Covert Mission
New member
SHOCKING CONCLUSIONS BY THE BATF! CRIMINALS SELL GUNS! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
(My comments in bold --CM)
June 25, 2000
Study Says Gun Traffickers Arm Criminals
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
WASHINGTON, June 24 -- More than half the investigations of
firearms trafficking conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms recovered at least one gun that
had been used in other crimes, a study by
the bureau has found.
"This report shows that trafficking investigations lead to armed
violent criminals," Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers said last
week at a new conference. The Department of the Treasury oversees
the bureau.
The report documented 1,530 investigations by the bureau's agents
between July 1996 and December 1998.
More than half the investigations involved firearms known to have
been used in other crimes, Mr. Summers said, including homicides,
robberies and assaults. And a quarter of the traffickers were
convicted felons, he said.
President Clinton,in a statement, said: "gun trafficking puts
thousands of guns onto our nation's streets and contributes
significantly to our nation's gun violence problems. Each gun put into
the hand of a criminal represents the possibility of one more life
lost, one more family destroyed."
No sh*t, Sherlock! Substitute the word "drugs" for guns in BillyBoy's statement... "drug trafficking puts thousands of drugs onto our nation's streets and contributes significantly to our nation's drug problems." Would you say that it's the criminals who might be the problem, in both cases?
Bureau and Justice Department officials, working with state and local
law-enforcement officials, have turned up more than 84,000
firearms, leading to more than 1,700 prosecutions on gun-trafficking
charges, the authorities said.
Wow. They're actually doing their job, finally. what were they doing prior to 1996, when the murder rate was soaring?
More than 14 percent of the trafficking investigations involved
juvenile cases; about 17 percent were associated with homicide
cases and robbery cases, respectively; and about 25 percent were
associated with assaults, the study found.
Felons play a significant role in the sale and distribution of firearms.
This sounds like a fine use of taxpayer's research dollars: Federal Study Concludes That Felons Sell Guns. Stop the presses. How about more studies like this, maybe something like "Study reveals that it snows more in Alaska than in Florida." By definition, isn't someone who sells guns illegally a criminal?
The study indicated that when law enforcement officials followed a
gun used in a crime to its supplier, the authorities often found
another violent criminal. For example, about a quarter of the bureau's
investigations involved felons buying, selling or possessing firearms.
"Thus, investigations that 'follow the crime gun' to its illegal source
are not only an effective strategy to disrupt and reduce firearms
trafficking in a community, they also are an effective means to
apprehend felons, armed career criminals and narcotics traffickers
who possess and misuse firearms," investigators wrote in the report.
SHOCKING. I'm reeling from this revelation. Can it really be true that people who are involved in one illegal activity are actually involved in other criminal activities too, and are criminals?
In March 1996, for example, a gun was recovered from a juvenile in
Washington who had been charged with illegal possession of a
firearm. The gun was traced to a gun dealer in Missouri and then to a
gun trafficker in Nashville, who had sold 200 to 300 guns on the
streets of the nation's capital.
To date, 138 firearms linked to the dealer in Missouri have been
recovered after being used in crimes in the Washington area, including
homicide and burglary.
James E. Johnson, the undersecretary for enforcement at the Treasury
Department, called this effort "finding the criminal behind the
criminal." Mr. Johnson said that the Clinton administration would
"continue to push for strong legislation" from Congress, particularly
dealing with the so-called gun show loophole.
Corrupt gun dealers were associated with the most guns diverted to
traffickers, the study found, but gun shows were also a major
channel. The gun shows accounted for the second highest number of
trafficked guns per investigation, 130, and for about 26,000 illegally
diverted firearms. The investigations involved licensed and
unlicensed sellers at gun shows.
"No set of measures will ever eliminate access by all criminals to
firearms," Mr. Summers said.
However, he added, "every case against a gun trafficker contributes to
the reduction of gun violence."
Isn't it wonderful that our federal goverment has discovered, even though they'll never say it in so many words, that it just might be criminals who are responsible for gun crimes and trafficking, and not honest citizens? Do you think this will translate to less harassment of lawful gun enthusiasts and less oppressive legislation?
Gag...
[This message has been edited by Covert Mission (edited June 26, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Covert Mission (edited June 26, 2000).]
(My comments in bold --CM)
June 25, 2000
Study Says Gun Traffickers Arm Criminals
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
WASHINGTON, June 24 -- More than half the investigations of
firearms trafficking conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco and Firearms recovered at least one gun that
had been used in other crimes, a study by
the bureau has found.
"This report shows that trafficking investigations lead to armed
violent criminals," Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers said last
week at a new conference. The Department of the Treasury oversees
the bureau.
The report documented 1,530 investigations by the bureau's agents
between July 1996 and December 1998.
More than half the investigations involved firearms known to have
been used in other crimes, Mr. Summers said, including homicides,
robberies and assaults. And a quarter of the traffickers were
convicted felons, he said.
President Clinton,in a statement, said: "gun trafficking puts
thousands of guns onto our nation's streets and contributes
significantly to our nation's gun violence problems. Each gun put into
the hand of a criminal represents the possibility of one more life
lost, one more family destroyed."
No sh*t, Sherlock! Substitute the word "drugs" for guns in BillyBoy's statement... "drug trafficking puts thousands of drugs onto our nation's streets and contributes significantly to our nation's drug problems." Would you say that it's the criminals who might be the problem, in both cases?
Bureau and Justice Department officials, working with state and local
law-enforcement officials, have turned up more than 84,000
firearms, leading to more than 1,700 prosecutions on gun-trafficking
charges, the authorities said.
Wow. They're actually doing their job, finally. what were they doing prior to 1996, when the murder rate was soaring?
More than 14 percent of the trafficking investigations involved
juvenile cases; about 17 percent were associated with homicide
cases and robbery cases, respectively; and about 25 percent were
associated with assaults, the study found.
Felons play a significant role in the sale and distribution of firearms.
This sounds like a fine use of taxpayer's research dollars: Federal Study Concludes That Felons Sell Guns. Stop the presses. How about more studies like this, maybe something like "Study reveals that it snows more in Alaska than in Florida." By definition, isn't someone who sells guns illegally a criminal?
The study indicated that when law enforcement officials followed a
gun used in a crime to its supplier, the authorities often found
another violent criminal. For example, about a quarter of the bureau's
investigations involved felons buying, selling or possessing firearms.
"Thus, investigations that 'follow the crime gun' to its illegal source
are not only an effective strategy to disrupt and reduce firearms
trafficking in a community, they also are an effective means to
apprehend felons, armed career criminals and narcotics traffickers
who possess and misuse firearms," investigators wrote in the report.
SHOCKING. I'm reeling from this revelation. Can it really be true that people who are involved in one illegal activity are actually involved in other criminal activities too, and are criminals?
In March 1996, for example, a gun was recovered from a juvenile in
Washington who had been charged with illegal possession of a
firearm. The gun was traced to a gun dealer in Missouri and then to a
gun trafficker in Nashville, who had sold 200 to 300 guns on the
streets of the nation's capital.
To date, 138 firearms linked to the dealer in Missouri have been
recovered after being used in crimes in the Washington area, including
homicide and burglary.
James E. Johnson, the undersecretary for enforcement at the Treasury
Department, called this effort "finding the criminal behind the
criminal." Mr. Johnson said that the Clinton administration would
"continue to push for strong legislation" from Congress, particularly
dealing with the so-called gun show loophole.
Corrupt gun dealers were associated with the most guns diverted to
traffickers, the study found, but gun shows were also a major
channel. The gun shows accounted for the second highest number of
trafficked guns per investigation, 130, and for about 26,000 illegally
diverted firearms. The investigations involved licensed and
unlicensed sellers at gun shows.
"No set of measures will ever eliminate access by all criminals to
firearms," Mr. Summers said.
However, he added, "every case against a gun trafficker contributes to
the reduction of gun violence."
Isn't it wonderful that our federal goverment has discovered, even though they'll never say it in so many words, that it just might be criminals who are responsible for gun crimes and trafficking, and not honest citizens? Do you think this will translate to less harassment of lawful gun enthusiasts and less oppressive legislation?
Gag... [This message has been edited by Covert Mission (edited June 26, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Covert Mission (edited June 26, 2000).]