Do yall not see this?!?!?!?! ATF KNOCKING ON DOORS!

[xpur3l0g1cx]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/6505651.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In front of a run-down shack in north Houston, federal agents step from a government sedan into 102-degree heat and face a critical question: How can the woman living here buy four high-end handguns in one day?

The house is worth $35,000. A screen dangles by a wall-unit air conditioner. Porch swing slats are smashed, the smattering of grass is flattened by cars and burned yellow by sun.

“I’ll do the talking on this one,” agent Tim Sloan, of South Carolina, told partner Brian Tumiel, of New York.

Success on the front lines of a government blitz on gunrunners supplying Mexican drug cartels with Houston weaponry hinges on logging heavy miles and knocking on countless doors. Dozens of agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives — sent here from around the country — are needed to follow what ATF acting director Kenneth Melson described as a “massive number of investigative leads.”

All told, Mexican officials in 2008 asked federal agents to trace the origins of more than 7,500 firearms recovered at crime scenes in Mexico. Most of them were traced back to Texas, California and Arizona.

Among other things, the agents are combing neighborhoods and asking people about suspicious purchases as well as seeking explanations as to how their guns ended up used in murders, kidnappings and other crimes in Mexico.

“Ever turning up the heat on cartels, our law enforcement and military partners in the government of Mexico have been working more closely with the ATF by sharing information and intelligence,” Melson said Tuesday during a firearms-trafficking summit in New Mexico.

Firearms dealers visited
The ATF recently dispatched 100 veteran agents to its Houston division, which reaches to the border.

The mission is especially challenging because, officials say, that while Houston is the number one point of origin for weapons traced back to the United States from Mexico, the government can’t compile databases on gun owners under federal law.

Agents instead review firearms dealers’ records in person.

People who are legally in the United States and have clean criminal records, but are facing economic problems are often recruited by traffickers to buy weapons on their behalf in order to shield themselves from scrutiny.

Knocks at the door of the shack that looked to be the definition of hard times went unanswered.

“I am out of here,” Sloan said a few moments later, as a pit bull lazily sauntered from the back yard. “I don’t like pit bulls walking up behind me.”

Best information source
On second thought, Sloan switched to Spanish and interviewed a neighbor.

The neighbor said the woman left a month ago after a fight with her husband or boyfriend, who still lived there with what she called “other degenerates.”

“An angry ex-girlfriend or wife is the best person in the world, the greatest source of information,” Sloan said.

The night before, the duo were in a stakeout where they watched a weapons sale.

They also combined efforts with the Drug Enforcement Administration for an aircraft to stealthily follow traffickers to the border.

On this day, agents weren’t wearing raid jackets or combat boots and weren’t armed with warrants.

Guns were hidden under civilian shirts.

Another tip took agents on a 30-minute drive from the shack to a sprawling home with a pool in the back and an American flag out front.

It turned out two handguns, of a type drug gangsters prefer, were bought by a pastor for target practice.

Some stories, they say, are hard to believe.

The lamest so far came from a police officer: He said he bought a few military-style rifles, left them in his car and — on the same night — forgot to lock a door. He couldn’t explain why he didn’t file a police report or why he visited Mexico the day after the alleged theft.

[stevie_d_64]

This type of journalism, and surreal investigation by these BATFE agents straddles two issues these days...

The fact that they are looking at the purchases, and scrutinizing "legal" purchases, speaks volumes...

The unfortunate fact that people are assuming Houston is ground zero tothe "problem" is disturbing in and of itself...

I am not impressed one bit by the direction this issue is being steered by idiots in the media, and a government bent upon a nefarious agenda...

[Liberty]

If I understand what is going on here. The BATFE has become an extension of the Mexican government, and has as one of its missions disarming keeping the Mexican people disarmed.

This article smells of being written by an BATFE agent themselves.

[longtooth]

I agree w/ the suspected author Liberty.

[KC5AV]

I'd like to know which types of firearms these drug gangsters prefer.

[The Annoyed Man]

This is not the first thread on this topic, and YES, most of us have seen this, and we don't like it any more than you do. Your title implies that we don't care enough, but if you had done a search on it, you would see that is not true.

[Drewthetexan]

It is pretty common for PR agents to send material to media outlets for publication. If the story is written well, according to AP style, and has all the trimmings and trappings it can be published directly, although usually they are rewritten by a paid staff member. The media outlet gets to publish a story without much work (presumably they fact check the story) and the source gets their material published. Frankly it reads like a televised news story, not anything like a formal written story.

I wouldn't imagine that this is about keeping Mexican people disarmed. They can barely afford food let alone firearms. I don't think I would question BATFE tracing down original purchasers for weapons used in violent crimes, even if those crimes are committed in Mexico. I would hope that this is coordinated with an attempt to control drug trafficking & gang and cartel violence, which is a real problem and does affect us here stateside.

BATFE knocking on the doors of people who have no link to violent crime via serial number traces from recovered weapons is too far and that I take exception to.

[fireball]

Had co worker special order two P226 stainless elite in 9mm in January 2009 through the multi location local big box gun store in Houston and received said pistols in mid June. Apparently the big box gun store furnished info to feds of co workers purchase. In late June, ATF called co worker on phone to make an appointment to come by house to make sure co worker still had the two guns and was not a straw buyer for someone else. ATF agent was a female Houston police officer working under contract to ATF per my co worker. Agent/officer went by co worker s home at the appointed hour checked the serial number and identification of firearm and said thank you sorry for the inconvenience. It still pisses me off that obammy is pulling this kind of political ploy against our Second Amendment Rights.

[frazzled]

Why didn't he tell them to go away?

[mr.72]

In late June, ATF called co worker on phone to make an appointment to come by house to make sure co worker still had the two guns and was not a straw buyer for someone else.

How is this not unlawful search and seizure?

There is no evidence of a crime, there is no charge being investigated, nothing.

[TrueFlog]

In late June, ATF called co worker on phone to make an appointment to come by house to make sure co worker still had the two guns and was not a straw buyer for someone else.

How is this not unlawful search and seizure?

There is no evidence of a crime, there is no charge being investigated, nothing.

Presumably, the purchaser gave his consent for the agent to enter his home and examine the guns. Had he refused to consent and they searched anyway, that would be unlawful. My concern is how the ATF got the info about the purchase in the first place. Did they go to the store and search through the records? Or does the store contact the ATF about all gun sales as a matter of policy? I would be irate with any retailer who gave out my personal info regarding the sale of any product, especially guns, and especially to the feds. Unless the feds showed up and bullied the store into releasing the info, I'd never shop at that store (and possibly that chain) again.

[Mike1951]

For several years, it has been a requirement for a dealer to report the sale of multiple handguns to the same buyer within a week.

The dealer must complete and mail a form to BATFE showing these purchases.

HINT: Don't buy two or more from the same dealer!

[dicion]

I feel like going and buying 5 AR's from the same dealer, putting them in my safe, and waiting for ATF to show up.

ATF: "Why did you buy so many AR's?"
ME: "Do you have a 401k, or other retirement plan"
ATF: "Uhm.. sure"
ME: "So do I now."

[Rex B]

I feel like going and buying 5 AR's from the same dealer, putting them in my safe, and waiting for ATF to show up.

ME: "Do you have a 401k, or other retirement plan"
ATF: "Uhm.. sure. In fact, it's so much better than yours it's not even funny. And you are paying for it"

[Mike1951]

Just applies to handguns.

If you sell or dispose of more than one handgun to any non-licensee during a period of 5 consecutive business days, the sale must be reported on ATF Form 3310.4, Report of Multiple Sale or Other Disposition of Pistols and Revolvers, not later than the close of the business day on which you sold or disposed of the second handgun. The licensee must forward a copy of the Form 3310.4 to the ATF office specified thereon, and another copy must be forwarded to the State police or local law enforcement agency where the sale occurred. A copy of the Form 3310.4 also must be attached to the firearms transaction record, ATF Form 4473, documenting the sale or disposition of the second handgun.

A business day for purposes of reporting multiple sales of pistols or revolvers is a day that a licensee conducts business pursuant to the license, regardless of whether State offices are open. The application of the term “business day” is, therefore, distinguishable from the term “business day” as used in the NICS context. Example: A licensee conducts business only on Saturdays and Sundays, days on which State offices are not open. The licensee sells a pistol to an unlicensed person on a Saturday. If that same unlicensed person acquires another handgun the next day (Sunday), the following Saturday or Sunday, or the Saturday after the reporting requirement would be triggered, the subsequent acquisition of a handgun would have to be reported on a Form 3310.4 by the close of the day upon which the second or subsequent handgun was sold.

[18 U.S.C. 923(g)(3), 27 CFR 478.126a]

http://www.atf.gov/forms/pdfs/f33104.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

While 4473's are not reported to BATFE, this could serve as a backdoor means of compiling a database of gun owners, as is apparently happening.