ATF begins spin in wake of devastating press reports

[shadowrider]

Now that CBS News has delivered its second definitive report on the scope of "Project Gunwalker"* and Senator Grassley has expressed his determination to not allow the Department of Justice to stonewall his investigations, the damage control at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have begun in earnest.

From one of the behind-the-scenes confidential sources advising Mike Vanderboegh of Sipsey Street Irregulars and this correspondent, someone who has been instrumental in bringing this story to light from long before major media became involved:

This just hit minutes ago. Panic and chaos are taking place at ATF headquarters in advance of the anticipated media releases today and tomorrow. Below is a message just sent from the subordinate of Jim McDermond from the ATF Office of Public and Governmental Affairs. An emergency request is being issued to all ATF Public Information Officers to find ATF stories with a positive spin to counter-influence was is expected today. Very insulting and very much the character of ATF management. Please respond to me that you received this. I think it will be critical to your stories and for Senator Grassley to further see demonstrated ATF’s continued desire to spin and cover up.

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-in-national/atf-begins-spin-wake-of-devastating-press-reports

[old mark]

1. K&R- The ATF (BATFE) is NOTORIOUS for lies and smears and over zealous

prosecution. I am very happy to FINALLY see some coverage of their decades long abuse of power and I would LOVE to see some prosecutions among their top leaders, and a lot of creative budget cutting applied to that organization.


mark

[spin]

2. This is the most important gun control story of the decade ...

It's not getting the attention it deserves.

[Atypical Liberal]

3. I agree. Recced to zero, too.

Here we have a federal agency charged with preventing illegal firearm sales actively allowing them to happen, and people are un-reccing this story.

[shadowrider]

4. Not surprising

since the story can be used agin 'em when they trot out the number of weapons "traced" back to the U.S. (How many of those "traced" weapons were "allowed" to be purchased against the wishes of the seller because the ATF ordered them to complete the sale?)

[Callisto32]

6. The truth defeats their lies.

Trying to suppress it is the only option they have left.

[one-eyed fat man]

5. Here's more to go with it.

Video here. Complete with an agent, still on the job, who talks about it. (That takes serious cojones -- I mean, he has to go into the office tomorrow, with the same supervisor that he's talking about, who now regards him as a "snitch," to be ruined).

They're talking thousands of guns that only got to Mexico because ATF supervisors said let them go. Superiors telling agents who complained that this is "fun" and they can go out and find a different job if they don't like it.

Not only did the ATF leadership order guns to be allowed to walk the border. The Border Patrol orders its agents to go after the bandits who prey on the smugglers with non-lethal weapons. Bad guys have real bullets and Border Patrol has bean bags! What moron political appointee desk jockey filled with compassion for the poor disenfranchised "victim" of the bad economy, poor toilet training and lack of a high fiber diet who made robbery and murder a fucking career choice wrote this stupid policy???

Records show agents fired beanbags in fatal border gunfight

[Hoopla Phil]

7. So, ARE there any good stories about the ATF?

[The Backlash Cometh]

8. Panic and chaos reported at the ATF offices.

LOL! I don't know why I find that funny.

[slackmaster]

9. I envision them drinking heavily, chain smoking, and playing with loaded guns

Or something like that.

[Hoopla Phil]

10. May be some panic at the US Attorney General's office too. . .

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=118x387321

[shadowrider]

11. Or

It could just be deny, delay, deny, delay, deny, delay until the next big story (not involving ATF) comes along and this is relegated to the back burner.

If I was a betting man, I think that's where I'd put my money.

[WatsonT]

15. See they should have kept some of those guns

then they could restore order quicker.

[cleanhippie]

12. Notice how quiet this thread is? Where are the anti-2A folks?

I guess its because they can't fit this into their meme.

[WatsonT]

14. Well see this just proves that individuals can't be trusted with guns

only the government can!

/the ATF is not a government organization, merely a collection of individual gun-nuts. Nothing to see here.

[WatsonT]

13. So you're saying we need to shut down gun shows

that the gunshow loophole is how guns are getting to Mexico?

And that only by banning guns for everyone except for federal agents can we finally rid ourselves of gun violence?