Kennedy Backed BATFE Dir. Close to Confirmation

[Pat McGarrity]

Senate Close To Confirming A Ted Kennedy-style Liberal To BATFE
-- Contact your Senator immediately

Gun Owners of America E-Mail Alert
8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102, Springfield, VA 22151
Phone: 703-321-8585 / FAX: 703-321-8408
http://www.gunowners.org

Tuesday, December 4, 2007


"We'll miss him in Massachusetts, but he'll be a strong leader at
ATF, and I look forward to working with him on key issues on gun
control." -- Senator Ted Kennedy

The above quote highlights all you need to know about Michael
Sullivan, the acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives.

Sullivan was, unfortunately, nominated by President Bush to
permanently take over ATF this year. Right before Thanksgiving, the
Senate "hotlined" his name for unanimous consent approval.
(Hotlining is a parliamentary maneuver which allows non-controversial
bills or nominations to be unanimously approved by the Senate without
debate or a vote.)

GOA immediately sent a letter to each Senator's office, urging them
to oppose the Sullivan nomination. Thankfully, one senator
subsequently objected to Sullivan's approval, and his nomination was
put on hold. However, that legislator is now coming under fire from
other senators, who are asking him to withdraw his "hold."

That's why it's important for gun owners to contact their two
Senators. Under Sullivan's leadership, the ATF has gone berserk.
Sure, the problems at ATF didn't originate with him, but Sullivan has
certainly done nothing to put out the fire.

While discussing the agency's 2008 appropriations bill, the House
Commerce & Justice committee issued a stinging rebuke for the ATF:

"The committee has heard reports that ATF has pursued license
revocations and denials against firearms dealers based on violations
that consist largely of recordkeeping errors of various types that
are unlikely to impede tracing investigations or prosecution of
individuals who use firearms in crime. The Committee encourages ATF
to consider lesser gradation of sanctions for recordkeeping errors."
[House Committee report on HR 3093.]

The strategy, that was begun long before Sullivan arrived, has
continued unabated under his tutelage. ATF inspectors try to find
any violation they can, usually focusing on clerical mistakes.

A family gun business that had been in operation for years in
Baltimore, Maryland was attacked because of the "wanton, repeated
crime" of abbreviating Baltimore as "Blto" on the teeny,
tiny spaces
on the 4473 forms.

Now, the agency has turned their collective guns on Red's Trading
Post in Idaho, among others. Even though one ATF agent told the
manager that Red's was "one of the best small gun shops" he'd ever
seen, the ATF has continued its assault on this gun shop (which has
been in business for decades) for minor clerical mistakes and failing
to put up a poster.

According to WorldNetDaily, one judge who is familiar with the Red's
Trading Post case found "the ATF speaks of violations found during
the inspections of 2000 and 2005, but fails to reveal that additional
investigations in 2001 and 2007 revealed no violations or problems."
The judge also noted the ATF was exaggerating the situation by
"double counting" some violations.

The agency holds a continuing animus against gun owners and dealers.
Inspectors have no handbook under which to operate, and the absence
of such written procedures allows them to be arbitrary and
capricious.

Americans don't need an anti-gun cop from Massachusetts as the
Director of the federal gun police.

CONTACT: Please ask your Senators to oppose anti-gunner Michael
Sullivan as the Director of the BATFE. You can use the pre-written
message below and send it as an e-mail by visiting the GOA
Legislative Action Center at http://www.gunowners.org/activism.htm
(where phone and fax numbers are also available).


---------- Pre-written letter ----------

Dear Senator:

I urge you to OPPOSE the nomination of Michael Sullivan for the head
of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Under
his leadership, the ATF has gone berserk. Sure, the problems at ATF
didn't originate with him, but Sullivan has certainly done nothing to
put out the fire.

In July, a House committee report on HR 3093 rebuked the ATF for
pursuing license revocations and denials against firearms dealers
based on "violations that consist largely of recordkeeping errors of
various types" that are unlikely to impede tracing investigations or
prosecution of individuals who use firearms in crime.

Red's Trading Post in Idaho is one of the many gun dealers that have
been frequently harassed by the ATF. Even though one ATF agent told
the manager that Red's was "one of the best small gun shops" he'd
ever seen, the ATF has continued its assault on this gun shop (which
has been in business for decades) for minor clerical mistakes and
failing to put up a poster.

According to WorldNetDaily, one judge who is familiar with the Red's
Trading Post case found "the ATF speaks of violations found during
the inspections of 2000 and 2005, but fails to reveal that additional
investigations in 2001 and 2007 revealed no violations or problems."
The judge also noted the ATF was exaggerating the situation by
"double counting" some violations.

Finally, the fact that Ted Kennedy wants to work with Sullivan on gun
control is reason enough to find another candidate to head up the
ATF. Kennedy said, "We'll miss him in Massachusetts, but he'll be a
strong leader at ATF, and I look forward to working with him on key
issues on gun control."

Because of these concerns, I would ask that you please oppose the
Sullivan nomination, and instead work with Gun Owners of America and
the NRA to find a nominee who will protect the rights of innocent gun
owners.

Sincerely,


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