M4arc
02-08-07, 19:51
Finally someone in the Federal Government is exercising common sense!
I'm glad to see the VCDL actively involved but does anyone have any info from the NRA on this subject?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VCDL's Gun Dealer Legal Defense Fund -- help fight Mayor Bloomberg's
scheme to cripple Virginia firearms dealers. See:
www.vcdl.org/index.html#DefenseFund
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe or change your email address, please follow the
directions at the end of this message.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Just in: the Federal Government has no intentions of prosecuting the
first 15 gun dealers that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg alleges
were caught doing straw sales in a 'sting' operation that Bloomberg
ran without coordinating with any law enforcement agency!
It gets better: "...the feds warned the Bloomberg administration that
it could face 'potential legal liabilities' if it continues to
conduct sting operations that fall within the jurisdiction of federal
agents."
But the Mayor's Office, when asked if it will cease these sting
operations said, "Not necessarily."
I can just picture a little kid stomping his feet and showing
defiance after being told by an adult that what he did was wrong and
to stop doing it. ;-)
Bloomberg's actions were not about stopping crime, but political
grandstanding at any cost - and this article vindicates what VCDL has
been saying from the beginning.
Is this now over?
NO - Bloomberg has made it clear that those civil suits that he has
brought ARE GOING TO CONTINUE! The ATF rebuke of Bloomberg ONLY
applies to his sting operations, not his civil law suits - so more
civil suits could still be brought by Bloomberg.
There are four Virginia gun dealers who are still fighting to keep
their businesses and two who we are actively helping financially.
We must see this out to the end and, perhaps, see some suits turned
around with Bloomberg as the defendant.
The only store we can't help is Cole's in South Boston. By signing
an agreement with Bloomberg that store is on the hook until the
onerous terms in the agreement put it out of business. Even if the
suit is dissolved with the other gun dealers in the future, Cole's
agreement will carry on - providing confidential information on all
gun sales to Bloomberg.
For now we will continue our course - standing with the four dealers
who are still fighting, while boycotting Cole's.
http://tinyurl.com/ypedor
New York Daily News
Feds shoot down Mike's gun suit
BY MICHAEL SAUL
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
The federal government will not file criminal charges against any of
the 15 out-of-state gun dealers accused by Mayor Bloomberg in a
federal lawsuit of selling guns illegally, the Daily News has learned.
In a stern rebuke to the city's high-profile crusade against illegal
guns, the feds warned the Bloomberg administration that it could face
"potential legal liabilities" if it continues to conduct sting
operations that fall within the jurisdiction of federal agents.
Bloomberg announced the filing of a federal lawsuit last May against
15 gun dealers, who he lambasted as the "worst of the worst." The
city later filed a similar lawsuit against another 12 dealers.
In both cases, the city sent private investigators to gun dealers and
secretly videotaped them making what Bloomberg called illegal "straw
purchases."
A "straw purchase" refers to when an individual talks with a store
clerk about purchasing a gun, but then gets another person to fill
out the required federal forms and undergo the mandatory background
check.
According to a letter sent to City Hall, the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and various U.S. attorneys' offices
have determined the city's findings against the 15 dealers "do not
rise to a level that would support a criminal prosecution."
The letter - sent Tuesday by Michael Battle, director of the
executive office for United States Attorneys at the Department of
Justice - also scolded City Hall for engaging in sting operations
involving persons "without proper law enforcement authority," saying
that could put the city in legal jeopardy. Battle added that City
Hall could "unintentionally interrupt or jeopardize" criminal probes.
Asked if the Bloomberg administration plans to stop conducting the
sting operations, Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler said, "Not necessarily."
"The city hasn't violated any laws," Skyler said defiantly, adding
that the city will continue to pursue its civil lawsuits against the
gun dealers.
***************************************************************************
VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL).
VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to
defending the human rights of all Virginians. The membership considers the
Right to Keep and Bear Arms to be an essential human right.
VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org
***************************************************************************
I'm glad to see the VCDL actively involved but does anyone have any info from the NRA on this subject?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
VCDL's Gun Dealer Legal Defense Fund -- help fight Mayor Bloomberg's
scheme to cripple Virginia firearms dealers. See:
www.vcdl.org/index.html#DefenseFund
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe or change your email address, please follow the
directions at the end of this message.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Just in: the Federal Government has no intentions of prosecuting the
first 15 gun dealers that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg alleges
were caught doing straw sales in a 'sting' operation that Bloomberg
ran without coordinating with any law enforcement agency!
It gets better: "...the feds warned the Bloomberg administration that
it could face 'potential legal liabilities' if it continues to
conduct sting operations that fall within the jurisdiction of federal
agents."
But the Mayor's Office, when asked if it will cease these sting
operations said, "Not necessarily."
I can just picture a little kid stomping his feet and showing
defiance after being told by an adult that what he did was wrong and
to stop doing it. ;-)
Bloomberg's actions were not about stopping crime, but political
grandstanding at any cost - and this article vindicates what VCDL has
been saying from the beginning.
Is this now over?
NO - Bloomberg has made it clear that those civil suits that he has
brought ARE GOING TO CONTINUE! The ATF rebuke of Bloomberg ONLY
applies to his sting operations, not his civil law suits - so more
civil suits could still be brought by Bloomberg.
There are four Virginia gun dealers who are still fighting to keep
their businesses and two who we are actively helping financially.
We must see this out to the end and, perhaps, see some suits turned
around with Bloomberg as the defendant.
The only store we can't help is Cole's in South Boston. By signing
an agreement with Bloomberg that store is on the hook until the
onerous terms in the agreement put it out of business. Even if the
suit is dissolved with the other gun dealers in the future, Cole's
agreement will carry on - providing confidential information on all
gun sales to Bloomberg.
For now we will continue our course - standing with the four dealers
who are still fighting, while boycotting Cole's.
http://tinyurl.com/ypedor
New York Daily News
Feds shoot down Mike's gun suit
BY MICHAEL SAUL
DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
The federal government will not file criminal charges against any of
the 15 out-of-state gun dealers accused by Mayor Bloomberg in a
federal lawsuit of selling guns illegally, the Daily News has learned.
In a stern rebuke to the city's high-profile crusade against illegal
guns, the feds warned the Bloomberg administration that it could face
"potential legal liabilities" if it continues to conduct sting
operations that fall within the jurisdiction of federal agents.
Bloomberg announced the filing of a federal lawsuit last May against
15 gun dealers, who he lambasted as the "worst of the worst." The
city later filed a similar lawsuit against another 12 dealers.
In both cases, the city sent private investigators to gun dealers and
secretly videotaped them making what Bloomberg called illegal "straw
purchases."
A "straw purchase" refers to when an individual talks with a store
clerk about purchasing a gun, but then gets another person to fill
out the required federal forms and undergo the mandatory background
check.
According to a letter sent to City Hall, the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and various U.S. attorneys' offices
have determined the city's findings against the 15 dealers "do not
rise to a level that would support a criminal prosecution."
The letter - sent Tuesday by Michael Battle, director of the
executive office for United States Attorneys at the Department of
Justice - also scolded City Hall for engaging in sting operations
involving persons "without proper law enforcement authority," saying
that could put the city in legal jeopardy. Battle added that City
Hall could "unintentionally interrupt or jeopardize" criminal probes.
Asked if the Bloomberg administration plans to stop conducting the
sting operations, Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler said, "Not necessarily."
"The city hasn't violated any laws," Skyler said defiantly, adding
that the city will continue to pursue its civil lawsuits against the
gun dealers.
***************************************************************************
VA-ALERT is a project of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL).
VCDL is an all-volunteer, non-partisan grassroots organization dedicated to
defending the human rights of all Virginians. The membership considers the
Right to Keep and Bear Arms to be an essential human right.
VCDL web page: http://www.vcdl.org
***************************************************************************