Posted on 01/06/2018 7:26:07 AM PST by Simon Green
Government Accountability Office employees posing as sketchy buyers tried and failed in 72 attempts to purchase firearms on the internet, part of a failed investigation called for by a trio of Congressional Democrats.
While the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives (ATF) insisted in its most recent strategic plan, as cited by the GAO, that "the privacy of the Internet makes it an ideal means for gang members, violent criminals, terrorists, and juveniles to traffic and obtain illegal firearms," the new report released by the (GAO) could not corroborate any of it.
The GAO did not fare much better on the so-called "Dark Web." Agents made 7 attempts and were successful just twice, purchasing an AR-15 and an Uzi.
There's not much in the report for Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Maryland) and Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) from which to demand stricter internet gun laws, but it may not stop Democrats from trying to impose new laws anyway.
It's unclear what kind of internet-specific gun laws there could be other than a blanket ban (LOL trying to enforce that) or enhanced sentencing (a dubious legal tool to say the least).
In all, 56 sellers refused to complete the requested transactions; 29 said they wouldn't ship the requested firearms and 27 refused after the agents disclosed they were prohibited from purchasing firearms. One five separate occasions, the GAO trolls were also banned from the websites where they were inquiring about murky purchases.
"The results of our testing are for illustrative purposes only and are not generalizable," the GAO wrote in a letter to the three Congressional Democrats about the results of the report.
The GAO was also asked to assess how ATF was enforcing firearms laws on the internet, since Cummings, Schatz, and Warren say they worry there are no specific laws about firearm sales on the internet. (As the GAO report notes, a bevy of laws on the book apply to firearm sales that happen to be made on the internet)
Nevertheless, the GAO found that ATF does coordinate investigative work on internet sales through an Internet Investigations Center to "ensure they have the necessary training to operate online in an undercover capacity."
According to the GAO, the ATF center, founded in 2012, uses free open-source software "to analyze online content for investigations," claiming that this allowed "analysts to glean information from public websites without violating users' privacy rights."
In any case, the technology that makes all kinds of commerce easier, including firearms-related commerce, isn't going anywhere. So-called e-commerce continues to grow while other technology, like 3D printing, promises to make government attempts to control all kinds of products, including firearms, even harder.
It's a bright future.
Let's don't buy into their phony talking points.
Got a link to that story?
GAO is not making recommendations in this report. ATF provided technical comments, which GAO incorporated as appropriate.
For more information, contact Seto Bagdoyan at (202) 512-6722 or bagdoyans@gao.gov, or Wayne McElrath at (202) 512-2905 or mcelrathw@gao.gov.
https://www.gao.gov/mobile/products/GAO-18-24
Time to do away with the ATF along with all the rest of the redundant organizations.
Tell the tale...
It’s a good insight into entrapment.
Post it to Your Ping list!
You’ve been Quiet lately.
Still waiting for Democrat strongholds like Boston, Baltimore, Chicago, SF, etc., to ban guns in city limits.
He freely admitted to being Law Enforcement, however, the kicker was that he said he was exempt from going through an FFL for an interstate sale because he was a LEO.
No, that's not right, I told him.
He then offered to travel to Atlanta, though he was a Tennesee resident.
I told him he would have to show proof of residence in GA or no deal.
He kept insisting that because he was a LEO that he was exempt.
I refused, as I am unaware of any exemption he described.
Laz, you did that so perfectly. That party and the anti-2A forces behind him were up to No Good. They got nowhere with you, however. Your knowledge and integrity carried the day.
Props.
It actually was a pretty good angle: "I'm law enforcement, so I am exempt."
At one point he even offered to show me his badge when we met, and for a moment, I was tempted to respond, "Oh, I *BET* you would."
That is exactly why your interaction stuck in my mind. The, ‘I’m exempt bc I’m law enforcement,’ angle would have swayed some. You held the line, and the anti-2Aers got their hats handed to them.
Score one for our side!
OK, I do remember that now.
Good job of keeping your nose in the wind. Chalk one up for the good guys.
Hoe yer good, Laz
I see what you did there...
Senator Warren commenced to twirling and stomping... Suddenly it began to rain... male bovine excrement.
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