Dogman
4th August 2011, 12:33 PM
http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/nssf-nra-sue-over-new-fast-furious-reporting-regs-saf-vows-amicus
After two major lawsuits were filed (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/03/us-usa-mexico-guns-idUSTRE7725DB20110803)to stop implementation of new firearm purchase reporting requirements next week – which some say were inspired by the botched Operation Fast and Furious – Bellevue’s Second Amendment Foundation did something yesterday many observers might find out of the ordinary, while it did not do something else.
SAF applauded (http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=370)both the National Shooting Sports Foundation (http://www.nssfblog.com/nssf-suit-challenges-atf-reporting-requirement/)and National Rifle Association (http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/NewsReleases.aspx?ID=15390)for filing separate federal lawsuits, and then promised to file an amicus brief “at the appropriate time.” SAF didn’t hastily jump in with a copycat case to muddy up the waters, nor take credit for the legal work of the other organizations.
If ATF can require this record-keeping and reporting requirement of law-abiding retailers in these four states simply by sending a letter demanding the information, then there is no record or report ATF cannot require of any licensee, anywhere in the country, for as long as ATF wants. ”This is the proverbial ‘slippery slope,’ and our industry is extremely concerned about it,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.—NSSF Press Release
It’s not a first for the group, founded by Alan Gottlieb, who serves as SAF executive vice president. Back in May, SAF publicly thanked (http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=358) the NRA for launching a legal action in California that seeks enforcement of cases SAF was involved in back in the mid-1990s.
Operation Fast and Furious authorized the sale of thousands of weapons in the border region to known and suspected straw purchasers for Mexican drug cartels. But officials did not adequately supervise the weapons or their purchasers, allowing hundreds of firearms to end up in the hands of criminals, according to ATF agents’ testimony before Congress.—The Hill
Both the NSSF and NRA, the latter in cooperation with an Arizona gun dealer, contend that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives does not have the authority to push a new reporting requirement. Lurking in the shadows of these lawsuits is the ATF’s Fast and Furious scandal, which allowed more than 2,000 guns to enter the pipeline to Mexican drug cartels; a problem that, ironically, the Obama administration now seeks to address by implementing these new long gun reporting regulations in four states: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Simply put: The Obama administration’s Justice Department – working through the ATF – allegedly created a problem that it now wants to solve by penalizing gun dealers and invading the privacy of their customers. Operation Fast and Furious, now under Congressional investigation, has become such a stain that UCLA Law Professor Adam Winkler is now blasting the operation on the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-winkler/obamas-growing-gun-proble_b_917104.html), and the administration for its apparent stonewalling and cover-up.
The administration should waste no time and come clean about what happened, who approved it, and how it can be avoided again…Unfortunately, the early signs are that Obama is going to handle this controversy as poorly as he handled the debt ceiling debate.—Adam Winkler, Huffington Post
The Hill is also critically reporting the Fast and Furious scandal, while Attorney General Eric Holder was busy yesterday (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/03/us-usa-mexico-guns-idUSTRE7725DB20110803)promising to fight both lawsuits and punish those responsible for the bungled Fast and Furious operation.
"We will vigorously oppose that lawsuit. We think that the acts that we have taken (are) consistent with the law and that the measures that we are proposing are appropriate ones to stop the flow of guns from the United States into Mexico."—Attorney General Eric Holder
It is possible the NSSF and NRA cases will eventually end up before the same judge, at which time SAF said it will file an amicus brief. SAF is up to its elbows in other gun rights cases all over the map, with federal lawsuits pending in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina and Illinois.
As this column (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/issa-to-nra-two-more-fast-furious-hearings-planned-this-year)reported, Congressman Darrell Issa is looking to hold at least two more hearings on Fast and Furious before his House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform before the end of this year. Depending upon what is revealed at those hearings, it is not clear whether further sessions will be required in 2012 to get to the bottom of the scandal. The Obama re-election campaign probably does not want Fast and Furious to become a campaign issue, while Republicans no doubt hope to make it one.
Obama took office promising unparalleled transparency, yet top officials have been anything but with regard to Fast and Furious. Instead of addressing the questions head on, which might end the controversy quickly, the administration is guaranteeing that the investigation will drag on and on. Soon it will develop into a full-blown political scandal and Obama will wish that instead of ignoring this controversy, he'd dealt with it fast and furious.—Adam Winkler, Huffington Post
After two major lawsuits were filed (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/03/us-usa-mexico-guns-idUSTRE7725DB20110803)to stop implementation of new firearm purchase reporting requirements next week – which some say were inspired by the botched Operation Fast and Furious – Bellevue’s Second Amendment Foundation did something yesterday many observers might find out of the ordinary, while it did not do something else.
SAF applauded (http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=370)both the National Shooting Sports Foundation (http://www.nssfblog.com/nssf-suit-challenges-atf-reporting-requirement/)and National Rifle Association (http://www.nraila.org/News/Read/NewsReleases.aspx?ID=15390)for filing separate federal lawsuits, and then promised to file an amicus brief “at the appropriate time.” SAF didn’t hastily jump in with a copycat case to muddy up the waters, nor take credit for the legal work of the other organizations.
If ATF can require this record-keeping and reporting requirement of law-abiding retailers in these four states simply by sending a letter demanding the information, then there is no record or report ATF cannot require of any licensee, anywhere in the country, for as long as ATF wants. ”This is the proverbial ‘slippery slope,’ and our industry is extremely concerned about it,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel.—NSSF Press Release
It’s not a first for the group, founded by Alan Gottlieb, who serves as SAF executive vice president. Back in May, SAF publicly thanked (http://www.saf.org/viewpr-new.asp?id=358) the NRA for launching a legal action in California that seeks enforcement of cases SAF was involved in back in the mid-1990s.
Operation Fast and Furious authorized the sale of thousands of weapons in the border region to known and suspected straw purchasers for Mexican drug cartels. But officials did not adequately supervise the weapons or their purchasers, allowing hundreds of firearms to end up in the hands of criminals, according to ATF agents’ testimony before Congress.—The Hill
Both the NSSF and NRA, the latter in cooperation with an Arizona gun dealer, contend that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives does not have the authority to push a new reporting requirement. Lurking in the shadows of these lawsuits is the ATF’s Fast and Furious scandal, which allowed more than 2,000 guns to enter the pipeline to Mexican drug cartels; a problem that, ironically, the Obama administration now seeks to address by implementing these new long gun reporting regulations in four states: Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
Simply put: The Obama administration’s Justice Department – working through the ATF – allegedly created a problem that it now wants to solve by penalizing gun dealers and invading the privacy of their customers. Operation Fast and Furious, now under Congressional investigation, has become such a stain that UCLA Law Professor Adam Winkler is now blasting the operation on the Huffington Post (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/adam-winkler/obamas-growing-gun-proble_b_917104.html), and the administration for its apparent stonewalling and cover-up.
The administration should waste no time and come clean about what happened, who approved it, and how it can be avoided again…Unfortunately, the early signs are that Obama is going to handle this controversy as poorly as he handled the debt ceiling debate.—Adam Winkler, Huffington Post
The Hill is also critically reporting the Fast and Furious scandal, while Attorney General Eric Holder was busy yesterday (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/08/03/us-usa-mexico-guns-idUSTRE7725DB20110803)promising to fight both lawsuits and punish those responsible for the bungled Fast and Furious operation.
"We will vigorously oppose that lawsuit. We think that the acts that we have taken (are) consistent with the law and that the measures that we are proposing are appropriate ones to stop the flow of guns from the United States into Mexico."—Attorney General Eric Holder
It is possible the NSSF and NRA cases will eventually end up before the same judge, at which time SAF said it will file an amicus brief. SAF is up to its elbows in other gun rights cases all over the map, with federal lawsuits pending in New York, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina and Illinois.
As this column (http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-seattle/issa-to-nra-two-more-fast-furious-hearings-planned-this-year)reported, Congressman Darrell Issa is looking to hold at least two more hearings on Fast and Furious before his House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform before the end of this year. Depending upon what is revealed at those hearings, it is not clear whether further sessions will be required in 2012 to get to the bottom of the scandal. The Obama re-election campaign probably does not want Fast and Furious to become a campaign issue, while Republicans no doubt hope to make it one.
Obama took office promising unparalleled transparency, yet top officials have been anything but with regard to Fast and Furious. Instead of addressing the questions head on, which might end the controversy quickly, the administration is guaranteeing that the investigation will drag on and on. Soon it will develop into a full-blown political scandal and Obama will wish that instead of ignoring this controversy, he'd dealt with it fast and furious.—Adam Winkler, Huffington Post