I still haven't found a transcript or video of the 2nd hearings where the ATFU presumably rebutted the allegations of discrimination & law breaking on the part of their agents. Hence this is part 3. Part 1 can be found here. As of this date there is no part 2 as I haven't located a transcript or a vid of the second hearings.
Here is a link to the March 28th hearings on the ATFU (via Ninth Stage). It's focus was on ATFU administrative procedures, namely the process for revocation of a FFL & what, if any, changes should be ade to the ATFU's enforcement & dealing with FFL's. There was also some mention of individuals & criminal prosecutions but the bulk of it dealt with FFL's.
My take is that the subcommittee might recommend some changes to stifle some of the ATFU's abuses but those changes would include giving the ATFU more options in the form of fines & suspensions (as opposed to no action or revocation as it is now). On the surface it would seem good to have other options but this is the ATFU. They'd find a way to abuse the fining process sure as pretty women were on the Titanic's first lifeboats.
I'm deeply disappointed but not surprised that no mention was made of disbanding the thugs altogether.
As an aside a representative of the VPC was there testifying. Among her statements were the ideas that the VPC wants all handguns, "assault rifles" & ".50 caliber sniper rifles" banned but they're fine with "sporting rifles & shotguns". She also said that the trend from 200,000+ FFL's in the 90's to 55,000 FFL's today was a step in the right direction. Most of her testimony gave me intense Deju Moo (the feeling you've heard this bullshit before) & I don't think the repesentatives on the subcommittee fell for much of what she said.
So if you were hoping for serious reform of the ATFU you can still hope. It's possible that serious recommendations might be passed on by the subcommittee to limit the ATFU's abuses, but I'd be pessimistic about them getting through congress.
Again the only meaningful reform of the ATFU I can envision is disbanding them & repealing any laws they attempted to enforce. Prosecuting known ATFU agents wouldn't be a bad way to end that unconstitutional shannigans either. But that won't happen today I'm afraid.
Posted by Publicola at March 31, 2006 05:04 AM | TrackBackThe infuriating thing about VPI is that the AR-series rifles condembed by them as "assault rifles" are in fact sporting rifles, used regularly in NRA High Power Rifle matches, where they regularly clean up. Publicola posted a long article about the NRA High Power Rifle match and the equipment used about a year ago, and the AR-15 is the tool of choice for the top scorers. This is another example of VPI and the other gun grabbers attempt to divide and conquer.
They'll never take your deer rifle, they'll name it a sniper rifle, first.
Posted by: Windy Wilson at April 5, 2006 11:46 AM