GOA: Senate Close To Confirming Michael Sullivan

[Lambo]

Senate Close To Confirming A Ted Kennedy-style Liberal To BATFE -- Contact your Senator immediately
Gun Owners of America
E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102,
Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org
Tuesday, December 4, 2007

"We'll miss him in Massachusetts, but he'll be a strong leader at ATF, and I look forward to working with him on key issues on gun control." -- Senator Ted Kennedy "

The above quote highlights all you need to know about Michael Sullivan,
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ma/usattorney.html
the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Sullivan was, unfortunately, nominated by President Bush to permanently take over ATF this year. Right before Thanksgiving, the Senate "hotlined" his name for unanimous consent approval. (Hotlining is a parliamentary maneuver which allows non-controversial bills or nominations to be unanimously approved by the Senate without debate or a vote.)

GOA immediately sent a letter to each Senator's office, urging them to oppose the Sullivan nomination. Thankfully, one senator subsequently objected to Sullivan's approval, and his nomination was put on hold. However, that legislator is now coming under fire from other senators, who are asking him to withdraw his "hold."

That's why it's important for gun owners to contact their two Senators. Under Sullivan's leadership, the ATF has gone berserk. Sure, the problems at ATF didn't originate with him, but Sullivan has certainly done nothing to put out the fire.

While discussing the agency's 2008 appropriations bill, the House Commerce & Justice committee issued a stinging rebuke for the ATF:

"The committee has heard reports that ATF has pursued license revocations and denials against firearms dealers based on violations that consist largely of recordkeeping errors of various types that are unlikely to impede tracing investigations or prosecution of individuals who use firearms in crime. The Committee encourages ATF to consider lesser gradation of sanctions for recordkeeping errors." [House Committee report on HR 3093.]
The strategy, that was begun long before Sullivan arrived, has continued unabated under his tutelage. ATF inspectors try to find any violation they can, usually focusing on clerical mistakes.

A family gun business that had been in operation for years in Baltimore, Maryland was attacked because of the "wanton, repeated crime" of abbreviating Baltimore as "Blto" on the teeny, tiny spaces on the 4473 forms.
Now, the agency has turned their collective guns on Red's Trading Post in Idaho, among others. Even though one ATF agent told the manager that Red's was "one of the best small gun shops" he'd ever seen, the ATF has continued its assault on this gun shop (which has been in business for decades) for minor clerical mistakes and failing to put up a poster.

According to WorldNetDaily, one judge who is familiar with the Red's Trading Post case found "the ATF speaks of violations found during the inspections of 2000 and 2005, but fails to reveal that additional investigations in 2001 and 2007 revealed no violations or problems." The judge also noted the ATF was exaggerating the situation by "double counting" some violations.

The agency holds a continuing animus against gun owners and dealers. Inspectors have no handbook under which to operate, and the absence of such written procedures allows them to be arbitrary and capricious.
Americans don't need an anti-gun cop from Massachusetts as the Director of the federal gun police.

CONTACT: Please ask your Senators to oppose anti-gunner Michael Sullivan as the Director of the BATFE.
Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm (where phone and fax numbers are also available).

[ChamberedRound]

Letters sent.

[Shawn.L]

Man, I just got home from work to find this in my e-mail and I rushed over here to try to post it first !

Maybe I should get a PDA phone, then I can beat you all to posting the good usefull stuff.

If I do just one thing today for the cause of liberty I have done more than most will ever do. I think writing a letter is within my capapbiltiies.

[Shawn.L]

So Dan Frankle (very anti) is my state rep and he sucks. I forward him all my GOA e-mails. he he he. Does anyone else think this appropriate, or am I just antagonizing/irriteing him and that is useless?

[awkx]

Hmmm... do we have any real evidence that Michael Sullivan is actually anti-gun? I wouldn't trust anything that comes out of Sen. Ted Kennedy's mouth.

Sure, he hasn't cleaned up the ATF as its acting director, but maybe that's due to him not wanting to rock the boat and bureaucratic inertia.

If there's no evidence of him having an anti-gun agenda, then perhaps we should ask our senators to demand that he agree to clean up the ATF and only vote against him if he does not enthusiastically agree.

P.S. Last I heard, postal mail to DC was subject to delay due to security screening, so if you're writing a physical letter, it might to good to fax or email it in addition to or instead of snail-mailing it.

[ChamberedRound]

Originally Posted by Shawn.L

So Dan Frankle (very anti) is my state rep and he sucks. I forward him all my GOA e-mails. he he he. Does anyone else think this appropriate, or am I just antagonizing/irriteing him and that is useless?

In this case you're definitely just being annoying

The position in question (Director of the BATFE) requires SENATE confirmation; it has nothing to do with our representatives in the House. On this one you should be contacting Senators Specter and Casey.

[Shawn.L]

Originally Posted by ChamberedRound

In this case you're definitely just being annoying

The position in question (Director of the BATFE) requires SENATE confirmation; it has nothing to do with our representatives in the House. On this one you should be contacting Senators Specter and Casey.

Oh I know that (who to contact regarding this) but I had been just forwarding ALL my GOA to Frankle.

Your right though, I am just being annoying and I know it.

[ChamberedRound]

Originally Posted by Shawn.L

Oh I know that (who to contact regarding this) but I had been just forwarding ALL my GOA to Frankle.

Your right though, I am just being annoying and I know it.

As long as you know it...

[tes151]

Even though I know that Specter and Casey are both as worthless as screen doors on a submarine, I will e-mail them on the outside chance either of them will listen.

[icp4life162005]

I have emailed them and also The Prez of the states. Doubt he would do anything but ya never know. maybe others should e mail him as well?