How Could Fast And Furious Have Been Used To Promote Gun Control?

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First of all, what follows is speculation based upon what we know at this point. Obviously, I believe it is reasonable speculation - but you will have to make up your own mind.

Clearly this is a failed operation - no matter what the goal was. It failed because it became known that US Border Patrol Agent Brain Terry was killed with one of the guns ATF shepherded over the border. This was the last straw for some very brave line ATF agents who worked with people in the gun rights community to make the facts concerning this operation public.

WHAT IF THE ABOVE NEVER HAPPENED? What if Brain Terry was never killed? What if the agents did as they were told and kept their mouths shut?

Clearly the operation would have continued to pump guns into Mexico, and ATF execs wold have continued to track their recovery at Mexican murder scenes. At some point ATF would drop the hammer. I believe that they would then have arrested the smugglers, the straw buyers, AND THE COOPERATING GUN DEALERS.

The administration would then say: "Here's the proof. 'Assault Rifles' are flowing from these evil gun dealers to cooperating smugglers and they are killing hundreds in Mexico" We need a ban on these guns NOW. They would have something they don't have now: "Proof".

But you say, "The gun dealers would make it clear that they were cooperating with the ATF". They might try, but consider these possibilities:

1) What are their lawyers going to tell them? Keep your mouth shut and let us defend you in court. Even if they did get word out, who is going to believe people facing hundreds of felony counts?

2) The mainstream media, which is vehemently opposed to gun rights, would have hyped the ATF/DOJ version of the facts relentlessly.

3) ATF and DOJ would have lots of time to destroy or alter records to cover their tracks. Do you really think that people who sent guns to Mexican criminals, knowing that they would be used to kill people, would not do this?

4) A trial would take years. Faced with "we can find no record of any cooperation agreements" as the response from DOJ - and perhaps a very generous plea deal in exchange for testifying against the smugglers - the gun dealers might plead guilty. If not, they might be convicted at trial. Even if they were found not guilty, it would still take years.

5) Armed with evidence that "thousands of Mexicans are dying because we don't have an Assault Weapons Ban" the push for new laws would begin. It would not take long to swing a few votes and get it to Obama's desk. No matter if it is unconstitutional, one more appointment to the Supreme Court will invalidate the 2nd Amendment anyway.

Goal achieved, new "Assault Weapons" ban passed.

Again, the above is speculation. What follows is fact:

1) Within weeks of taking office, the Obama administration began pushing for a new "Assault Weapons' ban. Both Sec. of State Clinton and AG Holder were involved. Almost immediately their case falls apart when their "90% lie" is exposed and 67 House Democrats send a letter to Holder telling him such a bill is DOA in the House. So, they were stopped by two things: Lack of public support and lack of solid proof that US guns from the retail market were fueling the violence in Mexico.

2) Almost immediately the Fast and Furious operation begins to pump gun from US gun shops into the hands of Mexican criminals. Every one of these guns has a paper trail leading directly back to a US retail outlet - something they obviously did not have in large numbers prior to this.

3) One might think that given what they have been caught doing, the administration would back off calls for more gun control - especially in an election year. Not so. This is what Eric Holder said before the US House Oversight Committee in February of 2012: "This administration has consistently favored the reinstitution of the assault weapons ban. It is something that we think was useful in the past with regard to the reduction that we’ve seen in crime, and certainly would have a positive impact on our relationship and the crime situation in Mexico."

In other words, he is still repeating the same lies with the same goals even after the administration was caught sending thousands of the very guns he wants to ban to Mexican cartels who used them to kill hundreds. He arrogance is amazing.

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