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Colorado Springs ATF special agent resigns, cites lack of criminal accountability in laws
KRDO ^ | August 10, 2022 | Sean Rice

Posted on 08/14/2022 6:38:12 AM PDT by george76

A special agent for the ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tabacco, Firearms, and Explosives) in Colorado Springs has resigned after 18 years of service. In his resignation letter obtained by 13 Investigates, Brandon Garcia says he cannot support the way criminals are being handled by the current government.

The ATF is a federal law enforcement agency within the Department of Justice. ATF has a field offices in Denver and Colorado Springs.

...

Garcia, who according to his resignation letter has served in law enforcement for 18 years, has concerns about the over 5,000 ATF agents nationally.

"The last time morale was this low with ATF was probably 2013-2016," Garcia said. "Over the last couple of years, ATF has been spending a significant amount of time talking about and changing the course of this agency to focus on 'the gun'. Frankly, I don’t really care about investigating the gun, I care about investigating the criminal, and then plucking that criminal out of society."

...

Garcia said he became an ATF agent to make the streets of Colorado safer. He believes people take a career in law enforcement to protect law-abiding citizens.

"For at least the last decade, the government has focused on holding police accountable. I agree, that we do need to be held accountable. But everyone needs to be held accountable for their actions, not just the police. Who is holding the criminal accountable? Who’s holding the politicians accountable," Garcia questioned.

He says his belief is that law enforcement officers are often questioning their "use of force" in today's day and age. He worries that people expect words to stop violence. However, he says only violence stops violence when dealing with violent criminals, the resignation letter states.

"Violence is the only language these violent criminals understand. If you have not experienced that type of evil on the streets or while conducting your investigations, you are investigating the wrong people," Garcia said. "They are out there, and they will kill you without thinking twice."

The special agent says he agrees with the sentiment that gun crimes are "out of control." However, the letter states that he believes taking away citizens' guns will not help. Rather, he says democrat-led states are not holding criminals, who perpetuate gun crimes, accountable.

"Fewer and fewer defendants associated with gun crimes are actually sentenced to prison. Additionally, violent crimes committed with firearms are consistently pled down to non-violent crimes and the defendant again avoids prison," Garcia said. "If there is no consequence to committing a crime, then why would a criminal stop? If guns were banned, why would the criminals actually agree to abide by the law," he questioned.

In the letter, Garcia said he worries about the number of violent criminals being released from both state and federal custody.

"This year alone, our office has had more violent federal defendants released following their detention hearing than I have seen in my entire career. That is saying something because I have never had to fight so hard just to get violent offenders prosecuted," Garcia said. "Especially in the past two years, it seems like jails and prisons can’t let people out fast enough. I wonder why violent crime is up."

According to the Common Sense Institute, violent crime in Colorado in 2020 was 35% higher than in 2011. Additionally, the average monthly crime rate in 2021 is 28% higher than it was in 2011 and 15% higher than it was only two years ago in 2019 in Colorado.

"The problem is that we don’t hold criminals accountable for their actions anymore. I have spent the majority of my career working violent crimes. I learned a long time ago that you do not combat violent crime by seizing firearms; you combat violent crime by locking up violent criminals for a really long time," Garcia said. "Not just a really long time on paper, a long time behind actual prison bars; like we used to do it before legislators and members of the judicial system decided to neglect their oath."

Garcia said he knows ATF agents at the Colorado Springs office are doing all they can to deter violent crime and keep people safe. However, he says nowadays prosecuting criminals comes down to a "roll of the dice."

"Since I can no longer do this job the way I think it needs to be done and have the appropriate level of success, then it is time for me to fight this fight from a different angle," Garcia said in the letter.


TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; US: Colorado
KEYWORDS: 2ndamendment; anarchotyranny; armedcitizen; atf; atfagent; banglist; brandongarcia; colorado; coloradosprings; crime; criminals; denver; dystopia; guncontrol; guns; law; lawenforcement; rkba; seanrice; secondamendment; selfdefense

1 posted on 08/14/2022 6:38:12 AM PDT by george76
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To: MileHi; dynachrome; backspace; Balata; bboop; Ben Dover; Benito Cereno; BigEdLB; bluejean; ...

Colorado Ping ( Let me know if you wish to be added or removed from the list.)


2 posted on 08/14/2022 6:39:17 AM PDT by george76 (Ward Churchill : Fake Indian, Fake Scholarship, and Fake Art)
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To: george76

In short, government led by democrats IS organized crime.


3 posted on 08/14/2022 6:40:01 AM PDT by joma89 (Buy weapons and ammo, folks, and have the will to use them.)
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To: joma89

18 years. That’s giving up a lot like that Lt. Col-Schaller? You gotta have something else going. How good is it to go out with a loud message? There’s still the element of don’t let the door...


4 posted on 08/14/2022 6:44:36 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: george76

No pension for him.

My dad left the Treasury Department after 17 years. Got tired of the bs.

Anyways, this guy is solid it seems. Leaving the dark side.


5 posted on 08/14/2022 6:44:39 AM PDT by waterhill (Resist)
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To: george76

ATF concerned about how we treat “criminals” huh?

How about we start by putting every one of these punk thugs engaged in a task that flies completely in the face of the rule of law and ignores 2A... how about we start by putting everyone of these gobs of human sputum in jail?

You wanna talk about “how we treat criminals”? Lets start with you. Enjoy your fat pension, you human parasite.


6 posted on 08/14/2022 6:50:48 AM PDT by tanstaafl.72555
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To: tanstaafl.72555

I think you need read the letter, for instance:

he believes taking away citizens’ guns will not help. Rather, he says democrat-led states are not holding criminals, who perpetuate gun crimes, accountable.

This guy wants those who use guns in violent actions to be put in jail for a long time. He is not talking about what these agencies now do which is to harass non criminals.

IMO the whole nation is on its head. Witness the harassment of President Trump.

BTW, he gets no pension with 17 years until he reaches 65 and only for the portion he earned at the time of leaving


7 posted on 08/14/2022 6:59:10 AM PDT by Mouton (The enemy of the people is the media )
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To: george76

He will make a very fine deputy for a Constitutional Sheriff. As, I suspect, would many of Hannity’s near-mythical rank-and-file FBI agents if they ever gather up the courage to realize any promised pension from this government is just a hollow trap.


8 posted on 08/14/2022 7:03:45 AM PDT by Mr. Jeeves ([CTRL]-[GALT]-[DELETE])
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To: george76

A number of health experts at NIH, FDA, CDC recently resigned in protest over the political science driving the decrees from those agencies.

More recently, the CDC backs off on some of it’s decrees.

Maybe they started something.


9 posted on 08/14/2022 7:47:09 AM PDT by Cold Heart (Save The Grid, Phase Out EV's)
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To: tanstaafl.72555
Y'know ... Sometimes it pays to read the article.

"Fewer and fewer defendants associated with gun crimes are actually sentenced to prison. Additionally, violent crimes committed with firearms are consistently pled down to non-violent crimes and the defendant again avoids prison," Garcia said. "If there is no consequence to committing a crime, then why would a criminal stop? If guns were banned, why would the criminals actually agree to abide by the law," he questioned.

You really think this guy is a "human parasite"?

10 posted on 08/14/2022 8:18:22 AM PDT by JennysCool ("It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled." - Mark Twain)
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To: george76

I hope he finds a good sheriff’s dept. to work for. he can give a heads up on atf behavior.


11 posted on 08/14/2022 8:19:09 AM PDT by dynachrome (“We cannot save Ukraine by dooming the US economy.” Rand Paul)
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To: george76

So, he has no problem with the fact that the entire agency he’s working for is blatantly unconstitutional, but is concerned because he has to look over his shoulder when he shoots a dog. Got it.


12 posted on 08/14/2022 9:26:01 AM PDT by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: JennysCool
Fewer and fewer defendants associated with gun crimes are actually sentenced to prison

Depends upon what he considers to be a 'gun crime'. If it's for a paperwork error, or a citizen having access to suppressors or other such garbage laws, then it's a darn good thing.

If he's talking about a gang-banger shooting folks, that's not really something he deals with. He works for a tax agency. A tax agency, btw, that has as it's main focus, the destruction of the 2nd amendment. So yeah, questioning his status as a decent citizen is appropriate. Gotta wonder how many citizens he's thrown into the gulag for making a mistake on a form.

13 posted on 08/14/2022 9:32:08 AM PDT by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: JennysCool

Y’know.... sometimes it pays to actually pay attention to who he worked for in the first place. It is a tyrannical, unlawful, despicable and unconstitutional (there is precisely ZERO consitutional authority for ANY national gun enforcement org... with the possible exception of regulating interstate commerce of guns). To hear him wail about how they “don’t prosecute criminals” is ridiculously hypocritical, since his entire organization is criminal.

Some of the comments in here about him finding a good local sheriff dept in which to work has a little appeal, but the idea that you can have “just a little arbitrary lawlessness in the name of law and order” is one of the biggest reasons this country is in the mess it is in.

He is just whining that they don’t lock up the people his unlawful outfit stick for the illegal laws it illegally enforces. Well, let me just cry a river.

Yes, to your question. Almost the entire federal bureaucracy consists of human parasites. Almost all of it is unconstitutional and illegal, and is like a tick on the productive populace, engorging itself on our moneys and stealing our freedoms. If ATF is not at the top of that list, it is very very close.


14 posted on 08/14/2022 9:42:36 AM PDT by tanstaafl.72555
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To: zeugma
You apparently missed the part where he said, "Frankly, I don’t really care about investigating the gun, I care about investigating the criminal, and then plucking that criminal out of society."

Sounds okay to me.

15 posted on 08/14/2022 10:38:07 AM PDT by JennysCool ("It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled." - Mark Twain)
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To: JennysCool
Sounds okay to me.

Sorry, no pass. He spent years working for an agency whose main mission in life is to harass gun owners.

If the U.S. government is going to have an agency that concerns itself with firearms, it's main task should be reconditioning used military to sell to the civilian market. Think of it as a massively expanded DCM that returns arms purchased by the American people back to those who paid for them.Everything up to and including crew-served weapons would be on the table. The founders of this country certainly envisioned citizens and organizations to be able to have crew served weapons, or they wouldn't have included Letters of Marque in the Constitution.

16 posted on 08/14/2022 1:25:39 PM PDT by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: tanstaafl.72555
He is just whining that they don’t lock up the people his unlawful outfit stick for the illegal laws it illegally enforces. Well, let me just cry a river.

Yes, to your question. Almost the entire federal bureaucracy consists of human parasites. Almost all of it is unconstitutional and illegal, and is like a tick on the productive populace, engorging itself on our moneys and stealing our freedoms. If ATF is not at the top of that list, it is very very close.

Hear! Hear! Worth repeating! 100%!

17 posted on 08/14/2022 1:27:06 PM PDT by zeugma (Stop deluding yourself that America is still a free country.)
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To: george76

Telling it like it is.

Gutsy man. Obviously not a Democrap!!


18 posted on 08/14/2022 11:38:25 PM PDT by MadMax, the Grinning Reaper (Figures )
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