If they did this with cigarettes, you know they’ve done it with guns, too. Time to RICO the ATF? . . . I Smell Cash’: How the A.T.F. Spent Millions Unchecked
When The New York Times revealed the existence of the secret account in February, publicly available documents made it seem like the work of a few agents run amok. But thousands of pages of newly unsealed records reveal a widespread scheme — a highly unorthodox merger of an undercover law enforcement operation and a legitimate business. What began as a way to catch black-market cigarette dealers quickly transformed into a nearly untraceable A.T.F. slush fund that agents from around the country could tap.
The spending was not limited to investigative expenses. Two informants made $6 million each. One agent steered hundreds of thousands of dollars in real estate, electronics and money to his church and his children’s sports teams, records show.
Know your target and what’s beyond it . . . Upstate man killed in apparent hunting accident
The victim has been identified as Kenneth Jason Young, 40, of Starr.
Boseman said Young lived on Good Hope Church Road and was hunting in a nearby field. Boseman said a man and woman were also hunting hogs. They were not hunting with Young, nor did they know him, according to Boseman.
He said the woman was using a heat sensor scope and fired a shot – not realizing she was shooting at a person, Boseman said.
Wonder how much the average South Side gang banger would pay for a Ruger Charger . . . Former NBA player given prison for selling guns stolen in train heist
Just days after Nathan Driggers bought a load of brand-new Ruger pistols stolen from a South Side rail yard and resold them, weapons taken in the heist started showing up at crime scenes across the city, federal prosecutors say.
The first gun was found in April 2015 concealed in a vehicle during a traffic stop; the driver claimed the weapon was for protection from the city’s onslaught of gun violence, according to prosecutors. A second, loaded with six live rounds, was recovered two days later lying on a porch in the crime-ridden Englewood neighborhood.
Zinke’s been impressive so far . . . Interior Sec. Zinke Signs Order to Expand Access to Public Lands for Sportsmen
The National Shooting Sports Foundation® (NSSF®), the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industries, praised Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke for his decisive leadership today in signing a secretarial order that will expand access to public lands and increase opportunities for hunting and outdoor recreation nationwide. The action follows Sec. Zinke’s announcement at the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation annual dinner Wednesday that he would soon sign such a secretarial order addressing longtime priorities for hunters, recreational shooters and outdoorsmen and women.
“Secretary Zinke’s action today follows in the great tradition of President Teddy Roosevelt and recognizes the central role that hunters play in conservation and successful wildlife management,” said Lawrence G. Keane, NSSF senior vice president and general counsel. “The National Shooting Sports Foundation is deeply grateful to Secretary Zinke for this historic secretarial order. NSSF has worked closely with and in support of Interior Department officials on these priorities and the other positive steps announced today, which will serve to benefit current and future generations for years to come.”
A bullied, suicidal kid who threw up hundreds of warning flags had the combination to his father’s gun safe, but . . . Spokane County Sheriff Blames Everything But Guns For School Shooting
But when a reporter asked Knezovich how the shooter had access to the firearms used to kill classmate Sam Strahan and injure three others, the sheriff was reluctant to discuss gun control issues.
“Minors are not supposed to be in possession of a handgun until they’re 21,” he said. “You never know how people get ahold of weapons. Those are things we’ll be digging into in trying to figure out what exactly happened here.”
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What passes for progress in progressive San Francisco . . . S.F.’s lone gun store can reopen for business
San Francisco’s only gun store can resume selling firearms as early as November after the Police Department approved a conditional permit Wednesday, first requiring the store to beef up security measures before it reopens.
Sgt. William Coggan, who presided over the three-member panel that approved the retail permit, said opponents of High Bridge Arms on Mission Street near Valencia Street had failed to offer evidence backing their assertion that the store brought crime to the neighborhood.
“High Bridge appears to be a reasonably well-run business,” Coggan said of the shop, which opened in the late 1950s. “And even with all the restrictions and limits San Francisco puts on the store, High Bridge has the legal right to sell guns.”
Etiquette for Young Guns in the field
There is a lot of merit in a shoot having a pre-season safety and etiquette lecture. Another way is for all youngsters to be examined and passed by the shoot captain or committee before they are allowed to shoot. That is particularly beneficial as most youngsters see this as a rite of passage, admitting them into the “tribe”. Someone who brings a child to shoot who is unsafe and behaves badly should be banned from bringing that child again until he has learned how to conduct himself. Ultimately, it is for the shoot captain to get a grip on the members of his shoot and enforce discipline.
We need more gun control even if it doesn’t work . . . Listen Up Americans: We Need To Address The School Shooting Problem In This Country
I’ve done all the research and I know this is a complex issue that no one knows how to adequately solve. I understand the arguments about how gun control laws wouldn’t prevent these kinds of shootings from happening. And maybe that’s true. Maybe the U.S. has so many guns that it’s impossible to keep them out of the wrong hands. Maybe it happens so often here because the media unintentionally glorifies the shooters. Maybe it’s a failure of our mental health system as much as it is a failure of our country’s gun culture.
But even if all of those things are true, we still need reasonable, responsible gun legislation. And now is exactly the right time to talk about it.
Midway Foundation matches August donations
The MidwayUSA Foundation is continuing to help youth shooting teams grow their team endowments through a 2:1 Matching Program. In August, the MidwayUSA Foundation matched $449,170 in donations, benefiting 190 shooting teams. This 2:1 Matching Program is possible because of the generosity and passion of Larry and Brenda Potterfield. Their donations fund the program to help ensure the future youth shooting sports.
Each shooting team in the MidwayUSA Foundation Team Endowment Program has their own Team Endowment Account and supporters can give directly to their favorite team through the MidwayUSA Foundation website (midwayusafoundation.org). A simple search allows a donor to find their team, click ‘donate now,’ and give to that team. Donations are tax deductible and 100% of the donation benefits the team of their choice, the Foundation keeps zero for operating expenses. Donors can also choose to commit to a monthly or quarterly gift to their team. Through the end of 2017, those donations are matched 2:1…tripling each contribution.
The New York Police Department on Thursday released bodycam footage of a chaotic scene in which officers shot and killed a man brandishing a knife and a fake gun, the first fatal police encounter captured on the devices since officers started wearing them earlier this year.
The 16-minute compilation video shows the September 6 slaying of 31-year-old Miguel Richards, a college student studying information technology, which took place after a tense, hour-long standoff.
Officers were called to his Bronx studio apartment after his landlord reported he hadn’t seen him for a few days and requested a welfare check.
When you don’t have the facts on your side . . . Anti-Gun Politicians: Blocking Out The Facts About Suppressors
In that classic jump-the-shark moment, Giffords’ group claimed that suppressors were silencers, but that silencers did not protect hearing even though they allegedly muffled the sound to a point that would avoid police detection. That gun-ban group lost any credibility they might have had in the argument at that point.
In other words, cold, hard facts are the most difficult and unforgiving elements against which Hearing Protection Act opponents must fight. Realistically speaking, suppressors muffle the sound of gunshots without eliminating them. Through this process, they protect hearing, and the research group Doctors for Responsible Gun Ownership (DRGO) has explained that the level of protection suppressors offer is superior to ear plugs and/or muffs.
BATFE is a dank cove of the swamp. What are you doing Sessions??? INVESTIGATE
As bad at the ATF & really big fires may be, they are small potatoes in the DC swamp.
But very rotten potatoes. And rot spreads. The corruption, abuse of power, and generation of bad case law & regulation by the ATF have been tainting federal law enforcement for the better part of a century. Fast & Furious going unpunished begat the wanton obstruction of justice in the Clinton investigations, which is begetting the naked corruption on display in the Wasserman-Shultz/Awan congressional espionage case.
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“ATF and really big fires”, don’t forget sexual abuse of children, remember the excuse for invading the Branch Davidian compound with 100 agents in horse trailers was initially reported to be that the preacher-nut was having sex with little girls. I was SCREAMING at the TV, “WTF does that have to do with ATF?”
Yet another reason why I like to buy from MidwayUSA.
I agree. Great selection and customer service. Matter of fact, I just received my last package today from an order I made last week that I “rounded up”.
Round up is a great thing. Take my money, Midway. I know you’re doing good things with it.
“MidwayUSA Foundation is continuing to help youth shooting teams grow ”
Are they getting the GCA repealed so the competitors can buy ammo to practice with?
Their customer service is phenomenal. If you haven’t heard of them or are on the fence about ordering from them rest assured they are knowledgeable and professional every step of the way.
I went to one of Sydney’s gun shops today (be surprised, there are about 10+ gun shops in Sydney) to place a deposit on a Ruger Scout in .223.
There was an ad for them in the most recent SSAA magazine for $995 blued finish (+ 100 for stainless). Armed with the magazine I asked if they would still honor the offer (the ad said prices subject to change without notice and it was a few weeks since I received the magazine). They did and the deposit was paid. The same rifle is on their sales rack for $1500 so it pays to check the ads and to ask. Note prices are in Aussie dollars which exchanges at 80c US to 1 AUD.
And my son was with me asking questions which surprised the staff with the level of the questions he was asking.
Anybody else cringe at the suppressor video with him attaching the suppressor to the loaded glock and pointing it at his hand?
Never use 150 grains “magnum load” of black powder unless the rifle is specifically rated for it; most are not. Bad things can happen. “Magnum” loads are rarely necessary. The settlers took plenty of deer with 50-60 grain loads, and bear with just 75-80. Steels of the 17th, 18th and early to mid 19th centuries were not strong enough to hold higher charges. It is unlikely that the animals have gotten any tougher, so there isn’t any need to make the loads more powerful.
ATF? Not a damn thing will happen. I can see promotions, bonus money handed out, TAX PAYER funded parties, etc etc….. Nope, the swamp protects the swamp. Helped by a spineless congress.
The swamp includes congress. If any distinction is to be made, it could be said that congress is the area immediately surrounding the point where all of the city’s sewage is dumped into the swamp.
Still waiting for answers on the ‘Fast & Furious’ scandal. There is no accountability in government bureaucracies run amok.
Glad to hear High Bridge Arms is back in business. I had only been in there a few times but they seemed like nice folks.
They’re not. That SFGate article in the link is from 2010.
I just saw this article today as to how last year 40,000 Blacks are moving *out* of Chicago, and 17,000 Latinos moved *in* last year.
http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/09/15/hispanic-population-surges-in-chicago/
The question I have – Are those moving out the the sub-set driving the murder rates, or are they moving *out* to get away from the violence?
The unemployed criminals stay. No jobs (that aren’t fastfood) in Chiraq for the uneducated. As far as the spanglish it’s obviously obvious there is a FLOOD here. And there’s plenty of violent Mexicans-who vote D. I wouldn’t be surprised if Chewie Garcia makes mayor. I believe the real # is far higher than reported(we have a Mexican market nearby where a good percentage speak little or no English)…
RICO the ATF?
ATF is just one division of a much larger criminal organization.
RICO the Fedgov instead.
How do you propose to force the feds to ‘investigate’ themselves? Like all other so-called “federal investigations”, any such would just be a show that would go on for years and years, until the heat dies down and it just quietly… ‘goes away’.
“You don’t have to be smart to commit the perfect crime, only in charge of the following investigation”- Anonymous
Where did I say that I wanted fedgov to investigate or prosecute fedgov?
RICO suits can be filed by private citizens.
https://tollefsenlaw.com/civil-actions-under-rico/
The photo for that Scary Mommy article on school shootings seems to be pushing the association between people who wear hoodies and violent criminals.
Every time one of these nitwits says we need more gun control “even if it doesn’t work” I want to hand them a shovel and tell them to dig a hole that will get them up on the roof.
“Listen Up Americans: We Need To Address The School Shooting Problem In This Country”
So… Ban schools?
Re: Zinke: Well, if giving away public lands and thus access to them by hunters to large corporations for their exclusive exploitation is progress, I suppose that progress is being made. If, however, you think progress is more public access to public lands (and, dare I suggest, preservation and conservation of them) then, progress is NOT the correct word.
“Upstate man killed in apparent hunting accident” – This is why I quit hunting. In GA in the 70’s damn near everyone was drunk and in their tree stand before sunup. Anything that moved after sunrise was shot at – even if it was wearing an orange vest. You were stuck until about 9 – 10 am.
That Miguel Richard shooting is not the bad shooting being portrayed by many.
The cops are called by the landlord on a man with a knife who is mentally ill and also may have a firearm.
The arrive and repeatedly, and I don’t mean two or three times, but about 50 times, tell him to drop the knife, put down the knife. They do not rush him or the situation at all. They do have their firearms at ready but maintain their distance so as not to force the situation. He has a knife in his left hand and his right hand is completely obscured to the cops point of view (as evidenced from the body cam)
At about three minutes they call of a taser, just after the taser cop arrives, Richards — for the first time reveals his other hand — he has a red dot equipped realistic replica gun. you can see the red dot lit up and moving toward the cops. At that point he goes from a dangerous threat kept barely below lethality from the 20-25 distance, to an immediately lethal threat.
I don’t know what the policy is for tasing someone pointing a firearm in your direction. seems a taser is a great first attempt for someone at >20′ with a knife, but could actually cause someone to involuntarily fire if they are holding a gun.
What this episode shows is a good argument for tasers on all NYPD cops, or for them to take taser with them immediately on any wellness check. The irony is it is their patience that was the primary cause here. If they had tased him in the first four minutes this guy would be alive. Instead they tried for a very long time to seek voluntary compliance
Couldn’t they just have, you know, walked away? The guy wasn’t doing anything wrong. His only crime was that his nosy landlord hadn;t seen him in a few days. As a result, cops show up at his door and barge into his place and then spend several minutes harassing him. Can’t say thers any other way this would have ended. At what point do they just go “Well, it’s a wellness check, and he’s alive, and he’s not hurt or hurting anyone, how about we just leave”? To me an analogy would be a bear attack. If there’s an aggressive bear that has attacked/threatened people in their neighborhood etc, sure, sometimes you gotta put the dangerous animal down. But if the bear is hibernating in his cave and minding his own business, then you crawl all up in there, shining lights at him, making loud noises and poking him with a stick, is it really any surprise he bares his teeth at you? And does that make it “justified” for you to kill that bear? “Well, he was threatening me!!” Yeah no duh dip$hit, what’d you expect?