Operation Fast and Furious

Hearings Underway into ATF Gun Tracking Scandal

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Blog editor


The ATF Implemented an operation called fast and furious that put thousands of guns in the hands of the Mexican drug cartel. One of these guns may have resulted in the death of one of our border patrol agents. From the information that I have seen the department of justice approved and further stated that this was not against the law. What in the world is our government doing giving guns to drug lords which are killing people on both sides of the border. It was stated that they were trying to track where the guns went. I think they now know where they went because they're shooting back at us with those  same guns. Our government needs to get back on the right side of law, not breaking the law.


Samuel Burns
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 Congress Tuesday looked into a secret government operation to track guns to Mexican drug cartels, that allegedly backfired in a spectacular and deadly fashion.   
       House Government Oversight Committee Chairman Darrel Issa laid the legal groundwork to hold Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and Explosives Director Ken Melson and potentially Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt, over their refusal to hand over documents regarding Operation Fast and Furious. "The American people deserve prompt and complete answers to questions surrounding this operation," Issa says.

Fast and Furious is the administration's secret program that put thousands of guns into the hands of Mexican cartels with the intent of seeing where those guns were going.

       Yet publicly, it blamed U.S. gun stores. "More than 90% of the guns recovered in Mexico come from the United States," President Obama said.

       For months, the administration ignored Issa's subpoena for reports explaining how fast and furious got started, communications between FBI and ATF over the guns related to the death of Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, and documents between the ATF and DOJ regarding Fast and Furious.

"Now the question is, will the DOJ give us the documents or will law enforcement officials little by little as whistleblowers give us exactly what we want to show that this problem goes to the highest levels," Issa asks.

   Documents show ATF allowed Jamie Avila to buy 47 weapons after it knew he smuggled them to Mexico, including the one that killed agent Terry.
       The ATF also let Uriel Patino buy 661 guns, including dozens of AK47s while agents watched him on video camera 

   "We can issue subpoenas and demand documents and take depositions but we have to exercise that authority responsibly," said Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD).

       Some Democrats and the Department of Justice fear releasing documents could hurt the Inspector General's investigation. 
       Tuesday's panel disagreed 
 
  "Who looks at the Justice Department? I think when you have reason to believe there is mismanagement in the Justice Department to leave that to the Justice Department is not acceptable to me," says Louis Fisher of The Constitution Project. 

 The President told Mexican television Operation Fast and Furious was a mistake.
 Some claim it was innocent.  Others believe it was allowed to happen to justify tougher gun laws.

  Hearings resume Wednesday with the family of Agent Terry and several agents who blew the whistle.