BATFE, Firearm Importation & Federal Firearm Law Reform
Among its duties, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) monitors firearm manufacturers, importers and dealers for compliance with record-keeping requirements; conducts traces on the commercial paths of individual firearms at the request of law enforcement agencies; interprets firearm importation law; and administers transfers of firearms regulated by the National Firearm Act of 1934.
The BATFE was used by the Clinton administration to reduce the number of firearm dealers, and by the administrations of presidents G. H. W. Bush and Clinton to restrict “assault weapons” by misinterpreting firearm importation law. The agency’s tracing data, sometimes useful in identifying persons involved in illegally trafficking firearms, have been mischaracterized by gun control supporters in the context of their campaigns against “Saturday Night Specials” and “assault weapons,” and in favor of making state gun laws more restrictive.
BATFE has been widely criticized for its role in the “Ruby Ridge” and “Waco” tragedies, and Operation Fast and Furious, in which the agency knowingly allowed firearms to be bought by straw purchasers and other traffickers, and thereafter smuggled from the United States to Mexico, where they made their way to violent drug cartels.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
In all of my years fighting on behalf of the National Rifle Association to defend the Second Amendment, ...
Friday, December 16, 2011
A year ago this week, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered. He died protecting his country ...
Friday, December 16, 2011
As a candidate, Barack Obama once endorsed a ban on handguns and favored restrictions on the purchase and ...
Friday, December 16, 2011
After months of debate from GOP presidential candidates on topics ranging from Gardasil vaccinations to nuclear Iran, the ...
Friday, December 16, 2011
Fast and Furious was a program of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, overseen by Holder's ...
Thursday, December 15, 2011
One year ago today, Border Patrol Agent Brian A. Terry was gunned down in Arizona near the Mexican ...
Thursday, December 15, 2011
The head of the FBI is strongly denying claims his agency tried to cover up evidence related to ...
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar has filed a resolution in the House of Representatives pushing for vote of ...
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Three members of the Louisiana congressional delegation are furious with U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, calling for his ...
Monday, December 12, 2011
A largely overlooked exchange from Thursday’s House Judiciary Committee hearing includes what appears to be an admission from ...