Posted on 02/03/2011 4:31:41 AM PST by marktwain
Arizona officials are pretty miffed that those city slickers in Mayor Bloomberg's administration hired private investigators to illegally purchase guns at a Phoenix gun show last week. Undercover video showed investigators at the Crossroads of the West gun show easily buying Glocks like the kind used by Jared Loughner in the Tuscon massacre—a loophole in federal gun laws allowed them to buy the guns without a background check, but two gun vendors illegally sold guns to "buyers" who confessed that they probably wouldn't pass a background check. The probe was a chilling reminder of how easy it is to get your hands on semi-automatic weapons, but Arizona officials think Bloomberg should just mind his own beeswax.
Arizona’s attorney general Tom Horne is hurt that Bloomberg's office didn't notify local police about the probe. And he took the opportunity to do a little trash-talking about NYC:
Local law enforcement and the Arizona Department of Public Safety were never notified that Mayor Bloomberg’s operation was being undertaken. That is standard professional courtesy and is also designed to protect the general public. Arizona law enforcement should have been made aware that people posing as criminal elements were in fact undercover officers. The fact that no such notification was made indicates this so-called sting is nothing less than a public relations stunt.
I would suggest that Mayor Bloomberg consider the skyrocketing crime rate in New York City before he asks any more of his city’s police to leave town on these p.r. missions. According to the most recent FBI statistics, violent crime in New York City increased significantly in 2010 compared to data from 2009. Robbery went up 3.9 percent, forcible rape rose 13.9 percent, aggravated assault increased 8.8 percent and murder rose 12.3 percent. Clearly, the good men and women of the New York City Police Department have more pressing crimes to investigate than alleged violations at a gun show 2,400 miles away.
Ooh, Bloomberg's going to remember that when he's President! In the meantime, an aide to the Mayor tells City Room that 90 percent of the guns recovered in crimes in New York City come from out of state, so Bloomberg has every reason to be concerned about easy gun purchases elsewhere. And maybe if Mr. Horne did his job, we wouldn't have to schlep all the way out to Arizona to make him look bad! Arizona Governor Jan Brewer also dismissed the investigation, telling reporters, "We believe our laws are fair and just in the state of Arizona."
And Bloomberg appeared on Rachel Maddow's show last night to talk about how he has, in her words, "shown some political leadership" on the issue—unlike a certain someone who might not win a second term if Bloomberg has anything to say about it:
The concept that the government could or should only “allow” certain people to have guns stands the very concept of American jurisprudence on its head. It presumes that the government knows all, controls all, and should be doing so. It is wrong and ineffective.
It is crazy to set up a huge expensive bureaucratic system, require everyone to jump though hoops and prove that they are *not* criminals in order to try, ineffectively, to prevent the few individuals who are not responsible, from having legal access to guns. This is a failed paradigm, and it should be abandoned. To accept the idea that the all gun sales should be monitored by the government, and only allowed to those it deems satisfactory is fundamentally wrong.
The entire idea of the enterprise has always been the death of a thousand cuts, where the restrictions on who can buy, and where, and how and what are continually increased until the number of gun owners is reduced to political insignificance.
So why isn't he in jail this week? They broke the law, the Mayor was the instigator behind it. I don't care what their motives were, the road to Hades is paved with... well, you get the point.
"We were only doing it to prove a point." is no excuse. Why not accept other noble motives? "I needed to protect my brother from ..." etc. etc.
Teach these {expletive} liberals that the law applies to everyone - including their elitist backsides.
We need not pay any more attention to him than it takes to scrape him off our shoes.
The clear message here is: gun control only keeps guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens.
At least they weren’t selling salt at the Gun Show.
I bet you are correct. Bloomberg has long had aspirations to make a run for POTUS. What he does not realize is that most of the U.S. is not like NY. Thank God.
He broke the law, matter of fact he did so conspiratorily. Indict, prosecute and incarcerate Bloomberg and whoever else was involved. Do your duty LEOs and DAs, get with it.
You make an excellent point. Mayor Bloomberg is part of an interstate conspiracy to commit felony straw purchases. At the very least his minions actually DID break a FEDERAL law against purchasing a handgun across state lines. Why aren’t all of them under indictment? (Yes, it’s a rhetorical question - we all know why).
Probably from private sellers.
...but two gun vendors illegally sold guns to "buyers" who confessed that they probably wouldn't pass a background check.
Again, probably private sellers who at least asked the "buyers" a question or two.
I wonder how much this PR stunt cost the taxpayers of NY State?
Whenever a lefty begins their ‘emotionally appeal’ for sensible ‘gun control’, I quietly remind them that I,along with many others, can easily end their life with my bare hands.
I then ask them if there should be sensible ‘hand control’ laws???
If someone wants to end your life, they do not need a gun to do it.
The solution is to go to NYC and gather dirt and publish it in return.
I would speculate that in 5 days in NYC, buyers with money could easily purchase a most damning collection. Then to put it on YouTube for the world to see.
Obviously, everything that was collected would be encouraged by Bloomberg.
Might I suggest an undercover mass buy of heroin on the streets of New York? After purchase, the buyers could just “store” it in the black limos parked near city hall.
The Arizona AG should find the names of these private investigators and summarily issue arrest warrents for them. This crap will not stop as long as there are willing participants.
Force them into a trial and have the Mayor or the city front the money for their desense!
It’s all about banning private sales between two citizens, nothing more.
If memory serves, didn’t the BATF [wonder of wonders] ream Bloomturd out the last time he pulled this crap?
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