Senator: ATF encouraged gun sales to smugglers

by Jared Dillingham azfamily.com

Posted on April 15, 2011 at 9:45 PM

PHOENIX - A US Senator said he has proof the ATF purposely allowed Valley gun shops to sell guns to suspected smugglers.

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley released emails Friday, which reveal some store owners were worried about their guns ending up with Mexican drug cartels.

One store owner sent an email to the ATF, writing, "We just want to make sure we are cooperating with the ATF and that we're not viewed as selling to the bad guys ... and that none of the guns could or would make it south of the border."

The ATF agent responded, "We are continually monitoring these suspects using a variety of investigative techniques." The ATF told the store owners they were tracking the suspected smugglers, and building cases against them.

Sen. Grassley said that plan backfired.

In December, the store owners' fears became reality. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in a shootout with a cartel south of the border. Two of the AK-47s used in the shooting were traced back to a Valley gun store.

Sen. Grassley said the US Justice Department has repeatedly denied allowing the sale of guns to suspected smugglers. He sent this latest round of whistle-blower emails to Attorney General Eric Holder, and is waiting for a response.
http://www.azfamily.com/news/ATF-119962239.html

Arizona gun shop told ATF that sting was dangerous

 http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2011/04/15/20110415arizona-guns-shops-atf-sting.html#ixzz1JaCj8bdu

Federal agents and prosecutors last year encouraged Arizona gun dealers to sell firearms to buyers for Mexican cartels even after the store owners fretted that weapons might be used to kill Border Patrol agents, according to e-mails obtained by Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa.

Grassley, ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder that the e-mails refute earlier Justice Department denials.

The e-mails were exchanged by a federal agent and an Arizona gun dealer last April and June.

"In light of this new evidence, the Justice Department's claim that the ATF never knowingly sanctioned or allowed the sale of assault weapons to straw purchasers is simply not credible," Grassley wrote in the letter sent Wednesday.

 

The letter and e-mails were made public Thursday.

Justice Department officials in Washington, D.C., could not be reached late Thursday, and a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives declined to comment.

The controversy stems from Operation Fast and Furious, an Arizona investigation in which agents monitored weapons and buyers after suspicious sales in an effort to track guns to cartel members.

After U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was killed in a December shootout near Nogales, Ariz., two AK-47s found at the scene were traced to Operation Fast and Furious. They had been purchased in Glendale 11 months earlier.

Federal authorities previously denied that gun-store owners were encouraged to continue selling firearms to cartel operatives, some of whom visited shops repeatedly, purchasing dozens of assault rifles.

The e-mails released by Grassley contradict those statements. In correspondence with an unidentified gun dealer last April, ATF Supervisor David Voth wrote:

"I understand that the frequency with which some individuals under investigation by our office have been purchasing firearms from your business has caused concerns for you. . . . However, if it helps put you at ease, we are continually monitoring these suspects using a variety of investigative techniques which I cannot go into (in) detail."

The firearms vendor responded by asking for a letter to ensure that he would not face repercussions for selling dozens of weapons to a suspected criminal: "I want to help ATF with its investigation, but not at the risk of agents' safety because I have some very close friends that are U.S. Border Patrol agents in southern Arizona."

Terry was killed six months later in a firefight with suspected border bandits. No one has been charged in the slaying.

In the letter to Holder, Grassley said the Justice Department's depiction of Operation Fast and Furious "is simply not credible."

He also rebuked the Justice Department for failing to provide records that he began seeking in February.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Phoenix on Thursday issued a statement that did not address Grassley's criticisms or the e-mails. It said federal prosecutors are restricted from commenting about ongoing cases. It also said the Justice Department "will respond to Senator Grassley's letter as appropriate, and this office will continue to enforce the federal firearms laws vigorously."

U.S. and Mexican justice authorities have complained for years that cartel bloodshed is fueled in part by the illegal flow of weapons, mostly AK-47s, purchased in the United States and smuggled unlawfully across the border.

Operation Fast and Furious culminated three months ago with 34 arrests and 700 gun seizures.

At the time, Bill Newell, special agent in charge for Arizona, insisted that no guns had been intentionally allowed to enter Mexico.

In addition to claiming the ATF allowed straw buys, agency whistleblowers and some critics also have alleged that agents knowingly allowed hundreds of firearms out of the country, hoping to track the weapons to cartel bosses in Mexico rather than to low-level players in the United States.

Justice Department and ATF officials previously discounted allegations that agents intentionally let weapons be smuggled into Mexico on their watch. Weapons linked to the Fast and Furious investigation entered Mexico, officials said, because the guns were purchased before suspects came under surveillance or because straw buyers managed to slip away while being monitored.

An investigation is being conducted by the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General.

Fast and Furious was part of a larger ATF campaign, Project Gunrunner, launched in 2006 to combat the weapons trafficking.

An inspector general's report last year criticized the bureau for catching only straw buyers, or minnows.

Reports that hundreds of guns were allowed across the border in pursuit of bigger fish have generated outrage among some Mexican lawmakers and a demand for information from the government's Foreign Ministry.
Reach the reporter at dennis.wagner@arizonarepublic.com.


Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/2011/04/15/20110415arizona-guns-shops-atf-sting.html#ixzz1JaBNfSZX

Gun Owners Must Take Center Stage

Richard Feldman, Huffington Post Politics

Posted: 04/13/11 07:03 PM ET

This evening HBO will air a controversial new documentary film, four years in the making, entitled Gun Fight. Crafted by the acclaimed Academy Award-winning director Barbara Kopple, the film certainly illustrates one all too obvious truth about the gun debate in America: polar opposites continue to exist on both sides. Sadly, the film veers from a dispassionate, comprehensive view (tough to do in 88 minutes), into scoring many subtle advocacy points.

The film will be used to continue to fan the counter-productive divide between gun owners and many non-gun owners. Too many of the latter have been conditioned to reflexively call for "gun control" as a "common-sense" alternative, without having been presented with a full range of options or a detailed knowledge of the status quo. The terms "crime control" and "gun control" have little to do with one another and their juxtaposition as opposites creates a false dichotomy as the starting point for crafting intelligent answers to serious criminal justice issues before we even begin.

My treatment in the film as an unrepentant pro-Second Amendment moderate more concerned with policy solutions is both fair and accurate. However, the large number of gun owners whose viewpoint I represent is obscured by the repeated presentation of "typical" gun owners as militiamen, anti-government extremists, gang-bangers, or mentally-deranged individuals throughout the film. Graphic trauma scenes -- from the dramatic and gut-wrenching opening with the rampage at Virginia Tech to the wrap up at the memorial site -- and the portrayal of gun owners as caricature, also do little to advance serious dialogue.

But the film's wide distribution does present an opportunity to expand the discussion. The overwhelming majority of Americans are somewhere in the vast, under-appreciated middle ground within the debate. Over one hundred million of us in America own firearms. We do so for multiple reasons including self defense and security, sport, hunting and collecting. A statistically minuscule number of our citizens misuse guns to commit violent crimes, which threaten the rest of us. The key unifying point we need to focus our collective attention on is: "it's not the guns, but whose hands are on the guns."

America needs a well-informed, rational voice that defends our rights, yes, but also one that points out practical solutions to real issues. For that reason, I have joined with a number of respected law enforcement leaders, sportsmen, scholars, and policy analysts to form the Independent Firearm Owners Association, Inc. (www.IFOAusa.org) to ensure a place in the debate for mainstream gun-owning Americans. We are entitled to have our say in this important policy debate and will work towards intelligent solutions that protect legitimate citizens while focusing our limited law enforcement resources on the universally agreed upon problems.

We intend to be the innovative pro-civil liberty voice at the table and to work for solutions, not "gotcha" points to sustain the debate indefinitely. If you agree that a new proponent not conforming to tired stereotypes might be in tune with your thinking, consider supporting this new approach to an old debate. America has many difficult challenges to face that can best be accomplished by forging an inventive consensus on criminal justice policy toward solutions and away from wedge driving political posturing. What do you think?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-feldman/gun-owners-must-take-cent_b_848723.html?view=print

Limits on guns advance in California Legislature

Posted at 12:13 AM on Wednesday, Apr. 13, 2011

By Torey Van Oot - tvanoot@sacbee.com

Lawmakers seeking to revive two controversial gun bills made progress Tuesday, as an Assembly committee approved proposals targeting the "open carry" protest movement and requiring records on long gun sales.

Assembly Bill 144, by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, would make it a crime to openly carry an unloaded handgun in public. A number of circumstances and activities would be exempt from the ban, including some ceremonies, hunting and gun shows.

"Open carrying of weapons is something that belongs on a Hollywood movie set, not on Main Street or Starbucks," Portantino said in testimony to the Assembly Public Safety Committee. "You don't need a sidearm in order to buy a cheeseburger."

Lawmakers first tackled the issue last year in response to organized demonstrations of people brandishing firearms in public to protest gun-control laws, including a 2009 rally outside an Arizona convention center where President Barack Obama was speaking. An open carry ban introduced by then-Assemblywoman Lori Saldaña, D-San Diego, failed to clear both houses in its final form by last year's deadline for passing bills.

Portantino said the ongoing movement has "created an increase in problematic instances," alarming passers-by and draining law enforcement resources when officers are called to respond to reports of armed people.

Opponents countered that the ban would leave law-abiding citizens with no option for exercising their Second Amendment rights if they are also denied a permit to carry a concealed weapon. They said the open carry movement has not led to any altercations that would merit the ban.

"Show me any instances where there has been a problem where the person carrying the arms openly has been arrested for any reason. They don't have any," said Ed Worley of the National Rifle Association. "It makes people uncomfortable, but that's the nature of a free society."

The measure passed on a party-line vote, with Democrats in support and Republicans opposed.

While the bill wasn't prompted by the January shooting of Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, Portantino said one response he heard to the attack – that armed onlookers could have intervened and put a stop to the shooter – demonstrates why the change is needed.

"The last thing you need is a hail of bullets in a supermarket," he said.
The committee also approved Assembly Bill 809, a revival of last year's effort to require that gun retailers report the same sale records for long guns that they currently collect for handguns.

Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, said the measure would standardize reporting procedures and aid law enforcement. Opponents said the change would create an undue burden for gun owners and sellers.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2011/04/13/v-print/2347976/limits-on-guns-advance-in-california.html

Alaska Bans Use of Stun Guns While Hunting

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Last Modified: Apr 11, 2011 07:10PM

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Board of Game has passed a statewide rule prohibiting the use of stun guns when hunting game or posing with it, in an effort to prevent what state wildlife officials call “catch and release hunting.”

“Conceivably someone could Taser a moose or bear, go up and get a picture taken with it, shut the (Taser) off and then release the animal,” said Larry Lewis, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist in Soldotna who wrote the proposal.

Lewis said there have been no reports of something like that happening, but with no regulations on the book to outlaw such an action, “it’s ripe for abuse,” Lewis said. “What we wanted to do was kind of head off at the pass any non-trained use of this equipment.”

He said he is not aware of any other states that have similar regulations.

Fish and Game staff, law enforcement and others may be authorized to use stun guns on wildlife, but only after going through a training course taught by Lewis, a certified stun gun master instructor, and receiving a permit.

Lewis said about 25 state wildlife biologists have been trained in the use of stun guns on wildlife so far. Wildlife stun guns are similar to those devised for humans but are more powerful and pulse at a quicker rate. The devices cause involuntary muscle contractions that cause the person, or animal in this case, to fall down. Once the stimulation is ended, the muscles work properly again. Hand-held models can be used at 35 feet but other types allow for much greater distances, he said.

Wildlife biologists in Fairbanks recently unsuccessfully used a stun gun on a cow moose in an attempt to stun it so they could remove a rope from its neck. The moose had been roaming a neighborhood since early January after residents rescued it from the Chena River. The animal’s long winter coat appears to have prevented the device’s prongs from sticking.

Lewis said he has used a stun gun to haze bears and moose on the Kenai Peninsula and it has been effective. He also used the device on a moose so he could remove a chicken feeder stuck on its head.

“I was able to knock it down, remove the feeder, examine the animal for injuries and release it,” Lewis said.

While stun guns could be used to immobilize moose and deer that have become entangled, Lewis said he would not recommend using the devices on bears except to scare them off.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game recognized the lack of authority to regulate the use of stun guns on wildlife and took Lewis’ proposal to the state Game Board, which approved it at a recent meeting in Anchorage, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported.

“Restricting the use of (stun guns) will reduce the risk of improper or unethical use on wildlife by the public or other agency personnel who are unfamiliar with the potential effects and hazards,” Fish and Game said in a statement.

The measure does not bar Alaskans from using stun guns on moose or bear if being attacked.

No more guns for loners?

Published on : 11 April 2011 - 10:59am | By John Tyler

The Netherlands is struggling to deal with the consequences of Saturday’s shooting in Alphen aan den Rijn, where a lone gunman shot and killed 6 people before killing himself. The news that the 24-year old killer had a history of psychiatric problems - which the police were reportedly aware of - has led to questions about how he was able to obtain and keep a gun ownership permit.

The Netherlands boasts some of the strictest gun laws in the world, but the gunman in Alphen aan den Rijn, Tristan van der Vlis, was a member of a shooting club and had a permit to own five guns. It is not yet clear if all the weapons he used on Saturday were in his possession legally, but just the fact that some of them may have been has given many pause.

Gun owners in the Netherlands need to meet strict conditions – but these do not include psychological testing. The revelation that van der Vlis had a history of depression and suicidal impulses and spent 10 days in a secure psychiatric unit in 2006 has led to calls for such testing before permits are issued or renewed.

Social control

But Henk Vogelzang disagrees. He is director of local shooting club K.G.O. in Bussum, a town to the east of Amsterdam. Mr Vogelzang says that over the years, his club has alerted the authorities on a number of occasions about members with legal gun permits who were behaving in an inappropriate manner. In some cases, this involved hanging around with suspicious people and in other cases a certain manner of talking about using guns.

"You also often can see it in the way some people deal with the sport of target shooting. Some people seem more concerned with the gun itself than with the shooting."

Mr Vogelzang says that in every case where the club was concerned and alerted the authorities, they ended up withdrawing the gun permit. He feels this kind of social control should be sufficient to prevent legally owned guns being used to murder innocent people.

Connecting the dots
Dutch security expert Glenn Schoen says this is precisely the type of information sharing necessary to prevent shooting incidents. One of the lessons learned from other countries where these sorts of killing sprees have taken place is that the perpetrators often provide clues as to what they are planning to do.

The problem is that information does not always make its way to the right people.
The Netherlands, however, has lagged behind with this sport of preventive approach and was largely taken by surprise by Saturday’s shooting. According to Schoen, the Dutch are used to thinking that such incidents happen in other countries, but not here.

"There’s always that feeling of that won’t happen to us, we need not fear that. And of course you don’t control all the factors it’s not yours to prevent in all cases and sadly enough, time has caught up with The Netherlands, and the naiveté is over."

While efforts to prevent such shootings will never be 100 percent successful, the Netherlands has the knowledge-base, and experts in the field of psychology needed to take action, says Schoen. What’s been missing up till now is the belief that such action is needed.

"However it has not yet been a primary focus because this kind of incident has not yet happened here for people to know what are the signals we need to look for and who do we have to report them to."

After the tragic incident in Alphen aan den Rijn on Saturday, that is likely to change.
(gsh)
http://www.rnw.nl/english/article/no-more-guns-loners

Gun show leaves two injured, lands a third in jail

EVANSVILLE, IN (WFIE) - - Posted by Kelsey Wheatcroft

On Saturday afternoon, two people were injured when a gun went off during the gun show. It happened around 3 p.m. at the National Guard Armory.

Rules were posted outside of the armory. Those rules included unloading guns of all ammunition and to put a zip tie around the trigger of a gun so it can't be fired.

Police say the suspect did follow those rules, up until he was about to leave. The suspect, 30-year-old Joshua Wilkinson, had purchased a new holster around a half hour before the show was set to end.

Police say that's when he removed the zip tie that was holding the trigger, causing the slide of the gun to come forward and putting a round in the chamber. When he tried to slip the gun in his holster, the gun fired.

The round hit a plastic bucket on the concrete floor and the fragmentation injured two people, a 72-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy. Both of their injuries were only minor and they were not taken to the hospital.

Wilkinson will spend the weekend in the Vanderburgh County Jail on charges of criminal recklessness.

The Evansville Police Department says Wilkinson had been drinking, but say if that hadn't been the case, he might not have been charged because the incident was an accident.

http://www.14wfie.com/story/14416088/two-injured-at-gun-show-at-national-guard-armory