BATFE Investigating Bloomburg!

[762xIan]

Found this over on 1919.com..I have not found the original article yet.

From Posting:

ATF Probing Mayor Bloomberg's 'Rogue Gun Sting'
By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Senior Editor
February 07, 2007

(CNSNews.com) - The federal government confirms it is investigating New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's sting operation against gun dealers in five states.

Five months ago, The Second Amendment Foundation called on U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to investigate Bloomberg for obstruction of justice relating to Bloomberg's "rogue" operation.

SAF founder Alan Gottlieb said he has just received a letter from W. Larry Ford of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, confirming that the agency "is investigating the matter in order to determine if violations of federal firearms laws occurred."

Ford, the director of ATF's public and governmental affairs, did not offer details on what he called "an open investigation."

"We're delighted that ATF is taking this matter seriously," Gottlieb said.

"Mayor Bloomberg dispatched private investigators to several states, where they apparently made straw gun purchases in an effort to file civil lawsuits against gun dealers. The mayor refused to turn over alleged evidence obtained during this vigilante operation to ATF or other proper authorities, and instead exploited the affair to advance his own political agenda."

The Second Amendment Foundation says neither state nor federal statutes give the mayor of New York -- or any other city -- the authority to launch such a "rogue investigation," especially one that extends beyond his jurisdiction.

"Our letter to Attorney General Gonzales raised serious questions, and I am now assured that the ATF is looking for some serious answers. Mayor Bloomberg should step forward and provide those answers without delay, Gottlieb said.

"In the end, we understand that a final decision whether to prosecute Bloomberg and others involved in last year's illicit sting is up to the Justice Department," Gottlieb added.

"But right now, it appears that ATF is doing its job in a slow, deliberate and painstaking manner."

Last year, Bloomberg's office hired private investigators who wore hidden cameras while trying to make "straw purchases" from federally licensed gun dealers in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Virginia. The goal was to prove that out-of-state stores contribute to crime in New York City.

In May 2006, Bloomberg announced that the city was filing a civil lawsuit in federal court against 15 gun dealers who allegedly allowed such purchases to take place.

Around the same time, Mayor Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino formed a "Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition," a bipartisan group of mayors who are trying to get illegal guns off the streets.

For once I can agree with the BATF on an investigation...I hope it gets somewhere.

[ChamberedRound]

Nice... I really hope they nail Bloomberg's a** to the wall and lock him up. He's so blinded by his political agenda he doesn't even realize his actions are the same as any street thug or racketeer: criminal. He's a criminal and he should be treated as such.

While they're at it, they should also investigate Mumble-Mouth Menino and all the other mayors in the coalition who implicitly supported his criminal activity.

[IceFire]

That would be SUCH poetic justice if they ended up arresting Bloomburg! Please, PLEASE let it happen! (Praying to any and all deities who care to be listening...)

[billamj]

Hold onto your hats here folks, I haven't even been able to verify this on the CNSNews site much less anywhere else. This may be a case of wishful thinking.

[ChamberedRound]

Hold onto your hats here folks, I haven't even been able to verify this on the CNSNews site much less anywhere else. This may be a case of wishful thinking.

Here's the article on the CNSNews site:
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewNation.as...20070207c.html

[billamj]

That's wild, I couldn't find it on the site no matter what search criteria I used. Having said that I can only get corroboration on pro 2A sites.

[KeithPA]

ATF Probing Mayor Bloomberg's 'Rogue Gun Sting'

There's the link to CNS I'm searching for independent sources now...........

ETA....

SAF Encouraged by ATF Investigation of Bloomberg's Vigilante Sting

Here's one from the NYSUN

Bloomberg's Actions Are Best Argument For Restriction

Bloomberg and NYPD obtained trace data from ATF by asking NYPD to obtain the data for purposes of bringing a civil lawsuit and not in connection with a "bona fide criminal investigation" That is a crime under the Gun Controal Act. Law enforcement can only request a trace in connection with a bona fide criminal investigation.

Bloomberg then had private investigators under the direction of the city's civil attorneys rank the dealers by numbers of traces. ATF says that traces standing alone is not evidence of wrongdoing by anyone, including the dealer. Without any evidence of wrongdoing the mayor sent civil investigators as his agents to conduct illegal straw purchases from out of state dealers. It is a crime to purchase a handgun across state lines. It is a crime for one to transfer (after the purchase from a dealer) a handgun to someone from another state.

Bloomberg sent the investigators off to conduct "simulated straw purchases" WITHOUT consulting with ATF or EVEN the NYPD. As a consequence, Bloomberg interfered with as many as 18 on going criminal investigations and thereby placed ATF agents at risk, not to mention witnesses. ATF - NY spokesman Joe Green is quoted in NY magazine expressing how upset ATF was with the mayors actions. They had to scramble to make sure that none of their people got killed. How many of these investigations were ruined because of Bloomberg's actions?

To make matters worse, at his press conference ATF in May of last year he insulted ATF calling them "asleep at the switch" He said he would turn over the tapes of his so called sting operations to ATF so they could investigate the actions of the dealers. He then stonewalled ATF's investigation by refusing to provide the tapes. Why? Because the US Dept of Justice and ATF has stated publicly that they are conducting an investigation to determine whether the mayor and the actions of his investigators violated any laws, as well as whether the actions of any of the dealers broke the law.

So the best reason to refute Bloomberg's call for the release of sensitive law enforcement information (gun trace data) is Bloomberg himself. The Fraternal Order of Police support restricting this data to just law enforcement. The data is available to NYPD in connection with bona fide criminal investigations. Why does Bloomberg want the data? To bring civil lawsuits against gun dealers all across the US to impose NYC style gun control on as many out of state businesses as he can.

[noshow]

We must keep this ALIVE! We can't let this die, whatever the cost! It's time to run with this pass. Mike "the billionaire" must be brought to his knees and taught to respect "The Constitution". We are The People, and he is just a wealthy toad about to learn a very expensive lesson!

[ChamberedRound]

We must keep this ALIVE! We can't let this die, whatever the cost! It's time to run with this pass. Mike "the billionaire" must be brought to his knees and taught to respect "The Constitution". We are The People, and he is just a wealthy toad about to learn a very expensive lesson!

Well put. This is one situation where I hope the BATFE will attempt to justify their existence.

[tes151]

Bloomberg has way too much money to get arrested much less prosecuted. The BATF might do their job, but a political hack somewhere will be making the decision to not prosecute. My name is tes151, and I approved this message.