ATF's New Game-Playing

The JS interviewed ATF's acting director.

...the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is focused on a more limited proposal to require reporting the multiple sale of certain rifles favored by Mexican cartels - a proposal that is running into its own stiff opposition from the gun rights lobby and some members of Congress.

There's a reason for that opposition: the proposed rule--written as sloppily as was ObamaCare--includes almost every rifle manufactured in the world.

Notably, that includes .22LR, which is NOT a drug-runner gun. It's a squirrel-gun. (Or house-cat, if that's what you prefer.)

The rule specifies '>.22 cal semi-automatics' with 'a detachable magazine', which specification includes the .22LR because it's actually .224. And the vast majority of .22LR rifles are sold with 'a detachable magazine.'

So is the M-16/A-4, at .223--which is (apparently) what the ATF wants to monitor. But then, many hunting rifles are chambered for ">.22"--including hunting versions of the M-16/A-4 and Granpa's favorite, the .30-06.

ATF claims that lotsa rifles are purchased in the States and smuggled into Mexico. Well, that may be true, but:

"The drug cartels are not going through legal channels to get these firearms," she said. "There are already laws to address these criminal acts and they need to be enforced." --NRA

In fact, most of the rifles used by drug cartels are either purchased in Central/South America OR from Asia--and a great number of the M-16/A-4's are stolen from the Mexican military.

Poorly written rule, targeting the wrong people; Americans are now expected to solve the Mexican corrupto-crat problems?

Nope.