Some in our firearms paradise of Montana are upset about a memo from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), reminding dealers that pot users can’t own guns. Users of federal “Schedule One” controlled substances, with no “currently accepted medical use” in the U.S., are prima facie felons.
While angel-dusters, meth-heads, and legal drunks can be dangerous, I’ve never seen anyone baked AND homicidal – so it’s worth asking: Why is weed a felony?
Part of why might be “Reefer Madness,” a pathetic 1936 propaganda film produced by, yep, our U.S. government. The film portrayed the “drug crazed abandon” of pot use: Driving too fast, giggling, promiscuity, even shooting your girlfriend!
In terms of how a fat, stinking government lie can still distort policy 75 years later – it’s worth watching as a valuable lesson that still applies today.
How? Let’s take a look at Fast and Furious (F&F), in which ATF had Arizona gun dealers dumping firepower into Mexico’s murderous drug war – with disastrous results.
Good background can be found in a link-filled Forbes analysis by the National Rifle Association’s Frank Miniter. Furthermore, CBS News’ Sharyl Attkisson has broken the unbiased “mainstream” mold by making significant documents available.
But the beginning seems to be back in spring 2008, when the “news” claimed that U.S. firearms were arming Mexico’s dope lords – ABC News’ “Investigative Unit” headlined their “report” as “U.S. Guns Arming Mexican Drug Gangs.”
The completely wrong “story” was that 90 percent of drug-war guns used in Mexico came from “U.S. gun stores and gun shows.” Democratic politicians, and the “mainstream” press, jumped all over the “90 percent” bandwagon, screaming for stricter U.S. gun laws.
But anyone who bitterly clings to their firearms (and reality) knows that, since 1968, federal law has mandated that all guns in legitimate U.S. commerce have serial numbers and import markings (if applicable). Firearms lacking commercial marks don’t move in American commerce, therefore asking U.S. law enforcement for a trace is a waste of time. In fact, the “90 percent” of guns traced to America (for obvious reasons) was only about 17 percent of guns actually seized by the Mexican government.
Importantly, ABC built its story around statements from ATF’s supervisor in Phoenix. Among other things, the agent griped to ABC about “no requirement by the gun dealer to fill out a multiple sales form” – something which the Obama Administration changed this year with a new reporting regulation.
He also complained “we need a lot more resources” and a year later, Congress provided $15 million for Project Gunrunner, of which F&F was a part.
Most interesting of all, this particular agent also told ABC “I have personally worked cases where gun dealers have willfully allowed hundreds of guns to leave their gun store knowing that they were going into the wrong hands.”
Now, change “gun dealers” in 2008 to “ATF agents” in 2010, and there you have it – Operation Fast and Furious. Who ran it? William Newell, the guy ABC interviewed.
Go ahead, enjoy the irony…
How did this happen? Well, as candidate Barack Obama told a Pennsylvania crowd in September 2008, “I don’t have the votes in Congress” for major gun law changes.
After the 2008 blowout, conventional wisdom was that Democrats had a durable working majority – all they needed was a “crisis.” In his statements to the press and Congress, Agent Newell had sent signals certain politicians recognized – he was the field expert they needed to create the proper crisis. If Newell’s superiors got what they wanted, he’d get promotions, pay raises and prestige in return.
The casual tone of Newell’s disclosed discussions with Obama’s National Security staffer make it clear he was a willing partner in the bargain – and he wasn’t alone.
Like “Reefer Madness,” Operation Fast and Furious was a felony-stupid, deliberate attempt by public servants to propagandize public perceptions, then opinions, then the law.
But our government’s “heater madness” isn’t some cheesy movie. Intended or not, the deaths of American police, citizens and over 200 Mexicans has made Fast and Furious a crime.
Everyone responsible must be punished.