DOJ Says One Thing And Does Another

The Department of Justice announced a new regulation and plans to update the definition as just who is a dealer in firearms. I won’t get into the meat of the proposal but one thing in their release just jumped out at me.

From the news release:

Federally licensed firearms dealers are critical partners to federal, state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement in our shared goal of promoting public safety. They help keep firearms out of the hands of prohibited persons by running background checks on potential purchasers; ensure that crime guns can be traced back to their first retail purchaser by keeping records of transactions; and facilitate safe storage of firearms by providing child-safety locks with every transferred handgun and offering customers other secure gun storage options.

If FFLs are such critical partners to law enforcement in the shared goal of promoting public safety, then why does the Biden Administration demand the ATF treat them like shit?

There are stories after story about how the ATF’s Industry Operations Inspectors are combing the records of dealers during their audits looking for something, anything, with which to use to revoke the dealer’s license. They are deeming clerical errors as “willful” and thus subject to zero tolerance. Moreover, if a dealer just happens to be a plaintiff in a civil rights lawsuit against the ATF, they are doubly sure of getting a rectal exam type of audit from ATF. Witness the cases of Michael Cargill in Texas and Morehouse Enterprises in North Dakota.

WTF, DOJ?

It is highly unusual for the US Department of Justice to release a statement saying that they disagree with a US Supreme Court decision. Yet, that is exactly what Biden’s DOJ did yesterday after the Supreme Court issued its opinion in NYSRPA v. Bruen.

Bear in mind Justice Kavanaugh’s concurrence where he pointed out that 43 states already have shall issue concealed carry and would only impact the outliers. Moreover, 11 out of the top 15 US cities by population are in states with either shall-issue carry or permitless carry.

If the DOJ was intent on defending federal firearms laws as they state, then why has Hunter Biden not been charged for lying on the ATF Form 4473? Is this a case of laws for thee but not for me?

Do they mean to weaponize the FBI and especially the BATFE against gun owners, dealers, and manufacturers? Will they be working with less free states to slow walk this decision?

It is interesting that this statement is attributed to the DOJ while a similar statement on the overturning of Roe v. Wade is directly from Attorney General Merrick Garland.

H/T Cernovich

Dr. John Lott Is Now At DOJ

I got a LinkedIn notice yesterday telling me that Dr. John Lott had taken a position with the US Department of Justice. He is now the Senior Advisor for Research and Statistics. Unfortunately, as Dr. Lott noted to me when I congratulated him on the new position, it is a political appointment which will end when President Trump leaves office in January.

According to an article posted this morning in Yahoo News, Dr. Lott will be working in the Office of Justice Programs which is responsible for administering $5 billion annually in grants to states, police departments, and non-profits.

The article there is a repost from Politico. The headline referred to him as “controversial gun advocate”. Jeez!

Dr. Lott left the Crime Prevention Research Center on October 12th to take the DOJ job according to CPRC Executive Director Nikki Goeser.

From the article:

Lott’s role as president of CPRC was turned over earlier this month to Andrew Pollack, who emerged as a prominent pro-gun voice after his 18-year-old daughter Meadow was killed in the shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in 2018.

Pollack did not respond to requests for comment, but CPRC Executive Director Nikki Goeser said the group’s pro-gun advocacy will continue.

“Since Dr. Lott left the CPRC on October 12th, much about the CPRC will remain unchanged,” Goeser told POLITICO by email.

“Research projects that we have been conducting are continuing: on the percent of gun ownership across different countries as well as our regular reports on things such as the number of concealed handgun permits, keeping track of what would have been mass public shootings that were stopped by concealed handgun permit holders will continue, keeping track of states that allow people to carry handguns at state capitols will continue, and similarly for state rules on letting teachers carry guns,” she added.