The Albuquerque Journal reported Sunday that the tally of weapons seized was laid out [...]]]> Federal authorities seized more than 1,200 firearms and nearly 2 million rounds of ammunition when they raided a family-run gun shop in New Mexico last month as part of a multi-agency investigation into illegal gun sales and smuggling.

The Albuquerque Journal reported Sunday that the tally of weapons seized was laid out in search warrant documents filed this week in federal court in Santa Fe. The warrants were executed on the gun shop owner’s home and shop south of Deming in late August.

Affidavits for the warrants also describe conversations in which confidential informants say the weapons being bought were headed to Mexico for use in the drug wars, the newspaper said.

Federal agents last month arrested Rick Reese, 55, his wife Terri, 48, and sons Ryin, 24, and Remington, 19. They all are accused of conspiring to falsify paperwork recording gun sales, to launder the sale proceeds and to smuggle weapons into Mexico.

All four have pleaded not guilty.-[source]

Instead, Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has turned whistle-blower and all hell is about to [...]]]> Kenneth Melson was supposed to be the fall guy, the sacrificial lamb, the guy thrown under the bus to protect President Obama.  Melson was “expected” to resign.  He refused.

Instead, Melson, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has turned whistle-blower and all hell is about to explode over the operation dubbed by Obama’s Justice Department “Fast and Furious” but now known as the Gunwalker scandal.

It looks like the Obama regime financed (partly with “stimulus” funds) an $80 million program to allow straw buyers to purchase hundreds of weapons from federally licensed gun shops in Southwest states, over the objection of the shop owners, and then allowed these weapons to “walk” across the Mexican border into the waiting arms of the murderous Mexican drug cartels.

At first, Justice Department spokesmen said it was a “sting gone wrong.”  Then, when many pointed out that the ATF had no jurisdiction to follow the guns across the border to make arrests, the cover story fell apart.

Melson has told congressional investigators that there is a “smoking gun” internal memo withheld from Congress indicating that “political appointees” (Obama’s) in the Justice Department were involved.  This memo and other documents are being withheld from Congress as part of a cover-up.-[source]

The ability to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, general apprehension and lingering concerns that the Obama administration could crack down on gun ownership are among [...]]]> Guns are selling at a record pace this year at sporting-goods stores and specialty shops in Arizona, creating millions of dollars in revenue for retailers.

The ability to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, general apprehension and lingering concerns that the Obama administration could crack down on gun ownership are among the sales drivers.

In Arizona, it is likely that more than 200,000 new weapons will be put in buyers’ hands after background checks this year. That figure doesn’t include firearms purchased at gun shows and through private transactions. Such non-tracked sales are thought to account for 40 percent of all sales, adding about 150,000 guns purchased annually. The estimated sales total: about 350,000 guns per year.-[source]

Ken Melson, the acting director of the ATF, lobbed the accusation when he sneaked in for an interview [...]]]> The Justice Department is obstructing the congressional investigation of a U.S. law enforcement operation intended to crack down on major weapons traffickers on the Southwest border, according to the embattled leader of the BATFE.

Ken Melson, the acting director of the ATF, lobbed the accusation when he sneaked in for an interview with congressional investigators on July 4, two days ahead of his scheduled interview with the inspector general about the operation known as “Fast and Furious,” Fox News has learned.-[source]

The facts revealed about ATF’s Operation Fast And Furious during last month’s congressional hearing have been the source of considerable public scrutiny. This is only one [...]]]> Recently, the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, Firearms and Explosives, also known by its old initials ATF, has been on the receiving end of a myriad of criticism.

The facts revealed about ATF’s Operation Fast And Furious during last month’s congressional hearing have been the source of considerable public scrutiny. This is only one of many instances when ATF has acted recklessly and irresponsibly.

Like many aspects of the federal government, ATF has a long history of corruption.

Established under the Department of the Treasury, ATF was originally meant to serve as a tax-collecting agency, operating independently of the IRS. Today, ATF is also expected to enforce the growing number of laws regulating alcohol, tobacco, and firearms.

After the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, ATF separated from the Treasury Department and was transferred to the Department of Justice with the intent that the agency’s law enforcement role would be carried out more efficiently and effectively under the DOJ.

According to ATF’s mission statement, the agency is committed to protecting our communities from violent criminals, criminal organizations, and the illegal use and trafficking of firearms.

However, now and in the past, ATF has failed to accomplish these aims without throwing civilians, quite deliberately, in harm’s way.-[source]