If this was a purely political blog, I’d run a post entitled “OMG! The Feds Cut Spending! OMG!” I support the sequester with the same fervor that herpetologists support Sofia Hellqvist‘s interest in their legless friends. Speaking of scales, it’s time to face the music. Anything that cuts the federal budget is OK with me, from the Obamaphone program to defense spending. And now we learn that the sequester could cut federal funds spent on “gun control.” As someone who believes there shouldn’t be any gun control laws—zip, zero, none—I couldn’t be happier. Well, I could be if the bill completely defunded the ATF. But I’ll take what they won’t get. Specifically . . .
All sides say they want better enforcement of current gun laws, but law enforcement officials are warning the budget cuts looming at the end of this week would be a major setback to those efforts — and could end up putting more guns in the hands of criminals.
The Obama administration has told Congress that every FBI employee would be furloughed for 14 workdays and nearly $60 million would be cut from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, putting a dent in the government’s ability to investigate and prosecute gun crimes — a top priority in the wake of the December school shootings in Connecticut.
This washingtontimes.com story fills my heart with joy! Can it get any better—other than the complete and utter defeat of the civilian disarmament movement throughout the world? No. Not for now.
David Chipman, a former ATF agent who now works with the gun-control advocacy group Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said the agency doesn’t have extra agents to spare, and said the impact of any cuts would be felt.
“There are twice as many gun dealers as there are post offices, and the ATF is an agency that’s smaller than the Broward County [Fla.] sheriff’s office,” Mr. Chipman said. “There are hundreds of ATF inspectors trying to oversee the conduct of tens of thousands of dealers.
“It’s already an uphill battle. Just the thought that we would have an ATF agent trained to be on the street trying to prevent the next attack, sitting at home because the government can’t pay him to work is just incredible.”
But true! Now if only Chipman [above right] would sit at home and do nothing, instead of collecting Bloomberg bucks as a paid shill for Mayors Against Legal Guns, hobnobbing with celebrities who would deny their fellow Americans their Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms. His inactivity would increase the sum of human happiness exponentially.
Oh and the threat that the FBI’s NICS checks would slow from lack of money/personnel isn’t such a big deal. There’s sweet FA to buy now anyway. So it’s as good a time to drain the swamp as any. Better than most.