Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Director Steven Dettelbach sent his resignation to Joe Biden late last month, announcing his intention to resign just two days before Trump's inauguration on Monday, January 20th. did. .
He touted his “successes” during his reign as follows:
Under the leadership of you and the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General, we met head-on the challenge of a historic spike in violent crime due to the pandemic.
I am leaving ATF after two years of historic declines in violent crime rates in this country, including a decline in firearms-related crimes.
That progress didn't happen by chance. The heroic, talented, and hard-working people of ATF, along with our many partners, fought hard and risked everything to earn that place.
And Americans are better off for it.
The day before he submitted his resignation, he practiced his “success” speech for an interview with left-wing NPR.
Dettelbach: Since I joined ATF, the number of violent crimes has declined sharply for two years in a row. And I think by the end of this year, this will be number three.
NPR: FBI statistics show a 3% drop in violent crime in 2023, including a sharp drop in homicides. According to the FBI's preliminary statistics for the first half of 2024, violent crime declined by an additional 10% compared to the same period last year.
Dettelbach: Violent crime has declined precipitously, but my point is, it didn't happen by accident.
NPR boldly praised Mr. Dettelbach for assisting the FBI in its “investigation” into the July assassination attempt on Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania.
ATF has … provided significant firearms evidence in incidents large and small, including the attempted assassination of then-candidate Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania rally in July of this year.
Neither NPR nor Dettelbach provided the remaining information, ignoring Dettelbach's failures as ATF director. The remaining stories included the following:
His agency's failure to respond to the House Select Committee on President Trump's Assassination Attempt: “The Select Committee's Oct. 3 letter included 17 requests for production and hand-picked interviews with relevant ATF agents who provided assistance. Three categories of requests for transcripts of interviews were specifically outlined for (the) response functions related to the assassination plot… To date, the ATF has produced a single document in response to the task force's requests. I haven't been able to do it. ”
Dettelbach's “pistol brace” rule changes require law-abiding owners of pistols to register their pistols under the National Firearms Act of 1934, pay a fee, and receive protection from ATF “unreasonable searches.” They would have been required to waive their Fourth Amendment rights to And a seizure. ”
His agency expanded the definition of “gun owner,” requiring anyone looking to sell a firearm to register with the agency as a gun dealer, and requiring the agency's enforcement division to Targeted.
His agency is implementing Biden's “zero tolerance” policy for violations by federal firearms licensees, saying even the slightest bookkeeping error can result in the revocation of a firearms license. This enforcement resulted in hundreds of gun dealers losing their licenses and livelihoods.
And there is no mention of the Gestapo-like tactics employed by the ATF to make a political statement about who is and is not a “gun dealer.” The New American reported on the horrific assault that resulted in the murder of an innocent American gun owner.
Malinowski attack
The agency trapped Brian Malinowski and raided his home without notice on May 19th. Malinowski awoke at 6 a.m. to the sound of a group of ATF agents smashing through his front door and tried to protect himself and his family. shot him dead. The agent was later deemed “justified” because he was defending himself from Mr. Malinowski's attack.
From “New American”:
If Malinowski's murder was “justified,” what were they doing inside Malinowski's house? What happens to Malinowski and his wife's right to protect themselves from what they considered a terrorist invasion?
All are good questions.
There are a few more:
Why did authorities raid Malinowski and his wife at 6:03 a.m., knowing they were likely still asleep?
Why 10 – 10? – Were SWAT vehicles and more than a dozen ATF agents involved in the raid?
Why did they use the “no-knock” tactic?
Why weren't they wearing body cameras?
Why did one of the agents intentionally block the porch camera from recording the raid?
Why didn't they inform Mr. Malinowski that he was the subject of a “search” warrant during the day? After all, they had been tracking him and his “illegal” firearm sales since December 2023.
ATF's mission accomplished. Private gun sellers across the country have been told they can be attacked and killed in their homes by ATF agents if they violate ATF's newly strengthened definition of a “gun seller.”
The tactics used by the ATF were so outrageous that they came to the attention of Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, who wrote to the ATF: Sent. They were not allowed to knock and enter Mr. Malinowski's home, even though they could have executed the warrant peacefully while he was away. ”
Representatives for Dettelbach also did not respond to the request.
January 2nd can't come soon enough.
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