Editorials

Washington Post Blames the NRA for ATF Gun Running Scandal?

By Mark Hemingway
Published June 27, 2011 2:50pm ET
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Washington Post Blames the NRA for ATF Gun Running Scandal?
I don’t know what it is about gun issues that makes people lose their minds, but this editorial from the Washington Post is pretty incredible. The post acknowledges that the ATF flooding Mexico with 2,500 weapons which were used in a variety of crimes — including the murder of a U.S. border agent — was […]

I don’t know what it is about gun issues that makes people lose their minds, but this editorial from the Washington Post is pretty incredible. The post acknowledges that the ATF flooding Mexico with 2,500 weapons which were used in a variety of crimes — including the murder of a U.S. border agent — was pretty questionable, but the real culprits are the NRA who has dared to criticize the agency or something:

The Justice Department’s Office of Inspector General and Congress are investigating, understandably. The probes could help to explain what went wrong and what could or should have been done differently. But Capitol Hill’s intense interest in the ATF should not stop there.

Lawmakers should give the ATF the tools it needs to fight illegal gun trafficking. They should enact stronger penalties for straw purchases and craft a federal gun-smuggling statute; close the gun-show loophole, which allows buyers under certain circumstances to purchase weapons without a background check; resuscitate the ban on assault weapons; and give the ATF the authority to collect data on multiple sales of long guns in border states. The Senate should move quickly to confirm a director for the long-leaderless bureau.

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ATF Guns and Firearms Mark Hemingway NRA TWS Archive Washington Post