Is This the Most Bungled ATF Sting Operation Ever?

[The Straight Story]

Is This the Most Bungled ATF Sting Operation Ever?

Still battered from its failed “Fast and Furious” gun operation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has been exposed again for bungling an undercover, gun-related operation.

This time, the problems occurred in Milwaukee, where ATF agents last year ran a phony storefront selling clothing and drug paraphernalia, intended to nab criminals through drug and gun purchases, according to an investigation by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Along the way, the agents allowed a military-style machine gun to wind up on the streets of Milwaukee. They also lost $35,000 in merchandise when burglars broke into the store and cleared out the stock. And when ATF agents closed down the store, they left behind a document that exposed the names and other identifying information of undercover agents.


....

It arrested 30 people, “most for low-level drug sales and gun possession counts,” the newspaper wrote. “But agents had the wrong person in at least three cases. In one, they charged a man who was in prison—as a result of an earlier ATF case—at the time agents said he was selling drugs to them.”

http://www.allgov.com/news/controversies/is-this-the-most-bungled-atf-sting-operation-ever-130205?news=846970

[graham4anything]

1. it's the media versionof Kolchak the night stalker syndrome

these alternative news and websites thrive on ant-governmental stuff(and make money in the cottage industry of hating the government).

and like Kolchak did, with his find a monster a week, they find something and applying
the old if builderburger six degrees of separation so a equals d even if it don't false parallel argument logic, come up with these scandals.

If one hates the ATF,the conspiracies make everything is bad type logic

funny thing is, they always forget to mention the tens of thousands of good things they do.

Only the one or two that isn't.

Like Kolchak the night stalker, or the X-files.

It's like saying poor John Denver is an alien because he happened to be born in Rosewell NM

works well if one in the media like the writers at these alt-sites hates the government though.

imho, feel free to disagree


btw, how does one know the 30 arrested wouldn't have walked into a school a few months later?

[The Straight Story]

2. Well, I look at it this way

We pay them, they are our employees. And in doing an evaluation of them it is good to see everything we can.

I read government websites daily - from usda to atf to forest service. All you see there is a glowing review of how good they are doing.

Having someone show the opposite side of the coin helps to balance that out.

Here are the atf press releases:

http://www.atf.gov/press/national/

[Comrade Grumpy]

21. Wow, what a most excellent apologia. Hosannas to the ATF!

[Lurks Often]

3. The article actually makes sound less bad then what I've heard

I read somewhere that some of the people the ATF was buying guns from were going to the local Bass Pro, buying a gun for $700 and selling it to the ATF for $1200.

The ATF agent in charge should be fired and the entire agency appears to be in desperate need of a good house cleaning

[FSogol]

4. When was the last time ATF had a director? Haven't the Repubs blocked

all nominations for years? Circle of Republican Life: Republicans make the government operate poorly, then complain of the results, then the operate the government poorly....

[Lurks Often]

5. If the career employees at the ATF

are so incompetent that they need a permanent director to make sure they do their jobs properly, then the agency should be dis-banded and the funding and the competent employees should be transferred to the FDA for alcohol and tobacco and the FBI for the guns and explosives.

[FSogol]

9. Yes, leaderless and underfunded organizations work perfectly.

Thanks for proving my point.

[Lurks Often]

10. I think the problem isn't a lack of a permanent director

(They've had a number of acting directors), but a long standing problem of people within the ATF making really poor decisions going back decades.

[Paladin]

11. The Gun Militancy Movement Has Tried To Knee-Cap The ATF For Decades.

The lack of a permanent ATF director for more than six years just highlights the malignant power of pro-gun forces in this country. Enough.

[baldguy]

8. 2006

Blocked by extremist RW gun nut apologists & NRA-backed advocates of mass murder.

[Recursion]

6. I'm not sure. Didn't Ruby Ridge and Waco both start out as ATF stings? (nt)

[Recursion]

13. So, you agree they started out as ATF stings?

Glad we agree there.

[Recursion]

17. What do you mean? There's no dispute of that. Both Weaver and Koresh were asked to sell sawed-off...

... shotguns to an undercover ATF agent. So either "sting" means something different to you than to me, or you're just ignoring a fact that's inconvenient to you.

[graham4anything]

19. Sting is the lead singer of the Police.

[Recursion]

20. You can't even admit this?

Wow. You cannot even bring yourself to admit that an undercover agent was used to catch both men committing a crime (which Weaver, at least, was later found Not Guilty of). Amazing.

[graham4anything]

22. I don't wish to debate conspiracy theories. Therefore I am going to delete my other posts.

have a nice day.

btw, that lawyer guy had cool clothes and jackets, I will agree with that

[Recursion]

23. Glad the factual account will remain up! The one verified in the press and Government reports

Cheers

[The Straight Story]

14. Wait, what?

"private citizens stockpiling guns is a no-no "

What the hell does that even mean?

My bro-in-law owns a plethora of guns he uses for hunting and sport shooting as well as few which are generally considered collectable (mainly of the ww2 era and an old colt revolver).

I worked in the reloading industry and knew many people who had tons of guns. Varied calibers, makers, years, etc and so on.

My boss walked around the office with a handgun at his side, double barreled shotgun by the door, and we had more ammo in there than most gun stores (which is to be expected in this case).

What other things do you want to limit people to owning?

[Comrade Grumpy]

24. Poster often seems drunk.

On edit: Well, the poster deleted his post, but he still seems drunk.

[EastKYLiberal]

7. Maybe Congress should give them a director?

[Go Vols]

15. tax dollars at work