Yesterday afternoon, the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms released firearms tracing data to the press from Mexico between the years 2007-2011 during a roundtable discussion and presentation given by ATF Special Agent John Hageman. The data was released at ATF headquarters in Washington D.C. Reporters were allowed to bring pen and paper, but were prohibited from bringing computers or recording devices. When we arrived, despite prohibiting the use of computers, ATF gave us a flashdrive.
70%
Thats the percentage of guns traced in Mexico to United States sources or Federal Firearms Licensees [gun dealers] according to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
In September 2009, the Mexican government provided ATF with electronic files containing firearms identifiers and recovery data. The electronic files contained information that initiated over 43,000 firearms traces, excluding duplicates, with most having recovery years ranging from CY 2007 to 2009, according to information given to the press.
The majority of the sales linked back to the U.S. according to this trace data, actually come from government to government sales, not from normal sales made in American gun shops. Despite this fact, anti-gun groups and members of Congress use this misleading data to push for more gun control and regulations on retail stores.
California Senator Diane Feinstein used similar data during a hearing about Operation Fast and Furious last fall to call for more gun regulation, as did embattled Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer.
ATF isnt making a determination on how people view our data, ATF Special Agent John Hageman said.
Or are they? ATF uses these numbers to justify its new long gun reporting measures. The new measures were implemented last summer and require border state gun dealers to report multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles.
Hageman said since the new reporting measures were put into place last fall, ATF has opened up 100 new investigations and has named 30 defendants as a result. Sounds great right? Wrong. 100 is simply the number of opened investigations on 70 percent of people ATF wanted to look into for buying more than one semi-automatic rifle at a time. The 30 statistic is the number of actual possible cri
ATF Publishes Falsified Gun Tracking Data to Mislead Public « Cognition Emission
70%
Thats the percentage of guns traced in Mexico to United States sources or Federal Firearms Licensees [gun dealers] according to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
In September 2009, the Mexican government provided ATF with electronic files containing firearms identifiers and recovery data. The electronic files contained information that initiated over 43,000 firearms traces, excluding duplicates, with most having recovery years ranging from CY 2007 to 2009, according to information given to the press.
The majority of the sales linked back to the U.S. according to this trace data, actually come from government to government sales, not from normal sales made in American gun shops. Despite this fact, anti-gun groups and members of Congress use this misleading data to push for more gun control and regulations on retail stores.
California Senator Diane Feinstein used similar data during a hearing about Operation Fast and Furious last fall to call for more gun regulation, as did embattled Assistant Attorney General Lanny Breuer.
ATF isnt making a determination on how people view our data, ATF Special Agent John Hageman said.
Or are they? ATF uses these numbers to justify its new long gun reporting measures. The new measures were implemented last summer and require border state gun dealers to report multiple sales of semi-automatic rifles.
Hageman said since the new reporting measures were put into place last fall, ATF has opened up 100 new investigations and has named 30 defendants as a result. Sounds great right? Wrong. 100 is simply the number of opened investigations on 70 percent of people ATF wanted to look into for buying more than one semi-automatic rifle at a time. The 30 statistic is the number of actual possible cri
ATF Publishes Falsified Gun Tracking Data to Mislead Public « Cognition Emission
