Scooby

You keep saying this agency is broken, even with such an exclaimer as "irrevocably so", yet you know nothing of the agency. While the firearms enforcement that you so transparently abhor is a part of the mission, it is such a small part to be statistically insignificant to the whole.

ATF prosecutes violent criminals, by and large armed drug dealers, home invaders, career felony offenders. Proactive investigations that state and local law enforcement agencies cannot undertake due to a lack of resources, be it time resources, financial resources, or otherwise. Or taking offenders that the state- for whatever reason- has been unable to deal with in a revolving door song and dance with the perpetrator(s). That is the meat and potatoes of this agency, roughly 80% percent of the prosecutions referred. Nuts like you get hung up on the 1% of regulatory firearms enforcement that the agency conducts.

And ATF is the best federal agency....even in the present. That isn't even debatable. We have the most exclusive hiring process and the longest training period of any 1811 organization, including the FBI. We prosecute more criminals per agent than any other law enforcement organization, including the FBI. Our defendants receive longer sentences on average than all other federal agencies. That's TODAY, this year, FY11.....and the facts can certainly be cited if you need them.

People like you get confused about what gets discussed here. You listen to the saber rattling by gun rights organizations that in private they don't even believe (they know we have neither the time nor the inclination to ever infringe upon lawful gun rights). Then you see people here griping about this bureau internally and you take it as some sort of validation. Nothing could be further from the truth. To a man, EVERY agent here will tell you how great of a law enforcement organization this bureau is on the ground floor and how effective we can be as a LAW ENFORCEMENT organization, which is all we fundamentally are at the end of the day.. The criticism you have and the criticism proffered here couldn't be more different, and in no way provide validation to each other.

Well, I know the agency very well after 19 years and I'd love to see your statistics--and by that I mean your quote of violent offenders, etc.--don't kid yourself, I have the real statistics. I personally compiled the statistics for the Director and the AG and your verbiage does not support same. Please lay off the fine 1811s and other personnel who go to work each day in the face of such managerial incompetence and the limited enforcement rendered under the Commerce Clause. (Do your research please before you cast a stone.) Just by sheer numbers, ATF could not have prosecuted as many criminals as the FBI. Do the math. Does ATF still enforce drug testing? Sorry to sound flippant, but your comments smack of ATF management's style of undermining and of a new employee trying to kiss ass. Feel free to contact me at your convenience at 910-568-4714. That's right...still fired for being a whistleblower but still unwilling to let fine ATF employees be subjected to unnecessary BS!

Again, amazing. Four years ago, I wrote the bi-weekly briefings for his predecessor on Project Gunrunner. I'm supposed to believe that emails directed to the AG through ATF's Exec Staff went unnoticed by persons still employed there. Please! I have forwarded same to the Oversight Committee in the hope that it will benefit the fine employees of ATF somehow, someday.

If I did, then I know for dang sure there's some swampland in Arizona with my name on it... I don't buy his denial at all.. I remember back in my days as a webslinger for ATF of posting his statements on Project Gunrunner, etc....

It gets deeper and deeper...

Couldn't believe McMahon said that with a straight face! I actually laughed out loud.

Dear Lord - just saw this. See me if you want emails whereby the Ombsudsmans' Office cuts you off on advice of Counsel.