Supreme Court's decisions in District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago affirming that right, and we recognize the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. This also includes the right to obtain and store ammunition without registration. We support the fundamental right to self-defense wherever a law-abiding citizen has a legal right to be, and we support federal legislation that would expand the exercise of that right by allowing those with state-issued carry permits to carry firearms in any state that issues such permits to its own residents. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend their homes and communities. We condemn frivolous lawsuits against gun manufacturers and oppose federal licensing or registration of law-abiding gun owners. We oppose legislation that is intended to restrict our Second Amendment rights by limiting the capacity of clips or magazines or otherwise restoring the ill-considered Clinton gun ban. We condemn the reckless actions associated with the operation known as "Fast and Furious," conducted by the Department of Justice, which resulted in the murder of a U.S. Border Patrol Agent and others on both sides of the border. We applaud the Members of the U.S. House of Representatives in holding the current Administration's Attorney General in contempt of Congress for his refusal to cooperate with their investigation into that debacle. We oppose the improper collection of firearms sales information in the four southern border states, which was imposed without congressional authority."
UPDATE: I'm not saying this is a guarantee of what a party or a candidate will do .... although I doubt Obama will run on a platform anything like this! But look at it in terms of evolution of how a party wants to be seen. [corrected, and italics tag closed] That offers a key as to what they see is in their own partisan interest, and that is a good predictor of political behavior.
The 1996 GOP platform devoted one sentence to the right to arms, and then dealt at length with the gun control measures it would push anyway:
"We defend the constitutional right to keep and bear arms. We will promote training in the safe usage of firearms, especially in programs for women and the elderly. We strongly support Bob Dole's National Instant Check Initiative, which will help keep all guns out of the hands of convicted felons. The point-of-purchase instant check has worked well in many states and now it is time to extend this system all across America. We applaud Bob Dole's commitment to have the national instant check system operational by the end of 1997. In one of the strangest actions of his tenure, Bill Clinton abolished Operation Triggerlock, the Republican initiative to jail any felon caught with a gun. We will restore that effort and will set by law minimum mandatory penalties for the use of guns in committing a crime: 5 years for possession, 10 years for brandishing, and 20 for discharge."
The platforms give us insight into what politicians, esp. GOP politicians, judge are the positions that will gain them office or keep them there. In 1996, it was lip service to the Second Amendment, then tell everyone all the forms of gun control you support in reality. In 2012, the key to political survival is instead lots of discussion of the 2A, and none about the virtues of gun control.
The 2000 GOP platform said:
"We defend the constitutional right to keep and bear arms, and we affirm the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. Because self-defense is a basic human right, we will promote training in their safe usage, especially in federal programs for women and the elderly. A Republican administration will vigorously enforce current gun laws, neglected by the Democrats, especially by prosecuting dangerous offenders identified as felons in instant background checks. Although we support background checks to ensure that guns do not fall into the hands of criminals, we oppose federal licensing of law-abiding gun owners and national gun registration as a violation of the Second Amendment and an invasion of privacy of honest citizens. Through programs like Project Exile, we will hold criminals individually accountable for their actions by strong enforcement of federal and state firearm laws, especially when guns are used in violent or drug-related crimes. With a special emphasis upon school safety, we propose the crackdown on youth violence explained elsewhere in this platform."
It actually says more about enforcing firearms laws than about the right to arms.
The 2004 GOP platform had this to say:
"Republicans and President Bush strongly support an individual right to own guns, which is explicitly protected by the Constitution's Second Amendment. Our Party honors the great American tradition of hunting and we applaud efforts by the Bush Administration to make more public lands available to hunters, to increase access to hunting clinics and safety programs for children and adults, and to improve opportunities for hunting for Americans with disabilities.
We believe the 2nd Amendment and all the rights guaranteed by it should enable law-abiding citizens throughout the country to own firearms in their homes for self-defense. We applaud those seeking to stop frivolous lawsuits against firearms manufacturers which is a transparent attempt to deprive citizens of their 2nd Amendment rights. We oppose federal licensing of lawabiding gun owners & national gun registration as a violation of the 2nd Amendment and an invasion of privacy of honest citizens"
The 2008 GOP platform provided:
"We uphold the right of individual Americans to own firearms, a right which antedated the Constitution and was solemnly confirmed by the Second Amendment. We applaud the Supreme Court's decision in Heller affirming that right, and we assert the individual responsibility to safely use and store firearms. We call on the next president to appoint judges who will similarly respect the Constitution. Gun ownership is responsible citizenship, enabling Americans to defend themselves, their property, and communities.
We call for education in constitutional rights in schools, and we support the option of firearms training in federal programs serving senior citizens and women. We urge immediate action to review the automatic denial of gun ownership to returning members of the Armed Forces who have suffered trauma during service to their country. We condemn frivolous lawsuits against firearms manufacturers, which are transparent attempts to deprive citizens of their rights. We oppose federal licensing of law-abiding gun owners and national gun registration as violations of the Second Amendment. We recognize that gun control only affects and penalizes law-abiding citizens, and that such proposals are ineffective at reducing violent crime."