Gun Trafficking Laws Need an Overhaul

Congress, not Holder, creates the real problem by bending to the will of the gun lobby

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Henigan's comments are ludicrous! Anyone in their right mind can see that Fast & Furious was a government mandated attempt to discredit gun shops and owners. The gun dealers attempted to stop the sales and ATF instructed the FBI to allow it. Gun dealers records, phone conversations and emails back this up as do ATF agents testimony. The key fact is that no attempt was made to track the guns once they were in the straw purchasers hands (straw purchases are already illegal, but ATF and FBI refused to prosecute). Even the Mexican government wasn't allowed to know of the sales. How could any tracking be done without their help? Even US agents in Mexico were did not know of the illegal sales and smuggling.

Deen of WA 9:31PM November 23, 2011

YES -

First, Henigan himself is being hypocritical. How come he is still the acting President of Brady? If no one should expect an acting director to do anything responsible, then...

Second, Henigan is diverting from the subject, as always. Gun laws are not the issue here. Dealers who sell guns are not the issue. A stupid and illegal program is the issue. Dead agents and Mexican nationals is the issue.

Third, Fast and Furious was not described as a "fundamentally flawed" project until Holder and crew got caught at it. They only call it bungled because they got caught.

Fourth, reporting of multiple gun sales in border sates is illegal under current federal law. Holder's ATF imposed that regulation against the will of Congress.

Jay MacDonald of CA 5:49PM November 23, 2011

Nobody with even half a brain is buying the crap being shoveled by Holder and his familiars. The totalitarian dream of a disarmed , uninformed, and compliant U.S. public isnt happening. Move to Mexico totalitarian vermin. Enjoy the "safe progressive democracy" that exists there.

George Putnam of TX 4:42PM November 23, 2011

Henigan is a parasite and a criminal.

300,000,000 guns in America. We've voted with our wallets and Henigan has lost in a landslide.

"Shall issue" concealed carry in 41 states now. Millions of plain old ordinary people carrying concealed handguns every day. And not only have we not see any of the "rivers of blood" that Henigan and his crew of lying scumbags keep squealing about, we've seen the US murder rate plummet 47% to its lowest in decades.

Henigan is on the losing side of history.

Earnán of AZ 5:56AM November 20, 2011

"The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed"...ANY law, for or against gun control IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL. period.

SineQuaNon of TX 5:13PM November 17, 2011

More lies from the gun control movement. Fast and Furious was part of the "under the radar" operation that was promised to the Brady Campaign to create the illusion of a problem so the "solution" of gun control could be offered to the public. Let us take a little trip down memory lane of all the knuckleheaded reasons why we "need" police state style gun restrictions: cop killer bullets, assault weapons, saturday night specials, plastic guns, weapons of choice for whatever, gun show loophole, 50 cal sniper rifles, and now Mexican gun trafficking. (did I miss any?) This list of excuses offered by the Brady Campaign and others over the years proves that Gun Control is really nothing but a solution desperately searching for a problem. Tell the Brady Campaign how much you care, go buy an AR-15 at the next gun show that comes to your town and join the NRA.

Snitch-in-Time of TX 3:45PM November 17, 2011

Mexicans are at the hands of corrupt government, the unscrupulous cartels, are disarmed from protect themselves and their families because they do not have the constitutional right to protect themselves, and its the fault of US policy?

Site the source on the 60,000 guns smuggled south in the past "few" years, how many years? This is dubious, self serving statistical manipulation. Most guns in Mexico come from the Mexican Army, South America, and other international sources. American arms sold to the Mexican military that end up in the hands of the cartels cannot count, as this is the US/Mexican governments doing.

The ATF doesn't have a clear mandate not for lack of a leader but for the fact that the 2nd amendment severly limits what the federal government should be doing with regard to regulating Americans and firearms. This agency should not exist and its functions passed to a unified federal police force (FBI most likely) its a needless redundant agency. Also its the purview of American and Mexican Customs and Immigration to stop the illegal flow of anything contraband north or south, not a domestic entity like the ATF.

How does reporting large purchases of guns allow catching traffickers? This does not necessarily mean those are illegal purchases, there is nothing illegal about that. Suspicious yes, as gun dealers themselves did NOT want to sell these guns and were MADE to do so by the ATF (if not explicit renewals and approvals could be delayed denied , if they didn't cooperate).

Bukkiah Golden of NH 3:37PM November 17, 2011

Mexicans are at the hands of corrupt government, the unscrupulous cartels, are disarmed from protect themselves and their families because they do not have the constitutional right to protect themselves, and its the fault of US policy?

Site the source on the 60,000 guns smuggled south in the past "few" years, how many years? This is dubious, self serving statistical manipulation. Most guns in Mexico come from the Mexican Army, South America, and other international sources. American arms sold to the Mexican military that end up in the hands of the cartels cannot count, as this is the US/Mexican governments doing.

The ATF doesn't have a clear mandate not for lack of a leader but for the fact that the 2nd amendment severly limits what the federal government should be doing with regard to regulating Americans and firearms. This agency should not exist and its functions passed to a unified federal police force (FBI most likely) its a needless redundant agency. Also its the purview of American and Mexican Customs and Immigration to stop the illegal flow of anything contraband north or south, not a domestic entity like the ATF.

How does reporting large purchases of guns allow catching traffickers? This does not necessarily mean those are illegal purchases, there is nothing illegal about that. Suspicious yes, as gun dealers themselves did NOT want to sell these guns and were MADE to do so by the ATF (if not explicit renewals and approvals could be delayed denied , if they didn't cooperate).

Bukkiah Golden of NH 3:36PM November 17, 2011

In recent years more than 60,000 guns, mostly semi-automatic assault rifles, "

Prove that !

dennisp of LA 1:32PM November 17, 2011

"In recent years more than 60,000 guns, mostly semi-automatic assault rifles, have moved from American gun dealers to the Mexican cartels. Countless cases have documented "straw buyers" for gun traffickers purchasing large numbers of assault rifles from border state gun shops."

Where did this number come from? What percent of the total were fully automatic weapons (highly restrictyed sale in US) or semi-automatic? If fully automatic, the weapons did not come from gun shops in the US.

Alan of GA 12:19PM November 17, 2011

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