Gun Trafficking Laws Need an Overhaul

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

Reader Comments

Back to argument

Oh the liberal fools, born with a mental defect that makes them dangerous to all mankind. Its the US demand for illegal drugs that provide the money to buy the guns.

Its a simple problem with simple solutions. Seal the border with Mexico. Stop the flow of drugs to the users.

The liberals also forget that Mexico is part of the problem.

The gun sellers in the US are doing their jobs, by selling the goods of American manufacturers.

If these goods cross the border into Mexico, then whose at fault. Surely not the seller.

My hope is that medicine will develop a pre-pregnancy test to reveal if the offspring will have a liberal brain. Then a decision can be made if the mother wants to bring another liberal and mental defective into society, or improve the planet not bearing a child.

JAQUEBAUER of FL 2:41AM November 17, 2011

Mr. Hennigan, with all his gun-control idea, forgets that there is the inalienable right to bear arms, as established in the Second Amendment of the Constitution.

Further, the ATF's overt attempt to make it look like most of the guns the Mexican narco-terrorists use by allowing the illegal sale of guns then allowing them to cross the border are completely out of line.

The truth of the matter is that the fully automatic/select fire versions of the (semi-automatic) guns that were allowed to walk by the ATF are readily available to the drug lords on the black market for about $100-$200 apiece, which is far less than the price we pay for the semi-automatic versions.

Finally, there should be less regulation of guns, not more. The more restrictions there are on guns, the harder it is for the average, law-abiding citizen to protect themselves and their neighbors from the criminals, who obtain weapons through the black market, bypassing the restrictions placed on the rest of us.

Mike in SATX of TX 2:41PM November 16, 2011

As usual, Henigan's comments combine stupid and dishonest in equal measure.

For example: "If dealer sales of assault weapons were restricted, as they were for ten years..." The assault weapons "ban" which expired under Bush did not ban "assault weapons" because the weapons banned WERE NOT assault weapons.

Instead, it banned silly combinations of NON-FUNCTIONAL APPEARANCE FEATURES that made an otherwise pretty ordinary semi-automatic rifle LOOK LIKE a "real" assault weapon, totally ignoring the fact that the weapons in question DID NOT FUNCTION as all TRUE assault weapons do (capable of fully automatic fire). Think I am kidding? Read the act.

For the record, fully automatic weapons ("machine guns" have been under strict Federal control since the 1930's). AK 47's as seen in war from Vietnam to Afghanistan are fully automatic AND NOT LEGALLY AVAILABLE HERE AND NEVER HAVE BEEN! An "AK-47" legally purchased here just has a bad-a$$ look. Mexicans should be glad their criminals are so stupid as to be deceived by appearance, because, being criminals with lots of expertise in smuggling, they could easily obtain true, and really lethal, assault weapons from the black arms trade.

The assault weapons ban also limited the manufacture of NEW, large capacity magazines, totally ignoring the fact that literally millions of such magazines were already in existence and not subject to restriction.

The assault weapons ban was no more than a POLITICAL FASHION STATEMENT like, for example, a Federal Immorality Ban which proscribes wearing in combination fishnet stockings, a short skirt and spike heels.

Bush allowed it to expire because THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE THAT IT SERVED ANY USEFUL PURPOSE OR ACHIEVED ANY USEFUL END, while lots of evidence that it created additional levels of confusing and useless regulation.

The thing to remember is that numbers say operation Fast and Furious made the ATF the single largest known illegal arms supplier to Mexico. Want to find a criminal, look no further than Eric Holder.

liquidity of CT 12:43PM November 16, 2011

Pure dRAT tripe. Why is it so hard for them to really tell the truth?

carter of WA 12:24PM November 16, 2011

typical usnews garbage.

enforce exisitng laws and life without parole for all in the DOJ and law enforcement who participated in F&F or other schemes.

Deserttrek of CA 11:55AM November 16, 2011

What a bunch of liberal bull.

mark of CA 10:06AM November 02, 2011

The problem has nothing to do with our gun laws. This spurs from Mexicos ban on guns.

Mike of CA 3:16PM October 23, 2011

By 'Debate Club', I assume you mean a false debate within a false dichotomy being used as a club over the head of anyone not subscribing to your dialectical madness.

There is no hypocrisy in my criticism of these corrupt officials. If you hear a defense of the political association that you imagine I have when I call out the corruption of government officials, your problem may be pathological. I do not identify with any position on the political spectrum, it is broken. If others do, their criticism of blatant criminal behavior does not automatically include a defense of their political 'side'.

Maybe if people like you stop trying to play sports in the real world where people are dying, we can actually do something to stop it!

There was never any intention to track the weapons, only force to ensure the opposite. These assault weapons, and now grenades and explosives, were delivered at bargain prices directly to narco-terrorists by our government. While it may be painful for you to come to terms with this, these were criminal acts executed for political reasons above the left/right game if your addiction.

Your solution to an unchecked power with blatant disregard to law in service to international interests is to give them more.

If you are privy to what used to be covert reasoning behind these operations, and you are using your justification of greater good to defend criminal acts when real people die by violence perpetuated by state action, then your 'greater good' is a fraud and so are you, sir.

While the goals of non-governmental organization like the Brady Center sound admirable and sometimes even are, you further corrupt an already dying system of justice when you defend what are clearly criminal actions just because you imagine an alignment of goals.

You are not a stakeholder in the goals of these people who arm terrorists, only their tool until you choose to wake up.

Fred Willcuut of WA 6:12AM October 17, 2011

Fast & Furious was not "fundamentally flawed" nor was it "botched" nor was it ever intended as a "sting". F&F was a criminal conspiracy perpetrated by the ATF with the entire DOJ being complicit. They never attempted nor intended to "track the guns to bigger fish". After 18 months and the loss of 2,000 guns the ATF higher ups were perfectly happy with the way it was going. Only the death of Brian Terry bringing forth the whistle blowers brought an end to the supplying of guns to terrorists.

So your answer is to give this Criminal Organization even more broad reaching authority? How about we prosecute everyone involved to the fullest extent of the law and extradite them to Mexico? How about we abolish this rogue and unnecessary organization called the ATF? That would be a good start.

Coyotejoe of CO 12:09PM October 16, 2011

Mr. Henigan says the problems at ATF stem from the fact that it has been run by a series of acting directors. An interesting opinion coming from the acting president of the Brady Campaign. is this his way of explaining the problems at his own organization?

DDS of FL 10:29AM October 16, 2011

<1 2 3>

Add Your Thoughts
Your comment will be posted immediately, unless it is spam or contains profanity. For more information, please see our Comments FAQ.
About Debate Club

A meeting of the sharpest minds on the day's most important topics, Debate Club brings in the best arguments and lets readers decide which is the most persuasive. Read the arguments, then vote. And be sure to check back often to see who has gotten the most support—and also to see what's being discussed now in the Debate Club.

Have ideas about what the Club should be debating? E-mail it to dclub@usnews.com.

You can also join the debate on Facebook or follow Debate Club on Twitter.

Advertisement
Cartoons
Thomas Jefferson Street Blog
Republicans Can't Forget the Economy During Obama Scandals

Scandals provide good fodder for the GOP, but it can't forget about fixing unemployment.

Amidst Obama Scandals, Republicans Prepare a New Debt Ceiling Hostage

Republicans are preparing to take the debt ceiling hostage…again.

Benghazi, IRS and AP Scandals Reveal a Clueless President

The recent slew of scandals reveals an administration either incompetent or malicious.

The IRS Scandal Is About Budget Cuts, Not the Tea Party

Cutting the tax collection budget hurts everyone in the long-run.

Obama 'Going Bulworth' Wouldn't Give Him Power Over Republicans

Both Congress and presidents overestimate the power of the Oval Office.

Bureaucracy Keeps Adopted Children Stuck in International Limbo

The U.S. needs to do more to ease the international adoption process.

The Real Scandal Behind the Benghazi Emails and Attacks

The GOP focuses on talking points while ignoring dangerous security budget cuts.

House Republicans Waste Time With Obamacare Repeal Vote

Why is the House bothering to repeal Obamacare yet again?

Advertisement