Gun Industry Suffers Stinging Defeat in Court
Dennis A. Henigan
HuffPost
Posted: 1/19/12 01:57 PM ET
Last week, a federal judge in Washington handed the gun industry a painful legal setback in its efforts to prevent the Obama Administration from attacking the highly-profitable trafficking of assault rifles to the Mexican drug cartels.
Judge Rosemary Collyer -- who, incidentally, was appointed by George W. Bush -- upheld the Administration's new policy of requiring federally-licensed gun dealers in four border states to notify federal law enforcement authorities whenever there is a multiple purchase of certain semi-automatic rifles. Judge Collyer found this modest reporting requirement "reasonable" in light of evidence that "certain powerful long guns are weapons of choice of Mexican drug cartels" and "multiple sales of such guns is a strong indicator of gun trafficking."
The industry's reaction was a study in hypocrisy. The National Shooting Sports Foundation -- the industry trade association that brought the lawsuit -- issued a statement expressing its disappointment in the ruling, but emphasizing that "members of the firearms industry take great pride in their longstanding cooperative relationship" with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Yes, the industry is so "cooperative" that it took the ATF to court because retailers could not abide having to tell ATF when someone walks out of a Texas gun shop with ten semi-automatic assault rifles. I guess it's easy to be "cooperative" with ATF until the Bureau actually requires you to cooperate to fight gun trafficking.
The industry's strategy of contesting the reporting rule in court has clearly backfired. The gun industry has enthusiastically joined the National Rifle Association in denying that U.S. gun dealers are a primary source of guns for the Mexican cartels. Ironically, the industry's own lawsuit has given the government an opportunity to present the full range of evidence that the cartels are arming themselves with American guns, evidence the industry was unable to overcome.
(More here.)
HuffPost
Posted: 1/19/12 01:57 PM ET
Last week, a federal judge in Washington handed the gun industry a painful legal setback in its efforts to prevent the Obama Administration from attacking the highly-profitable trafficking of assault rifles to the Mexican drug cartels.
Judge Rosemary Collyer -- who, incidentally, was appointed by George W. Bush -- upheld the Administration's new policy of requiring federally-licensed gun dealers in four border states to notify federal law enforcement authorities whenever there is a multiple purchase of certain semi-automatic rifles. Judge Collyer found this modest reporting requirement "reasonable" in light of evidence that "certain powerful long guns are weapons of choice of Mexican drug cartels" and "multiple sales of such guns is a strong indicator of gun trafficking."
The industry's reaction was a study in hypocrisy. The National Shooting Sports Foundation -- the industry trade association that brought the lawsuit -- issued a statement expressing its disappointment in the ruling, but emphasizing that "members of the firearms industry take great pride in their longstanding cooperative relationship" with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Yes, the industry is so "cooperative" that it took the ATF to court because retailers could not abide having to tell ATF when someone walks out of a Texas gun shop with ten semi-automatic assault rifles. I guess it's easy to be "cooperative" with ATF until the Bureau actually requires you to cooperate to fight gun trafficking.
The industry's strategy of contesting the reporting rule in court has clearly backfired. The gun industry has enthusiastically joined the National Rifle Association in denying that U.S. gun dealers are a primary source of guns for the Mexican cartels. Ironically, the industry's own lawsuit has given the government an opportunity to present the full range of evidence that the cartels are arming themselves with American guns, evidence the industry was unable to overcome.
(More here.)
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