The above mentioned piece led to my writing a Letter to The Editor or Readers Forum as it is called by Gun Week. People here might find both pieces of interest. Gun Week may well publish my comments. By the way, HR 1603 appears to have gone nowhere, in a hurry, this while Republicans controlled both The House and Senate. Who knows what chance it or similar legislation will have under Democratic control of The Congress(House and Senate).
Editor:
In the above mentioned piece, Robert M. Hausman regales readers with a tale of the antics of BATFE and it's predecessor agencies, possibly only the agency names differ, along with comment on the fact they essentially WING IT, given that their operations lacked the substance provided by written procedures, indicating that their judgments on such questions as NFA categorizing were obtained on subjective basis, perhaps subject to daily change. I personally have commented on the egregious nature of "ATF" antics both here and in other venues, pointing out that The Congress, having failed to check these antics, has essentially graced them with their stamp of approval. Any other conclusions to be drawn?
Interestingly, this article makes mention of the U.S. V. Glover, No.3:03-CR-69(D.NCI) which featured a really screwed up prosecution of John Glover, based on the half assed conclusions of BATFE agent Mike Cooney, that an FAL type semi-automatic rifle was an illegal (unregistered) machinegun. It turns out that Cooney hadn't bothered to closely examine the rifle in question, he hadn't taken it apart, thereby failing to notice the worn nature of internal parts, that led to multiple discharges, with a single actuation of the rifle's trigger, which satisfied BATFE's definition of a MACHINEGUN, never mind the fact that what passed for full automatic fire was the result of a MALFUNCTIONING RIFLE. While on the subject of phony prosecutions by BATFE, see in an October issue, details in the case of Albert Kwan, also charged with possession of an illegal machinegun, in this case, according to the written report of a BATFE firearms tech, the physical evidence in this case, an M-14 type rifle had been TAMPERED WITH by said government agent, the BATFE firearms tech.
Getting back to Glover, and based on comment both sewen and heard in BATFE Fails The Test, the title of a JPFO produced DVD, the BATFE seized a number of rifles from Glover. Given that the charges and case against Glover have been dismissed, WITH PREJUDICE, has Glover's property, the seized rifles, been returned to him by the minions of federal law enforcement, the BATFE. Also, has any sort of action been taken against Agent Cooney, or might he have been given a few days off, followed by promotion?
In any case, the egregious, sometimes ridiculously comic nature of ATF antics go back quite a few years, and include the conclusions of Congressional Hearings, not complimentary to ATF, and court cases lost, would also tend to raise questions. It remains however, that The Congress, under the control of both Democrats as well as Republicans has made a dismal failure of such efforts as should have been made to check the antics of this run away bureaucracy, which I again submit places the stamp of approval of The Congress firmly on the face or the posterior of said antics and actions of BATFE and the differently named, but no less questionable agencies that came and went before it.
Given that members of The Congress, without reference to whether they be Democrat or Republican, are all sworn to support, uphold and defend the Constitution, when if ever might one reasonably expect to see the above mentioned, and badly needed checking of BATFE antics by The Congress, under either Democratic or Republican control?
Editor:
In the above mentioned piece, Robert M. Hausman regales readers with a tale of the antics of BATFE and it's predecessor agencies, possibly only the agency names differ, along with comment on the fact they essentially WING IT, given that their operations lacked the substance provided by written procedures, indicating that their judgments on such questions as NFA categorizing were obtained on subjective basis, perhaps subject to daily change. I personally have commented on the egregious nature of "ATF" antics both here and in other venues, pointing out that The Congress, having failed to check these antics, has essentially graced them with their stamp of approval. Any other conclusions to be drawn?
Interestingly, this article makes mention of the U.S. V. Glover, No.3:03-CR-69(D.NCI) which featured a really screwed up prosecution of John Glover, based on the half assed conclusions of BATFE agent Mike Cooney, that an FAL type semi-automatic rifle was an illegal (unregistered) machinegun. It turns out that Cooney hadn't bothered to closely examine the rifle in question, he hadn't taken it apart, thereby failing to notice the worn nature of internal parts, that led to multiple discharges, with a single actuation of the rifle's trigger, which satisfied BATFE's definition of a MACHINEGUN, never mind the fact that what passed for full automatic fire was the result of a MALFUNCTIONING RIFLE. While on the subject of phony prosecutions by BATFE, see in an October issue, details in the case of Albert Kwan, also charged with possession of an illegal machinegun, in this case, according to the written report of a BATFE firearms tech, the physical evidence in this case, an M-14 type rifle had been TAMPERED WITH by said government agent, the BATFE firearms tech.
Getting back to Glover, and based on comment both sewen and heard in BATFE Fails The Test, the title of a JPFO produced DVD, the BATFE seized a number of rifles from Glover. Given that the charges and case against Glover have been dismissed, WITH PREJUDICE, has Glover's property, the seized rifles, been returned to him by the minions of federal law enforcement, the BATFE. Also, has any sort of action been taken against Agent Cooney, or might he have been given a few days off, followed by promotion?
In any case, the egregious, sometimes ridiculously comic nature of ATF antics go back quite a few years, and include the conclusions of Congressional Hearings, not complimentary to ATF, and court cases lost, would also tend to raise questions. It remains however, that The Congress, under the control of both Democrats as well as Republicans has made a dismal failure of such efforts as should have been made to check the antics of this run away bureaucracy, which I again submit places the stamp of approval of The Congress firmly on the face or the posterior of said antics and actions of BATFE and the differently named, but no less questionable agencies that came and went before it.
Given that members of The Congress, without reference to whether they be Democrat or Republican, are all sworn to support, uphold and defend the Constitution, when if ever might one reasonably expect to see the above mentioned, and badly needed checking of BATFE antics by The Congress, under either Democratic or Republican control?