Re the abusive tactics of a government agency, the BATFE.
Re the following alert, received from GOA,if half of the claims/statements in the following are correct, much more than half are documented, then we have one hell of a problem on our hands. By the way, writing to the president re this is, I believe, a waste of time, as is expecting DOJ to investigate itself. See alert below.
Time To Rein In The BATFE
-- Please ask George Bush to take the agency to the woodshed
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
Thursday, February 22, 2007
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has
been on a tear under the administration of Attorney General Alberto
Gonzalez.
Manufacturers of various products have been told in writing that
their products are not a firearm and that they can be marketed
outside the federal paperwork system for selling firearms. Then,
months or years later, BATFE sends another letter reversing the first
determination.
The Congressional Research Service found in 2005 (ATF Firearms
Procedures) that BATFE has no written procedures for determining what
is a firearm. The "process" is arbitrary, and the string of
reversals in recent months shows how capricious a BATFE determination
is.
Historic Arms received a letter of determination in 1995 that its
BM-3000 was not a firearm. Indeed, Historic Arms had designed the
product as an accessory for a machine gun to fire different kinds of
ammunition than the gun had originally been designed to fire. For 11
years, the company manufactured their product without incident. But
in 1996, Historic Arms received a second letter determining that the
product was actually a machine gun!
As in other cases, BATFE wanted all the company's products sent to
Washington along with all the names of the customers who had
purchased the item.
In 2004, the BATFE determined that the Akins Accelerator was a "non
firearm" accessory that allowed a shooter to bump fire a semi-auto
and considerably increase the rate of fire. This year, BATFE has
determined that the trigger finger which is bumping the trigger is
itself a machine gun! Again, send in all the product and customer
names.
For years, Centerfire Systems had a parts kit that it sold for
machine guns. Now, six years later, BATFE has reversed itself on
this company. And, the Bureau has put Centerfire Systems through the
same drill -- send in their products and their customer lists.
In a related matter involving the definition of what makes a gun a
"gun," KT Ordnance was raided by BATFE last year and its products
were confiscated. What were the dangerous items? A parts kit for
customers to legally make their own (unregistered) firearm. Again,
BATFE wanted the customer list.
The capricious activities by the BATFE wreck economic chaos on these
companies, in addition to violating both theirs and their customers'
rights protected by the Second Amendment.
It is time for the BATFE to put their procedures for determining what
is a firearm, and what is a machine gun, in writing.
This latest bait and switch is but another backdoor effort on the
part of the federal government to attack gun ownership. This time
the attack is on manufacturers.
ACTION: Please contact Pres. Bush. If we do not restrain BATFE now,
they will do immeasurable damage to the firearms industry in the
United States.
You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at
http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send the President the
pre-written message below. You can also contact the President via
telephone:
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
---- Pre-written letter ----
Dear President Bush,
I am outraged that BATFE still has no written procedures for
determining what is a firearm, and what is a machine gun. It has now
been two years since the publication of ATF Firearms Procedures by
the Congressional Research Service when they revealed that Firearms
Technology Branch has no written procedures.
The Bureau has been in existence for over 30 years. How many
prosecutions have put gun owners and manufacturers in jail based on
shifting, arbitrary and capricious "expert" testimony in
court which
is not based on written procedures?
When is the BATFE going to publish proposed written procedures for
the public to comment on them? When is the Justice Department going
to review the conviction of every gun owner and manufacturer where a
BATFE "expert" testified against him?
Please have the BATFE take action on these problems right away.
Sincerely,
The problem is one of ONGOING ABUSE, a problem that The Congress, by virtue of having failed to check te BATFE, has made worse. Matter of fact, via having failed to check the antics of this run away mob, Congress has essentially placed it's seal of approval on this agencies tactics and methods, methods and tactics that include phoney prosecutions, tampering with evidence and plain old fahioned double-talk and double-dealing.
Exactly what do you plan doing or what do you think needs to be done and when in blazes will needed action be taken? I submit that the antics of the BATFE would be out of place in some Third World Banana Republic. Given that, how is it that they are tolerated here? I doubt that writing the president will accomplish anything, however contact with members of congress might help.
Re the following alert, received from GOA,if half of the claims/statements in the following are correct, much more than half are documented, then we have one hell of a problem on our hands. By the way, writing to the president re this is, I believe, a waste of time, as is expecting DOJ to investigate itself. See alert below.
Time To Rein In The BATFE
-- Please ask George Bush to take the agency to the woodshed
Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
Thursday, February 22, 2007
The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has
been on a tear under the administration of Attorney General Alberto
Gonzalez.
Manufacturers of various products have been told in writing that
their products are not a firearm and that they can be marketed
outside the federal paperwork system for selling firearms. Then,
months or years later, BATFE sends another letter reversing the first
determination.
The Congressional Research Service found in 2005 (ATF Firearms
Procedures) that BATFE has no written procedures for determining what
is a firearm. The "process" is arbitrary, and the string of
reversals in recent months shows how capricious a BATFE determination
is.
Historic Arms received a letter of determination in 1995 that its
BM-3000 was not a firearm. Indeed, Historic Arms had designed the
product as an accessory for a machine gun to fire different kinds of
ammunition than the gun had originally been designed to fire. For 11
years, the company manufactured their product without incident. But
in 1996, Historic Arms received a second letter determining that the
product was actually a machine gun!
As in other cases, BATFE wanted all the company's products sent to
Washington along with all the names of the customers who had
purchased the item.
In 2004, the BATFE determined that the Akins Accelerator was a "non
firearm" accessory that allowed a shooter to bump fire a semi-auto
and considerably increase the rate of fire. This year, BATFE has
determined that the trigger finger which is bumping the trigger is
itself a machine gun! Again, send in all the product and customer
names.
For years, Centerfire Systems had a parts kit that it sold for
machine guns. Now, six years later, BATFE has reversed itself on
this company. And, the Bureau has put Centerfire Systems through the
same drill -- send in their products and their customer lists.
In a related matter involving the definition of what makes a gun a
"gun," KT Ordnance was raided by BATFE last year and its products
were confiscated. What were the dangerous items? A parts kit for
customers to legally make their own (unregistered) firearm. Again,
BATFE wanted the customer list.
The capricious activities by the BATFE wreck economic chaos on these
companies, in addition to violating both theirs and their customers'
rights protected by the Second Amendment.
It is time for the BATFE to put their procedures for determining what
is a firearm, and what is a machine gun, in writing.
This latest bait and switch is but another backdoor effort on the
part of the federal government to attack gun ownership. This time
the attack is on manufacturers.
ACTION: Please contact Pres. Bush. If we do not restrain BATFE now,
they will do immeasurable damage to the firearms industry in the
United States.
You can visit the Gun Owners Legislative Action Center at
http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm to send the President the
pre-written message below. You can also contact the President via
telephone:
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
FAX: 202-456-2461
---- Pre-written letter ----
Dear President Bush,
I am outraged that BATFE still has no written procedures for
determining what is a firearm, and what is a machine gun. It has now
been two years since the publication of ATF Firearms Procedures by
the Congressional Research Service when they revealed that Firearms
Technology Branch has no written procedures.
The Bureau has been in existence for over 30 years. How many
prosecutions have put gun owners and manufacturers in jail based on
shifting, arbitrary and capricious "expert" testimony in
court which
is not based on written procedures?
When is the BATFE going to publish proposed written procedures for
the public to comment on them? When is the Justice Department going
to review the conviction of every gun owner and manufacturer where a
BATFE "expert" testified against him?
Please have the BATFE take action on these problems right away.
Sincerely,
The problem is one of ONGOING ABUSE, a problem that The Congress, by virtue of having failed to check te BATFE, has made worse. Matter of fact, via having failed to check the antics of this run away mob, Congress has essentially placed it's seal of approval on this agencies tactics and methods, methods and tactics that include phoney prosecutions, tampering with evidence and plain old fahioned double-talk and double-dealing.
Exactly what do you plan doing or what do you think needs to be done and when in blazes will needed action be taken? I submit that the antics of the BATFE would be out of place in some Third World Banana Republic. Given that, how is it that they are tolerated here? I doubt that writing the president will accomplish anything, however contact with members of congress might help.
