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ATF To Review Legality of NY Stings

John Pierce

Administrator
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May 5, 2006
Messages
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When the news of these stings broke, I called the ATF and asked this very question. The answer I got from the front line guy who answered the phone was truly scary. His exact quote (as best I remember it) was:

If it was done by the Government, then it can't be illegal.
Scary huh?
[line]
Story By Newsday.Com


The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms is examining the results of an unusual sting set up by the City of New York, in which private investigators recorded themselves purchasing handguns at shops in several states.

Acting independently of law enforcement, the investigators took hidden cameras into stores to test whether they would participate in a type of transaction known as a "straw purchase," where one person illegally buys a gun on behalf of someone else.

The exercise was conducted primarily to support a civil lawsuit, filed by the city last week, accusing 15 gun shops in five states of repeatedly selling to questionable buyers.

William G. McMahon, special agent in charge of the ATF's New York field division, announced Friday that the agency would review the intelligence gathered by the city and target any federally licensed firearms dealers who broke the law.

In a twist, ATF's inquiry will also include a review of whether the city acted legally in setting up the sting.

Several gun-rights advocates have questioned whether the city itself broke firearms rules or committed fraud by attempting to simulate straw sales in other states.
 

TrueBrit

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May 10, 2006
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537
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Richmond, Kentucky, USA
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Let us hope that the NRA and GOA raise a huge stink about this abuse, and get some answers!The ATF seem all too keen to create problems which they can then "solve"!

TrueBrit.
 

VAopencarry

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May 9, 2006
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I am curious. Has there been any response from the Governor of Virginia or any Virginia government official? If I am the Gov. and some jackass mayor from another state is conducting sting operations in MY state, I think I woulld have a word or two for him.

Bloomberg needs to be held accountable for this, it can't be legal,(jurisdictionally speaking) can it?
 

ilbob

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May 9, 2006
Messages
778
Location
, Illinois, USA
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I wonder if this broke VA law?

Maybe the answer is for VA to charge the PIs involved, and maybe the mayor as a co-conspirator.

I would not mind seeing him doing the perp walk.

Can a felon be mayor of NYC?
 

ProguninTN

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May 26, 2006
Messages
416
Location
, Tennessee, USA
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ilbob wrote:
I wonder if this broke VA law?

Maybe the answer is for VA to charge the PIs involved, and maybe the mayor as a co-conspirator.

I would not mind seeing him doing the perp walk.

Can a felon be mayor of NYC?
I'm afraid of the answer of that question. As we know, a druggie was able to be mayor of Washington, D.C.
 

VAopencarry

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May 9, 2006
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I wrote letters to my state Delegate and senator. I stated I think the Mayor, by conducting sting operations, in Va, outside his jurisdiction, had breeched the sovereignty of the Commonwealth of Virginia and asked if the legislature had any plans on holding him accountable. It's been a week, no response yet.
 

ilbob

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May 9, 2006
Messages
778
Location
, Illinois, USA
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I have been wondering if the reason PIs were used rather than government employees, is because they knew this was at best highly irregular, and the PIs can be tossed to the wolves if necessary, while it would be difficult to do that with public employees.

It is entirely possible that the PIs could be encouraged to rat out those who conspired with them to commit multiple felonies.

Maybe VCDL would undertake a project to encourage the proper authorities to charge these guys.
 
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