Gun Control Group Whitewashes Border Agent Murder

The facts are these. When Border Patrol agent Brian Terry was murdered on December 14, 2010 by individuals who used guns that the ATF put in their hands, select agents at the agency - beginning with John Dodson - began blowing the whistle. Documents and emails released subsequently to Rep. Darrell Issa and Sen. Chuck Grassley unequivocally show that gun store owners were acting responsibly and it was the ATF that directed those store owners to sell those weapons to straw purchasers who put them in the hands of cartels responsible for murdering Terry.

Those facts were apparently too inconvenient for a report released by the Brady Campaign, a gun control group. Not only did they ignore those facts but the report pointed to Terry's death to help make its case that America's gun laws are too weak. In reality, its the federal government that appears to be breaking them.

Via Seattle Gun Rights Examiner:

The anti-gun Brady Campaign is out today with a new report about police officer slayings that, according to critics, contains a virtual whitewash of the Project Gunrunner scandal.

The Brady report calls revelations about the case “unconfirmed and disputed” while using the death of a Border Patrol agent linked to the gun trafficking case to call for further restrictions on semiautomatic firearms and retail gun dealers.

The report, headlined Officers Gunned Down: How Weak Gun Laws Put Police at Risk, briefly touches on the slayings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata in February and Customs and Border Protection agent Brian Terry last December. In its discussion of the Zapata murder in northern Mexico with a gun linked to a Texas-based Gunrunner suspect, the report only says the gun was “purchased in Texas.” This column offered considerably more detail.

In the one section of the REPORT where Terry's death was mentioned, it's asserted that stronger gun laws could have prevented his murder:

Two of the guns recovered at the scene of Agent Terry's murder were part of a Phoenix based sting operation targeting major Mexican drug trafficking organizations. The shooting has engendered controversy, as it is alleged that federal prosecutors and ATF permitted 1,998 guns to be purchased and retained by suspected straw buyers in the hope that a major case could be built. While the truth of those allegations are disputed and unconfirmed. It is undisputed that if firearms laws were stronger by prohibiting multiple sales and requiring responsible sales practices, these gun sales could not have been legally completed.

First of all, the claims are NOT disputed. There are mountains of documents, emails, and actual agents who have blown the scandal wide open for those willing to pay attention. Second, the notion that stricter gun laws would have prevented ATF officials from directing gun store owners to sell to straw purchasers is ridiculous. Besides, the store owners followed the laws by all accounts; they even expressed concern to the ATF - concern the ATF seemed to ignore. Why penalize those who follow the law by making the laws more strict while giving high ranking officials who have Brian Terry's blood on their hands, a pass?

HERE is the full report.

Video: The 30 Second Ad from 2007 that should Sink John Huntsman in 2012

As the conservative base continues surveying its options for President in 2012, former governor of Utah and current ambassador to China, John Huntsman keeps getting looks. For those paying attention, this ad from 2007 should cause most to cast him aside as a possibility. Watch as he shares the screen with Arnold Schwarzenegger (RINO) and Montana's Democrat governor to push for a cap on green house gases. Having support for climate change legislation in your past at this point is the equivalent of a Scarlet letter. It's likely going to sink Pawlenty's chances. The ad with Newt and Nancy sitting together on a couch in a show of solidarity for such insanity isn't going to help the former House Speaker either.

Bye bye, Jonnie.



h/t Verum Serum

Just to hammer home the point...

Video: Obama in Texas, says Republicans want a Moat with Alligators

Once you understand that everything out of this guy's mouth is a lie, you'll be scared to death after watching him rattle off made up statistics about how safe our border is. Also, the strategy is very clear. Team Obama has decided that its best option for winning in 2012 is to hammer on the immigration issue and to exploit the xenophobia straw man. It's actually a strategy that might backfire because when the immigration debate is on the front burner, it's a loser for Obama and the Democrats. The line about Republicans wanting a moat with alligators actually isn't that bad. Maybe we could enlist the help of Jeremy Wade from River Monsters and get some more ideas.

Via Austin Statesman:

EL PASO, TEXAS — In search of Hispanic votes and a long-shot immigration overhaul, President Barack Obama on Tuesday stood at the U.S.-Mexico border for the first time since winning the White House and declared it more secure than ever. He mocked Republican lawmakers for blocking immigration over border security alone, saying they won't be happy until they get a moat with alligators along the border.

"They'll never be satisfied," he said.

Stymied by both chambers of Congress, the president ditched lawmakers in favor of voters who might pressure them, making an appeal to the public on a hot and dusty day far outside Washington. He told a friendly El Paso crowd that it's up to them to tell Congress to pass legislation providing a pathway to citizenship for 11 million illegal immigrants.

The approach also allowed the president to make clear that it's Republicans — not him — standing in the way of immigration legislation. As his re-election campaign approaches it's a message he wants broadcast loud and clear to Latino voters who don't like his administration's heavy deportations and feel he never made good on his promise to prioritize immigration legislation during his first year in office.

**WARNING** Watch only if you've taken your blood pressure medicine.



h/t GWP