Posted on 02/18/2012 7:18:17 AM PST by marktwain
A family of four Rick Reese, his wife Terri, and their two sons, Ryin - 24 and Remington - 19 was arrested in Las Cruces, New Mexico on August 30, 2011. They have been held in four separate county and federal detention facilities without bond ever since. Their alleged crime is that, over the course of several months, they sold between 15 and 30 guns to people they knew, or should have known were gun traffickers for Mexican drug gangs. The Reeses insist that they are innocent of any crime.
Shortly after they were arrested in Las Cruces, dozens of police vehicles, including four armored personnel carriers and two helicopters, full of armed officers and agents from numerous federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies swarmed over the Reeses home and businesses. The entire firearm and ammunition inventory was taken from Rick Reeses store as well as his entire personal collection of firearms and all cash and valuables from his home safe. Even the 30 to 40 empty gun safes that were on display at the store were seized. US Attorney Ken Gonzales indicated that he is going to seek asset forfeiture of the Reeses home and 25 acre property (including the shooting range on the property which he leased to various law enforcement agencies), all of the cash and valuables seized, their vehicles, and a monetary judgment of at least $36,000 from whatever assets might be left.
In a prepared statement to the press US Attorney Gonzales stated: This case serves to put firearms dealers on notice that they will be held accountable for any failure to comply with federal firearms laws.
I have no real problem with that statement except that I strongly disagree with many federal firearms laws, but until we can get those changed, licensed dealers are obligated to comply with them. Whats more, dealers, particularly dealers in southern border states, have been well aware of heightened scrutiny and enforcement for the past several years. It is almost inconceivable that any dealer, particularly a successful and prosperous one like Rick Reese, would jeopardize their life and livelihood for the sake of a few ill-gotten dollars. What bothers me most though, is the heavy handed treatment of the Reeses, the judges refusal to establish bond for them, and something else that US Attorney Gonzales said: Those who sell firearms knowing that they will be illegally smuggled into Mexico to arm Mexican Cartels share responsibility for the violence that has been devastating Mexico.
While the Reese family sits in their various jail cells accused of should have known, it should be pointed out that in Operation Fast & Furious, the ATF and DOJ, along with the US Attorney for Arizona, twisted dealers arms to get them to sell over 2000 guns to traffickers for Mexican drug gangs. They did this with every intention of allowing the un-monitored guns to reach the bad guys and only tracked them by the crime scenes where they quickly began to show up. The program was only stopped when two of those guns turned up at the scene of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terrys murder.
My question for US Attorney Gonzales is; when are those responsible for Fast & Furious going to be arrested and tried for their contributions to the violence that has been devastating Mexico?
Something else to consider when looking at the Reese case is that convicted straw purchasers are typically sentenced to less than one year in prison if they are prosecuted at all. Prosecutors generally require that straw purchasers have records of purchasing high numbers of guns and that some of those guns can subsequently tied to violent crimes. Such standards make the aggressive treatment of the Reese family, all of whom have spotless records in their business and their personal lives, look even more excessive.
I dont know the Reeses and really have no idea whether they knowingly broke the law. I do know that they had a reputation for being responsible citizens, and that they have insisted that they are innocent and will not plea bargain. I also know that they are facing well over $100,000 in just basic legal costs. If Rick and Terri and the boys are eventually exonerated, they will walk away with probably $200,000 in legal bills and damaged, depreciated inventory if they can recover it. Courts are notoriously loath to return guns under any circumstances and even less inclined to return ammunition. Ricks plans to close the shop at the end of the year and run for Sheriff are crushed. His son Ryins plans to open a new shop in Las Cruces with a lot of his fathers remaining inventory are also destroyed.
Regardless of the Reeses guilt or innocence, this case raises serious questions about the equity of our legal system, the show-boat tactics of some federal law enforcement agencies, and the complexity of our nations gun laws. Crimes should be punished, but more importantly, justice should be served. That doesnt seem to be happening in this case. Im going to keep monitoring this one. Financial support for the Reeses can be sent to the following: REESE DEFENSE FUND ATTENTION: Patricia Arias FIRST SAVINGS BANK 520 South Gold Deming,NM 88030
Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety is hereby granted provided this credit and link is included. Text is available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org. To receive The Firearms Coalitions bi-monthly newsletter, The Knox Hard Corps Report, write to PO Box 1761, Buckeye, AZ 85326.
Incorrect statement.
check book is out and sending $$$. Will call my friend n Deming to find out the particulars if I can. My blood is boiling. Grab all of Holders stuff throw his as$%^^# in jail he is more guilty then these people. If he followed all laws and those purchasing passed all the criteria this is BS. OMG all those assets to raid a small home business and yet we don’t lift a finger to TRUELY STOP THE DRUG TRADE. OMG OMG this is just crazy.
That’s taken from the article. If it is incorrect, provide the correct information.
You left out united as in the U.S.S.A.
United Socialist States of America. I have joked about it for over 30 years and now I am watching one of the most historic events in the history of earth unfold before my eyes.
Only thing left to decide is if We The People will surrendor with our skirts hiked and flowers in our hair, hating one another more then we hate the masters who have chained us. Or if we can come together long enough to force some real hope & change.
So why does Eric Holder still walk free?
Many local federal LEO also were regular customers there also and say privately they have a hard time believing there was anything wrong with the business.
I have no idea of their guilt or innocence or what lead to this but I know everyone that knew them, and I mean everyone that I know that knew them says they were stand up people and would not do what they are accused of doing.
Deming, NM is a small town, about halfway between the AZ and NM border. The federales used 3 armed personnel carriers to raid this man’s store. Talk about overkill.
I ask again, what will it take for all of us to reclaim our Constitutional Rights?
And if elected Sheriff, he'll outrank them within the boundaries of his country. Slight strategeric oopsie on their part.
Erps, within the boundaries of his “county”.
I know exactly where Deming is, and remember the raid- what struck me is in the list of “suspicious things” listed in the newspaper were items like: have their own windmill for water, have generator for power, four freezers full of food- I was stunned- these are things that make you appear to be criminals?
I don’t know these people but do know many that do that swear they are good people.
POWER and CONTROL being the operative words here.
Yes, to a socialist, there's nothing more outrageous than a desire not to depend on the collective.
I guess the real questions are, “Did they do background checks on the people trying to purchases weapons, and did they comply with federal guidelines concerning those purchases?”
Anything else in the way of coulda, woulda, shoulda, is irrelevant.
These people should be provided a speedy trial. They are not terrorists. Any evidence aired in public would not jeopardize the security of our nation.
Their treatment is contemptible on the face of it.
Once again, the federal government does it’s damnedest to destroy the respect of the public, for only by doing so, can it accumulate ever more power to protect itself.
These people are stormtroopers, on the same level as some of the worst in history.
Being an ollllddd retired fart, I am still not used to being no longer in 2012 mode. Can't remember last time I had to write the date.
'Course, I can't remember a lot about yesterday.
If the fact in the article are any where near as stated, it’s time to feed the hogs. There is a named individual responsible for this abuse of civil rights under color of authority. If we can no longer get justice in the courts or at the ballot box it may be time to consider other options.
I think your logic is sound, but in this day and age of Constitutional nullification, the very mention of truth is grounds for further study.
The feds say they seek to protect us from terrorists, and yet they become the deniers of the very rights they seek to keep terrorists from destroying.
This absurdity is undeniable, but don’t expect those with power to give a damn about that.
It’s the danger of herd mentality. We see on this forum. We see it in our elected leaders. We see it evidenced in federal law enforcement.
Who reviews the reviewers, when they can take whatever length of time they wish to bring people before the courts for adjudication?
I don’t pretend to know all the facts involved in this case, but there is a reason for that. This matter has not gotten the fair reasoned and expected review in public.
Whose fault is that? It certainly isn’t mine or yours.
They were definitely Preppers. He was very anti-government and I think that is what got him into trouble. They made him a target.
The Mexican Government should request Eric Holder be extradited to Mexico to stand trial for several hundred counts of felony murder.
That is a dangerous question to ask, Mr. Knox. The ATF, DEA, ICE, FBI and DOJ were all involved in intentionally arming Mexican drug cartels and they don't seem to care much who knows it.
Let's call it what it is. State-sponsored terrorism.On this side of the border it's violations of the RICO Act. In Mexico and Honduras it's state-sponsored terrorism.
What else would you call heavily arming international criminal syndicates within a foreign country wherein that country is in a death struggle with those syndicates?
Especially when it goes beyond thousands of assault rifles to include grenades, RPGs, shoulder fired rockets, anti-aircraft guns, night vision equipment, body armor and special deals to bring their drugs onto our soil with legal impunity?
Not to mention the just-revealed news that the rip crew that killed BP Agent Brian Terry was there with DEA and FBI assistance and approval to attack and kill a rival cartel's smuggling crew.
Let's not leave out the FBI and DEA laundering millions of dollars for the drug cartels by setting up bank accounts for them that they otherwise couldn't do.
It's organized, it is spread through every Federal LEA and it violates numerous domestic laws and numerous statutes and treaties that deal with foreign nations. Yet none of it has been officially sanctioned. It's the FedGov acting like mafiosa.
0bama, Holder and Hillary Clinton are all deeply involved in this and it is state-sponsored terrorism. These Chicago-machine Marxist thugs are dragging our country down to the level of Tehran and Pyongyang.
These are some very dangerous people.
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