Which part of all of this is your issue: that FFLs in the US had been selling many guns to straw purchasers that then sold the guns to agents of drug cartels that smuggle them into Mexico or kept them in the US for use in crimes, and had done so for years
( Two wrongs don't make a right) before the ATF got involved,
(The ATF is supposed to in force laws not break them) and continue to do so; that the government ran a sting operation, similar
( not really) to one that had been run before,
( and FAILED which is why it was ended in 2007) to interdicst those sales
( nope no effort was made to stop them infact FFL's were ORDERED to complete the sales) ; that they lost accountability for some
( MOST) of the guns; some of those lost guns were used to kill two US agents
( and 300+ Mexican Nationals.. that we KNOW of) in the performance of their duties; the Administration is not releasing detailed documents of the Operation.
( to cover up the crime)
It's a tragedy that our agents lost their lives; no one is disputing that. Yesterday's contempt of Congress ruling shows that the Administration will be held accountable to Congressional requests. However, I don't think we can hold F&F responsible for the level of violence we see coming from the cartels. Here's an article from Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009...s-mexico-come/
Here's an excerpt:
"
In 2007-2008, according to ATF Special Agent William Newell, Mexico submitted 11,000 guns to the ATF for tracing. Close to 6,000 were successfully traced -- and of those, 90 percent -- 5,114 to be exact, according to testimony in Congress by William Hoover -- were found to have come from the U.S.
But in those same two years, according to the Mexican government, 29,000 guns were recovered at crime scenes"
The number for OFF show less than 2k arms were walked. Again, the deaths of our agents is a tragedy, but do you really think that if the 2000 guns from OFF hadn't made it into Mexico that the perps that killed our agents wouldn't have had a gun?
( so the statement" hey they woulda got em anyways.. so it's ok to give them the guns " really sits ok with you ????)
The portion of OFF
( all of F&F Was letting the cartels walk with the guns) that allowed walking was ill-advised and against standing policy. Since the folks that allowed it are the ones who make policy, I don't consider it illegal.
( so you make the law your ABOVE the law??? are you fucking kidding me ? ) Unfortunately, stupidity isn't illegal. The ATF should simply track the straw buyers to their rendesvous and arrest all parties.
( they tried that in OWR in 2006-07 it didn't work then either) Those are crimes committed on US soil, and since some of those guns never get to Mexico but remain in the US in the hands of criminals, it makes sense to protect American lives.