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:
And that will also be a really, really cold day in Hell.
THE CRIMINALS WILL ALWAYS HAVE GUNS IF THEY WANT THEM!
until somebody prosecutes it, bloombooger will continue to fish and enjoy the publicity...
a deprivation suit, along with RICO penalties outta get their attention...
“Why aren’t all of them under indictment?”
Because nobody did anything illegal.
Local people legally purchased legal products from private individuals legally selling at a public legal market. That the purchase was initiated by someone in NYC is irrelevant. It was legal all around.
It’s like hiring a resident of Amsterdam to buy pot at a “coffee shop”. It’s legal. Might surprise and outrage those living in other jurisdictions, but so long as applicable laws are obeyed, it’s legal.
NEWSFLASH to NYC: guns are legal in much of the country. People can buy guns from other private citizens without governmental approval in many jurisdictions. Acting within the law is, to the apparent surprise of many, legal.
Bloomberg is a typical brain dead, gun hating, progressive, 0bama stooge!
Be Ever Vigilant!!
Of course the facts don't matter either way, because they were acting as agents of a liberal mayor who hates guns. They will be given a pass by the MSM and the Justice Department.
Please read my response to Beelzebubba #31.
But you are 100% correct. The operative word is "law abiding citizens". Are you for selling guns to felons, gang bangers and crazy people? If you aren't, then you are on my side.
Say for instance you decide to sell your guns at a gun show and you rent a table. If two big gang member pick up one of your pistols or maybe a MAC 90 off of your table and want to buy it, would you tell them, "I'm sorry gentlemen, but I do not believe you qualify to purchase that weapon under the federal gun control act of 1968." I don't think so. What if a normal looking guy wants to buy one? Can you tell if he is a felon or a serial killer? No. What if you didn't get the gang bangers true name and address? After your gun us used to kill a cop, you can say, "Well officer, yes I did sell it to this big guy with gang tattoos and scars all over his face and arms...and yes, one of his tattoos did say, "off the pigs"". That's the problem.
Now if you sold some guns without going to a gun show, you would probably not make them available to the criminal element. You would not bring gang bangers or criminals to your house or place of business. You would probably sell them to people you feel good about, friends or friends of friends since if the gun is used in a crime, it may be traced back to you.
I love gun shows. I don't want criminals to take advantage of them at our expense. I believe in private sales of firearms, but not at gun shows because a sale is not just a "private sale", but a sale that comes under the authority of the gun show operators and reflects on the gun show in general.
There, I think I have discussed the issue explaining my views without impugning your character or your patriotism. This seems to be kind of rare nowadays on FreeRepublic.
Sales between private citizens is just that, private. The indy dealers I trade with always asks me if I'm legally able to buy the weapons s/he is selling and if I'm a legal citizen of Texas. Upon satisfying those two basic questions that is all that needs to be done and yes, I'm opposed to gun registrations. The two above questions is all that is needed IMO.
If a indy dealer does not do that then they should be required to close shop and not do business as described in the OP article. As for as I'm concerned if ANYONE calls for the abolishment of weapon sales between private citizens will be met with stringent opposition from myself and hopefully any other pro-2nd Amendment lover and respecter of our U.S. Constitution.
You may tell the truth to the inde gun dealers, but do you think everyone does? Do they demand to see your driver’s license? I doubt it.
Where did I say I think they should abolish weapon sales between private individuals. I said just the opposite.
Where did I say “put the government between me and my guns”? If you go back to my original post on this subject, I said that if I were a gun show operator, I wouldn’t let private vendors sell fireams at my show. Period. Nothing about the government getting involved.
But that is where we are heading unfortunately, because of idiots like the one on that video.
Since Bloomberg didn't notify anybody in Arizona that he was doing this sting operation, how come he, or at least his people doing the illegal purchasing, aren't being held in a detention center somewhere?
If we aren't going to enforce laws on the books then lets get rid of them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.