So, we’ve got a proposal on the table [pdf] to break up the ATF and fold its responsibilities into other law-enforcement agencies. The idea is to give the FBI authority to enforce firearms regulations while giving the alcohol/tobacco stuff over to the DEA.
I’d love to see it happen. Homer Cummings’ little post-Prohibition revenue collection agency has grown into the arbiter of our firearms laws, and it would be a gross understatement to say they’ve done a horrendous job of it.
This is the agency that funneled guns across the border to Mexico in the Fast & Furious operation, who distributed swag to their agents emblazoned with “ATF: Always Think Forfeiture,” and who were responsible for the debacles at Ruby Ridge and Waco.
Then there’s the problem of their “whites only” Good Ol’ Boys Roundup, which lasted more than a decade before being shut down.
Beyond the abuses lies the issue of gross incompetence. Continued...