In a Dec. 20, 2010 webcast, Ken Melson, acting director of the US Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives' (ATF) announced through the Federal Register its intent to initiate a new Demand Letter requiring the reporting of multiple sales of certain long guns by Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
These four states reports the director are seen as, "Major source states for crime guns seized in Mexico and traced back to FFLs." The new initiative, which the ATF was hoping to pass in January 2011, is drawing fire from both the NRA and several Democrats and Republicans, who believe it infringes on gun owners Second Amendment rights.
Demand Letters cover specific characteristics says Melson
The proposed Demand Letter says ATF acting director Melson at Atf.gov, is another tool designed to be used as part of a national deployment of focused resources to prevent firearms trafficking along the Southwest border of US and into Mexico, an area adds Melson, that has seen a "Significant increase in drug and firearms-related violence," since 2006.
The Demand Letter itself is already in existence for handguns and currently requires all FFls to submit a report of multiple sales of handguns to the National Tracing Center, when two or more guns are sold to the same purchaser within 5 consecutive business days. The new Demand Letter says the director, applies similar reporting but for long guns and will only apply to:
- FFLs conducting business in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California
- semi-automatic action long guns
- calibers greater than .22
- those guns that have the ability to accept a detachable magazine
The above class of weapons reports Melson, have been identified by both the ATF and the Mexican government as being involved in violent crimes in Mexico. Yet the acting director's proposal has drawn increasing fire from Senators and House members who accuse the initiative as being just one more step towards gun control.
Oppositional letters submitted to both Melson and the White House
In a letter sent to the White House, several representatives including Dan Boren, D-Okla, Nick Rahall, D-W. Va., Mike Ross, D-Ark., Denny Rehberg, R-Mont., and Ron Paul, R-Texas said that whilst Congress had voted for the legislation on handguns, they had never voted to extend it to long guns and therefore propose that the regulation must be submitted to Congress first.
Montana Democrats, Max Baucus and Jon Tester in a Dec. 23, 2010 letter addressed to Melson, said that they both, "Strongly oppose further expansion of these unnecessarily burdensome reporting requirements, " and that the ATF should focus instead on existing law enforcement as opposed to infringing, "on the rights of the American people to keep and bear arms." Tester added in a press release issued by Max Baucus at Baucus.senate.gov, "The Second Amendment is a pretty straightforward right, and I'm going to sound an alarm anytime the government tries to complicate it with more paperwork."
Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska who also wrote to Melson echoing Baucus and Tester's sentiments, added, "We must secure our border and target Mexican drug cartels, as well as participating offenders in the United States." The National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action said on Jan. 07, 2010 at Nraila.org, "The NRA will look at any available options to block this sweeping expansion of federal record keeping on gun owners."
But is this legislation actually "sweeping" as the NRA states and is Begich's request to "secure the border," unrealistic? And doesn't the escalating violence on the border along with protection of the Second Amendment and the US government's reluctance to actually secure the border, encroach on the rights of the average US citizen who in turn expects to be protected by its government?
What the NRA actually calls a sweeping expansion by the ATF is little more than an extension of what is already in place and applies only to four states who are known contributors to gun running operations. Furthermore, one has to consider that the policy itself was not decided by a group of anti-gun politicians intent on furthering personal agendas, but was initiated by an agency with boots on the ground. Understaffed, under budgeted and overwhelmed, the ATF and the US Customs Border Patrol (CBP) are out manned, out gunned and thinly spread agencies, attempting and expected to secure an extensive and porous border.
Opponents Need to Consider the Rise in drug trafficking and gun running
Suite101.com's, "Los Zetas Expands as the Mexican Cartel Battles on Several Fronts," details the bloody rise and expansion of one of Mexico's most dangerous and brutal drug cartels – Los Zetas. The cartel has expanded operations into the US, El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. The Zetas organization along with other Mexican drug trafficking cartels says the Mexican government is responsible for more than 15,000 murders in 2010, setting a new record for violence in the country.
The article also shows how the Zetas have infiltrated MS-13, a notorious gang operating out of Los Angeles and have been tied to several incidents which indicate the increasing presence of the Zetas inside within the US, (see "Los Zetas in America: Incidents Detail Drug Cartel's Presence," published at Suite101.com on Jan. 08, 2011). Not to be trifled with, the Zetas drug cartel operates with complete abandon and imposes its will with aggressive tactics such as beheadings, bombings and kidnapping.
Furthermore, in 2010, The Washington Post concluded a year-long investigation into guns seized in Mexico and then traced back to gun stores in the US. The Post identified twelve gun dealers operating out of Texas, California and Arizona identified as having sold firearms traced back to them from crimes committed in Mexico and who have been responsible for many of the 60,000 plus weapons seized in operations since 2006.
ATF acting director Ken Melson says that by implementing the new Demand Letters, the ATF will be able to follow, "Real-time leads for the investigation of gun trafficking," and it is not their intention to prevent, "the full and free exercise of our Second Amendment rights, or to encumber the FFLs with burdensome paperwork." All the agency wishes to do Melson adds, is to uncover and disrupt "trafficking schemes before the firearms make their way into Mexico."
Meanwhile, the ATF and CBP in an attempt to secure America's borders and its citizens, are being forced into a so-called "infringement" on the Constitution because of the refusal by government politicians to implement an effective border control policy in the first place. The oppositional representatives mentioned above then, might be best served to look to their own failings and cut those who actually do the job, a little slack on this one.
Read on as a new documentary enters the world of a drug cartel hitman.
Sources:
Andrews, Wilson; Rivero, Christina et al; "Arming Mexico's Drug Cartels," The Washington Post; Washingtonpost.com; Part Five of "The Hidden Life of Guns," Dec. 13, 2010; accessed Jan. 10, 2011.
National Rifle Association of America, Institute for Legislative Action; Nraila.org; accessed Jan. 15, 2011.
Baucus, Tester Fight for Transparency, 2nd Amendment Rights Senators Urge Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to Stop Unnecessary Reporting Rules," Baucus.senate.gov; Dec. 23, 2010; Accessed Jan. 15, 2011.
Atf.gov; accessed Jan. 15, 2011.
Elizabeth Batt - Elizabeth Batt is a former large animal nurse, certified NREMT, lover of equines and conservationist.
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