How many weapons are making their way into the hands of Mexico drug gangs and cartels as a result of loopholes in curent US gun laws that allow straw purchases at Texas and Arizona gun shops and gun shows?
Quote:
...James Cavanaugh, a former ATF commander, said stemming the flow of guns to Mexico is a Herculean task given the lack of law-enforcement resources and political will.
“I don’t see how it’s realistically going to slow down if we don’t make changes in resources, laws and policies,” he said. “It’s important because people are being slaughtered.”
Agents and prosecutors have been especially passionate in pleading for Congress to pass a specific law banning gun trafficking, and have repeatedly watched as courts threw out cases against straw buyers who made purchases that were technically legal.
The law ATF relies on most heavily to stop the flow of weapons south makes it illegal for someone to lie on a form at a gun shop, claiming to buy a weapon for himself when he or she is really buying it for someone else. Proving the person lied, however, is difficult and often judges treat the indiscretion as a paperwork violation deserving of light punishment, according to law enforcement authorities. Without a specific gun trafficking statute, authorities say, they often can’t do much as they watch suspicious activity.
“It’s upsetting,” said Michael Bouchard, ATF’s former assistant director in charge of field operations. “What are you supposed to do? No one in their right mind would let a gun go across the border knowing that it would kill a law enforcement officer or be used to kill others. But there’s no easy answer.”
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I am all for an investigation that gets to the heart of the problem is not just a "gotcha Holder", like Mercenary's frequent witch hunts. The focus should be on identtifying and correcting the deficiencies in the system that allow Mexcian cartels easy access to guns in the US and not just on looking for a political scape goat.
Political granstanding is suggesting that every effort to close loop holes or strengthen gun laws is a secret plot to eliminate Second Amendment rights for law abiding citizens.
Political grandstanding is also blocking the appointment of the last two nominees for director of ATF (one Bush and one Obama) because the NRA didnt like the guys, leaving the ATF with no real leadership for the last five years.