The ATF doesn’t have the best track record when it comes to investigations.
It seems that most of the press releases we see from the agency regarding people being charged come from agents who rarely leave the office, tacking charges onto people arrested by local police. When they do try their own investigations, we get things like Ruby Ridge, Waco, the railroading of Tate Adamiak, or the killing of Brian Malinowski.
Not a strong resume, to say the least.
But a recent arrest is quite interesting. The ATF arrested six men for straw purchases and gun trafficking, who were just sentenced recently, and they’re crowing about it.
I mean, these guys trafficked 33 firearms, including Barrett rifles, and that’s something that no one really wants to see.
What’s interesting is what they left out of all their self-congratulatory backslapping.
While it is understood that the ATF would like to take all of the credit for this successful investigation, their press release leaves out how they first learned about Delgado and his merry band of straw purchasers.
According to the actual complaint, a Florida gun dealer became suspicious of Delgado after he tried to purchase his fourth Barrett rifle, which can retail for $10,000 or more. As a result, the gun dealer contacted the ATF directly.
“Specifically, on or about April 29, 2023, an employee at a federally licensed firearms dealer located in Crestview, FL, had called Defendant (Delgado) to inform him that he was not approved to purchase a .50 caliber Barrett rifle — because he had already recently purchased three such firearms — and that he should not drive to the store. Defendant informed the employee that he was already close to the store,” the complaint states.
Shortly after the dealer denied the purchase, two other defendants showed up attempting to purchase the Barrett, but the gun store owner denied the sale because he believed they “were attempting to make a straw purchase on behalf of Defendant (Delgado).”
“This suspicious activity triggered the investigation into Defendant and the firearms trafficking organization,” the complaint states.
And let’s be fair, Barretts aren’t cheap. Even most collectors will only have one or two, unless there’s some significant variation. They usually don’t buy them back-to-back, either.
In other words, it looked hinky enough, and the actions afterward made it look even worse, so the dealer contacted the ATF.
The thing is, there’s no reason not to acknowledge they’d been tipped off in the press release bragging about the sentencing. Other law enforcement agencies do it all the time. It’s actually pretty common for law enforcement to be tipped off by someone that something shady is going on.
But the ATF didn’t.
And that’s troubling for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that gun dealers are often accused of actively aiding and abetting the cartels in acquiring firearms. This is a prime example of just how that whole narrative is BS. It would also likely do more to encourage others to keep an eye out for suspicious behavior by potential purchasers.
Including the tip in the press release would at least show that gun dealers can be partners in combating straw buys, but as these are sent to the mainstream press, omitting that suggests something else.
What’s more, it’s just right to acknowledge that agents were following a tip.
But, hey, the ATF has to try and look good every chance they get, especially because they screw it up so often, leaving dead people and dead dogs in their wake.
Editor’s Note: The ATF may be undergoing significant reforms, but that doesn’t mean the agency’s actions can be ignored.
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