BATFE

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Remember Project Gunwalker?

August 12, 2022 by 4 Comments

Do you remember Project Gunwalker? It was also officially known as Operation Fast and Furious. I tend to prefer David Codrea‘s name for this scandal as it involved walking guns to Mexico in the hopes that they would then show up on crime scenes. It was an effort of the Obama Administration, BATFE, and the Department of Justice to build support for more gun control. Thanks to the efforts of bloggers like David, Dave Workman, and the late Mike Vanderboegh along with mainstream journalists Sharyl Attkisson and William LaJeunesse the veil of secrecy was removed.

One thing that was always a puzzle was how BATFE actually thought they could track the firearms after they left the gun stores. Thanks to Twitter post by gun rights attorney Stephen Stamboulieh we now know.

He also had a picture of these stocks all packaged up.

I have to wonder a) how long the batteries really would have lasted, b) how long would these rifles have taken to reach the cartels once they left the gun store, c) whether the tracking devices would rattle within the stocks, d) if they rattled would the cartels discover the devices, and e) whether the cartels upon discovering the tracking devices would have ended up killing the gun dealers.

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ATF Celebrates Anniversary Of NFA

June 26, 2022 by 9 Comments

Whoever is the social media specialist at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is clueless. Their Facebook page is evidence of that.

Often their posts seem more like an effort to tee up negative comments than anything else. They go on about straw purchasing which tees up questions about Project Gunwalker aka Operation Fast and Furious. They talk about arson which tees up responses dealing with the raid on the Branch Davidian compound. Indeed, on February 28th, the anniversary of the ATF raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, they memorialize the agents killed in the raid. You can imagine the comments that engendered!

Today’s post was celebrating the enactment of the National Firearms Act on June 26, 1934. I am posting a screen shot of it below.

Umm. The NFA Handbook says on the length of rifle barrels, “A rifle subject to the NFA has a barrel or barrels of less than 16 inches in length.”

I think ATF’s Facebook page needs to have a disclaimer on it. Something like, “This page is for entertainment purposes only. Do not rely on it for regulatory or legal issues because we will get it wrong.”

I admit the primary reason I even pay attention to the page is to read the comments by well-known libertarian Spike Cohen. His comment today is representative of them.

88 years of doing nothing but violating people’s rights, criminalizing and murdering peaceful people, and government agencies trafficking guns to cartels and terrorists.

And all because, instead of just admitting that alcohol prohibition had led to massive gang violence, government decided to blame the guns. The same guns that had been available for sale at stores and in magazines by mail for anyone, with no regulation whatsoever, and with no previous massive violence.

Turns out government has a long, proud history of making everything it touches worse.

Happy Birthday. May it be your agency’s last one.

I don’t know how many of our tax dollars go to support the person or persons responsible for handling social media for ATF but I know that it is money wasted.

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Dettelbach – Never Owned A Firearm

June 19, 2022 by 2 Comments

Steve Dettelbach is the nominee of President Biden to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. It is both a regulatory and law enforcement agency. Part of its mission is to serve as the primary agency regulating the firearms industry. Another part of its mission is combating violent crime.

As I posted earlier in the week, the Senate Judiciary Committee tied 11-11 on whether to advance Dettelbach’s nomination. It still can go forward as the Senate Majority Leader can bring him up for a vote in case of a tie. Prior to voting on Dettelbach, the committee held a hearing as well as submitted written questions for the record.

You would assume that anyone charged with regulating an industry have some knowledge of it and its products. In this case you would be wrong.

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) (among others) submitted a number of questions. The answers that Dettelbach gave somewhat astounded me.

Have you ever owned a firearm?
RESPONSE: No.

Have you ever been issued a firearm in a professional capacity?
RESPONSE: No.

As to whether Dettelbach has ever shot a firearm, here is his answer to Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX).

Have you ever used a firearm? If so, when and under what circumstances?
RESPONSE: Yes. As a youth, I engaged in target shooting with rifles on numerous occasions. In my time as a Department of Justice employee, on several occasions I was hosted at federal and local law enforcement shooting ranges and afforded the opportunity to target shoot with different types of firearms. Finally, as an adult, I have taken my son to shoot targets with rifles several times.

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), the Ranking Member and former Chair of the Committee, asked a number of questions of Dettelbach including this one:

The Director of the ATF should be familiar with firearms. To that end, have you ever shot a firearm? How many times have you shot a firearm in the last five years?


RESPONSE: As a youth, I engaged in target shooting with rifles on numerous occasions. In my time as a Department of Justice employee, on several occasions I was hosted at federal and local law enforcement shooting ranges and afforded the opportunity to target shoot with different firearms. Finally, as an adult, I have taken my son to shoot targets with rifles several times. I am not sure of all the dates, but I believe at least one such occasion was within the last five years.

Sen. Grassley also asked if Dettelbach had any meeting or communications with Everytown, Giffords, or the Brady Campaign. He reports that he didn’t have any meeting with Everytown but did have one remote meeting each with people from Giffords and the Brady Campaign. Both of those meeting were about him giving his background and them giving a presentation of their goals and objectives.

My concern is not really that Dettelbach has not owned a firearm. That is his choice. However, his experience, if you read between the lines, seems to be with .22 rimfire rifles. His lack of experience with firearms makes him dependent upon the so-called experts at BATFE. The same experts who once upon a time defined a shoelace as a machine gun and that concerns me.

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Senate Judiciary Committee Ties On Dettelbach

June 16, 2022 by

The Senate Judiciary Committee held their business meeting this morning to consider a handful of nominations. Included in the list was that of Steven Dettelbach to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. The vote of his nomination was an 11-11 tie.

Given that all the Democrats who “support the Second Amendment but…” are in line to vote for him along with at least one or two RINOs, I think he will be confirmed. While not as obviously bad as David Chipman, he does have an anti-gun history and will do his damnedest to screw over gun owners through regulation.

GOA released this Tweet on his nomination. While it may be a bit futile, it still might alert the Republicans who are capitulating on gun control that it is not that smart of a move after all.

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ATF Threat To Curios And Relics

May 19, 2022 by 3 Comments

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives has released a new report entitled National Firearms Commerce and Trafficking Assessment: Firearms in Commerce. It was released May 5th and has received some attention in the media. That attention is concentrated primarily on privately made firearms and the increase in production of all firearms since the year 2000.

As they say, the devil is in the details and this 308-page report touches on a lot more than the increase in production and privately made firearms. While I may get into depth on other parts of the report and the BATFE’s recommendation in later posts, today I want to concentrate on what they have to say about curios and relics.

As things stand now, a C&R is defined by Title 27 Code of Federal Regulations §478.26. They can be a) firearms manufactured more than 50 years prior to today; b) firearms certified by the curator of a municipal, State, or Federal museum that exhibits firearms to be of museum interest; or c) any other firearm that gets a substantial part of its value from being “novel, rare, bizarre, or because of their association with some historical figure, period, or event.” Thus, a curio and relic could be any firearm ranging from a Ruger Model 77 made in April 1972 to Gen. George Patton’s personal handguns. In my own collection of curios and relics is a Winchester Model 50 semi-auto shotgun. It qualified under the 50 year rule and its only real claim to fame for me is that it was manufactured in 1957 which is the year of birth.

The report devotes parts of two pages to curios and relics as well as C&R FFLs. As I have held this FFL since 1997, this was of particular interest. First they note that the number of 03 FFLs has increased by 148% since 2000 with there being 59,457 currently. Those of us with this license now compose 40% of all FFLs. Much is that proportional increase is a result of the decrease in numbers of 01 FFLs due to increased regulations and the anti-gun policies of the Obama and Biden administrations. Second they note while they do have a list of all firearms classified as curios and relics since 1972, they do not have a data system that tracks information on these firearms, museums that certify museum interest, etc. They then note their data analysis questions the 50-year rule. Therein lies the rub.

Here are their recommendations (Page 162):

1. ATF should receive funding to develop a data system that tracks the history of each C&R firearm on the list to include: full description of the firearm, the date the firearm is added to the C&R list, identification of the criteria met to add the firearm to the C&R list, the person making the request, what museum stated the firearm was of historical interest, and who stated the firearm was rare, novel, or collectible. The three criteria for approving a firearm to be added to the C&R list are found in 27 C.F.R. §478. As possible, this information should be catalogued for ATFs current list C&R List -January 1972 through April 2018.

2. DOJ should review the C&R criteria in 27 C.F.R. §478 to determine if the “more than 50 years old” factor is still valid in determining that a firearm is truly a curio or relic. The C&R provisions were enacted in 1968 and firearms more than 50 years old at that time were manufactured prior to 1918. Today, firearms that are more than 50 years old were manufactured prior to 1972 and this now includes a wide variety of modem firearms to include some AR-15 type rifles, AK-47 type rifles, SKS rifles, and semi-automatic handguns. Importation, transfer, and background check regulations are different for firearms on the
C&R list and holders of a Type 03 FFL.

As I see it, these recommendations boil down to two things. First, BATFE says we want money to fund what we should have already been doing with existing funding. Second, BATFE is saying Springfield 1903s we were cool with but those icky ARs, AKs, SKSs, and semi-auto handguns give us the vapors.

Unfortunately, the Gun Control Act of 1968 gives the Attorney General the authority to define a curio or relic by regulation. Given the anti-gun, anti-rights bias of both Merrick Garland and President Joe Biden, this is a real problem. I could foresee them categorically removing the 50-year rule from what constitutes a curio and relic and limiting them to what is on the list. January 20. 2025 as well as January 2023 cannot get here soon enough.

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John Ross, RIP

May 4, 2022 by

John Ross, author of Unintended Consequences, passed away of a heart attack on April 29th. I know the news has started to spread amongst the gun culture given the status of his book as a classic.

I bought a hardback copy a number of years ago. Fortunately, I’ve never lent it out as I understand lent copies sometimes fail to be returned and the hardback has become unobtainable unless you are willing to pay an extravagant amount. Softcover copies are reported to be available here.

I’m guessing I’ve read the book at least three times. Beyond the history of the gun culture and the later adventures of Henry Bowman in his war against the ATF, what I loved about the book was the setting in Saint Louis. As I’ve mentioned many times, I have relatives in the area including my older daughter. When Ross wrote about Barnes Hospital, I could relate as my daughter works for its successor as did my brother-in-law and son-in-law. When the Bowmans drove Hwy 40 through Saint Louis, I could picture it.

One thing I do regret is that Donald Trump didn’t take John on the offer to be Director of BATFE and take a $1 per year salary. That would have been fantastic. I can only imagine just how he would have screwed with the Deep State.

I came across his obituary today. It is from a Saint Louis funeral home which is where his memorial service will be held on Friday.

From Lupton Chapel, Inc.:

John Franklin Ross

April 29, 2022

Passed away unexpectedly on Friday, April 29th of natural causes, at his home in Richmond Heights. Mr. Ross is survived by his daughter Lucy Margaret Ross, of Boulder, Colorado, and his two sisters Helen Ross and Lucy Natkiel. John is the son of Walter Ross and Lucianna Gladney Ross, deceased, both of St. Louis, as well as the grandson of Frank Y. Gladney, a prominent attorney and businessman in St. Louis.

John graduated from John Burroughs High School in Ladue in 1974 and from Amherst College in 1979 with a B.A. in English, which he put to great use later in his career as a writer.

He was employed by E.F. Hutton for almost a decade as a broker, and later as an executive in the Clayton regional office. He later left the financial industry to concentrate on being a full-time writer. 

John was a world-class expert and instructor on shooting, firearms, and ammunition. Having been introduced to gun culture at a young age by his uncle Graves Gladney, also of St. Louis, John became a nationally recognized prodigy in shooting and designing firearms and ammunition by the time he graduated from high school. 

It was a lifelong passion for John, who as an adult became a world-renowned and highly respected expert in many different areas of the global firearms and ammunition industries. His dedication to gun culture and to the history of firearms in America led to his ongoing work as one of the tireless pro-Second Amendment lobbying activists in Jefferson City over a period of more than ten years. His work there was largely responsible for the State of Missouri’s ultimate reversal of its existing legislation and its subsequent adoption of the constitutional carry statute, and relaxed purchasing regulations for Missouri citizens.

Before that, in 1995, John published his first and best-known novel Unintended Consequences, which has sold over 100,000 copies as of 2022. The book is—within the worldwide sociological sub-group known informally as “the Gun Culture”—one of the most popular and influential books in the long history of that demographic, and the book has been published in several languages and sold in over 100 countries. 

John was working tirelessly on a sequel to Unintended Consequences when he passed, and the publishers have already committed to examining the unfinished work and doing everything they can to get it published within a year. 

John had an appetite for life and pursued his dreams and interests with intense abandon. Whether you found him barreling down the slopes of Aspen, Colorado; in the cockpit of his Pitts Model 12 biplane; setting up his famous over-the-top July 4th firework display; or regaling friends with an eccentric joke at any of his local Soulard haunts, John’s generosity of spirit allowed him to forge deep friendships over the decades of pursuing his passions. He loved sharing what he loved with the people that he loved.

The Memorial Service will be held at THE LUPTON CHAPEL, 7233 Delmar Blvd., University City, MO 63130 on Friday, May 6, 2022 at 3:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers the family ask that donations be made to either FreedomPrincipleSTL.org (an activist non-profit that works to defend, through events, lobbying and suggested legislation, the political principles John fought so hard for in Missouri all of his life) or ChallengeAspen.org (a non-profit based in Aspen that provides year-round adaptive outdoor experiences, such as skiing or snowboarding, for individuals faced with physical or cognitive disabilities).

I really do hope his unfinished manuscript that is the sequel to Unintended Consequences can be made into a book. According to Michael Bane, it was to be entitled Cold Resolve. I know I’d buy it as soon as it was published.

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Tweet Of The Day

April 12, 2022 by

The tweet of the day comes from the Firearms Policy Coalition. It points out that President Biden’s new nominee to head BATFE, Steve Dettelbach, is like David Chipman but without the paper trail.

I love the play on the old Scooby Doo cartoon as well.

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Social Media And ATF – A Match Made In Hell

February 14, 2022 by 2 Comments

Given how the government works, I am guessing the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is paying their Manager of Social Media a six-figure salary. I have been reading their posts on Facebook and Twitter for a few months now. I continually am shaking my head. However, just when I thought it could not get any worse, it did.

The tweet below which is also posted to Facebook is asking the spurned ex to go full Stasi on the former boyfriend or girlfriend.

I’ve heard of being tone deaf but urging an ex to take retribution on someone with whom they had an intimate relationship on a day supposedly devoted to love is profoundly tone deaf.

The comments have run as you might well expect. They contain tons of pictures of Eric Holder and hashtags of Operation Fast and Furious.

David Codrea reminded them that they still have done nothing about Hunter Biden who lied on his Form 4473 about illegal drug use.

One of the better comments was this one:

Even if I did, my Ex’s dog doesn’t deserve to die.

On a more serious note:

Encouraging revenge based reports, many of which will be false to get Ex’s ‘SWAT’ed, while your own agency still has to answer for #OperationFastAndFuriousThat’s a bold strategy.

Way to use a Hallmark/Hershey’s holiday to turn people into your own personal, unconstitutional gestapo.

This post by BATFE gives new meaning to the Valentine’s Day Massacre.

UPDATE: Then there is this great response by @docboogie.

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You Can Still Buy A Cannon!

February 4, 2022 by 3 Comments

As Tom Gresham often says on Gun Talk, a lie repeated often enough becomes the truth. I think that is Joe Biden’s mantra especially with regard to all things Second Amendment and firearms.

Even though his lie about the Founders not allowing you to buy a cannon was debunked, he still repeated it again yesterday. Joe, Joe, Joe. SMDH.

Even the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives will tell you that you don’t need a license or have to pay a tax to own a muzzle-loading cannon. Moreover, for a $200 tax plus registration, you can own a more modern artillery piece. My friends Cheryl and Danny Todd have one.

So Joe’s Big Lie got me to wondering where I could go if I wanted my very own muzzle-loading cannon. Turns out I didn’t have to look too hard.

Hern Iron Works of Couer d’Alene, Idaho is offering a Model 1861 3″ light artillery rifle for only $3,951. While that doesn’t include the carriage, I’m sure anyone handy with wood could make their own.

Let’s say you want to go a little bigger. Dixie Gun Works has their Civil War Field Cannon with an 8″ muzzle diameter for a little bit more. This steel-lined, cast iron beauty weighs a mere 875 pounds.

If you want something a little smaller but with lots of style, Steen Cannons of Ashland, KY offers their US Model 1857 12-pounder Napoleon in bronze. Price, unfortunately, is on request but Steen has a lot of models from which to choose.

These are all legal and all are working cannons. You just need a supply of black powder, fuses, and some ammunition. If you want an idea of your choices, Wikipedia comes through!

So do the guys on Myth Busters.

If you do buy a cannon, play it safe. We don’t want a Moms Demand Action Against Cannon Violence to be Shannon Watts next new gig.

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ATF’s PR Campaign Against Self-Made Firearms

February 3, 2022 by

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is engaged in a public relations campaign using the mainstream media to build support for their proposed rulemaking that includes identification of privately made firearms. Of course, the mainstream media and the leadership of the BATFE are calling them “ghost guns” as that term is meant to scare those who are uninformed.

A case in point is a report that aired tonight on the CBS Evening News. The report by Jeff Pegues included an interview with Acting BATFE Director Marvin Richardson. The report slyly included the Glock auto switch in with 80% frames and 3-D printed frames. I say slyly because the Glock auto switch is considered a machine gun and would be illegal to make or own for an ordinary person given the Hughes Amendment. What the story also doesn’t really say is that no matter the origin of any firearm, self-made, stolen, or purchased, it is still illegal for a prohibited person to possess one as well as the ammunition. Nonetheless, they continue to blame the firearm for crime and not the illegal possessor.

You can see this for yourself in the video below:

Bear in mind that over 249,000 comments were received on this proposed rulemaking. While I don’t have the final breakdown between those in favor and those against this proposed rule, I am going to make an informed guess that that 90% or more were against it. In the end, the BATFE will do what the Biden Administration wants and enact the rule. They will ignore our comments and will basically tell the American people who don’t want it to f*%$ off. Court cases will be filed, money wasted on enforcing an unenforceable law, and nothing will stop those who are prohibited from possessing a firearm from doing whatever they want.