Court allows rule designed to find bulk rifle sales

(Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday upheld a gun reporting rule that the Obama administration adopted in 2011 to try to detect bulk sales of semi-automatic rifles to Mexican drug gangs.

A unanimous panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit said the administration acted within its authority to adopt the rule, which affects firearms sellers in states bordering Mexico

Sounds pretty straight forward to me. I don't much agree with it, but I can see the point behind it too. My largest fear on a thing like this is what everyone's generally is. Slippery slopes and things being expanded beyond reason.

The rule requires stores in Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas to notify federal law enforcement when someone buys two or more of a specific type of firearm within five business days.

Source

If it doesn't take a slide down that slope, the rule itself doesn't seem too troublesome. I'd just wonder what it's supposed to really accomplish, since so many other ways exist to buy guns? Well, the court let this one stand, either way.

To clarify, these are the rule guidelines from the ATF

In August 2011, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was authorized by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to initiate similar reporting requirements on the multiple sales related to certain rifles for a period of three years. Multiple Sales For Certain Rifles requires all federal firearms licensees in Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas to submit reports of multiple sales or other dispositions to an unlicensed individual of two or more rifles within five consecutive business days having the following characteristics:

(1) semiautomatic;

(2) a caliber greater than .22 (including .223/5.56 mm); and

(3) the ability to accept detachable magazines.

(Spacing added)
(Source: ATF)

Win some, Lose some, I suppose.

I think they are stretching things already
Two rifles is NOT A BULK SALE......
This is just the tip of the wedge.
They will try every possible angle to limit restrict or otherwise infringe on the right to bear arms.
I justdont understand why you of all people cannot see that this is just more prodding and pushing for further controls..Wrabbit...the Cartels buy AUTOMATIC WEAPONS from foriegn arms dealers who smuggle handgrenades from chzechoslovakia and machine guns from elsewhere....
The cartels do NOT need American semi automatic rifles...
They have the money to buy wholesale from international dealers in REAL BULK LOTS...
Rifles , machine guns,grenades by the caselots.
The whole concept of the Cartels using weapons from American straw buyers is ludicrous at best.
Its my contention that the MEXICAN ARMY provides far more weaponry to the cartels than America by a long shot.

reply to post by stirling

I know... I'm trying to put the brightest face on a bad situation because after the courts find it's just? Well... So it's the law we follow. At least until a future case may change it. We can hope.... Until then tho. I figured we have enough border state members for the development to be interesting and important to share. Even if it's not particularly good news.

I also agree that with billion dollar budgets to work with, the cartels can call a Russian or Chinese factory and have Military issue rifles shipped by the cargo ship load, most likely. Only the base criminal element was really grabbing guns from the American side ...and those looking for high quality or specialty guns. Some of the border patrol shows I've watched show tricked out or pro' modified .45's (or .38's as it is there, I guess ) and other nice engraved guns or whatever. Those are cartel...but you're right, IMO, in saying the big guys don't buy from Jo Bob's Gun & Pawn.

Originally posted by stirling
I think they are stretching things already
Two rifles is NOT A BULK SALE......

Within 5 days..

Originally posted by stirling
Wrabbit...the Cartels buy AUTOMATIC WEAPONS from foriegn arms dealers who smuggle handgrenades from chzechoslovakia and machine guns from elsewhere....
The cartels do NOT need American semi automatic rifles...

Nope..Just the latest small sample of the last couple months..It is happening everywhere along the border.

April 3, 2013 10:39 pm
HARLINGEN — A San Benito man is the latest person arrested in connection with an alleged scheme to make straw purchases of firearms.

Danny Cantu, 25, was arrested March 29 in Houston by federal agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, agency spokeswoman Franceska Perot said.

Cantu, the seventh person named in the case, has been charged in all 14 counts of the indictment that was returned Feb. 26.

Those charges include engaging in a conspiracy to buy weapons and make false statements about the purchases.

According to the indictment, Cantu recruited others to purchase firearms and instructed them to state on the federal firearms forms that the weapons were purchased for themselves, when in reality, they were obtaining them for another person.

Cantu provided the money for the gun purchases, told others which weapons to buy, and paid them between $100 and $200 for doing so, the indictment states.

The firearms were purchased in February, April, May and June 2010 at merchants in Houston and in the Rio Grande Valley, according to the indictment.

In all, the indictment lists 16 weapons that were purchased, including a 9mm Beretta semi-automatic handgun, .223 caliber rifles, 7.62x39 caliber rifles, and an AK-47.

With Cantu’s arrest, seven of the nine persons named in the indictment have been arrested. ATF agents are seeking the remaining two persons, whose names have not been released.

Arrested on March 14 were Anthony Jaramillo, 27, and Irene Viera, 22, both of Harlingen; Rodolfo Villasana, 26, of El Ranchito; and Alonzo Sepulveda, 28, of La Paloma.

Elsa Castillo, 27, of San Benito was arrested on March 20.

Baldemar Salinas, 34, of Houston was arrested March 26.

www.valleymorningstar.com...

I could do this all day long...

Seymour Man Accused Of Trading Guns To Mexican Cartel

A 33-year-old Seymour man accused of trading guns to a Mexican cartel in exchange for drugs to distribute in southern Indiana was arrested in June, a federal official said Thursday.

"On March 16, 2011, law enforcement in south Texas recovered a duffle bag, literally on the banks of the Rio Grande," Hogsett said during an interview at The Tribune on Thursday afternoon. "And inside that bag they found 10 assault rifles, rifle magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition."

www.wbiw.com...

In an early morning round-up in Arizona, law enforcement agents Tuesday arrested 20 people who are accused of illegally buying hundreds of AK-47s and other firearms at U.S. gun stores. The defendants allegedly acted as "straw purchasers," falsely declaring on federal forms they were purchasing the weapons for themselves, rather than their real clients: the Sinaloa Cartel and other Mexican drug trafficking organizations across the border, the officials said.

www.nbcnews.com...

Indictment: Son, mom sold guns to cartels
www.statesman.com...

San Antonio men sentenced in firearms straw purchase, trafficking investigation

Keith Edwards, 23 and Ricky Gonzalez, 22, were sentenced Tuesday to 87 and 42 months, respectively, in U.S. District Court in Del Rio, Texas. They are two of 22 defendants who have pleaded guilty to federal firearms charges in connection with this investigation.

www.alipac.us...

Nine Texans sentenced to prison for buying guns for cartel

2:42 p.m. CST, February 8, 2012

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Nine Texas men and women have been sentenced to prison for purchasing weapons for Mexico's Los Zetas drug cartel, and a dozen others face charges linked to a Department of Justice probe into weapons trafficking, officials said on Wednesday.

www.alipac.us...

Housewives busted in gun smuggling ring

SAN ANTONIO —Young housewives and older moms who bought assault rifles from Texas gun dealers are among nearly two dozen charged in an alleged weapons smuggling ring that armed Mexican cartels before the scheme was broken up, federal agents said Wednesday.

More than 200 weapons, including AK-47s and sniper rifles, were seized and 22 people have been arrested. Many are accused of being so-called "straw buyers" gun shoppers without prior criminal records who legitimately buy from licensed dealers, then hand the weapons to smugglers.

www.alipac.us...








Nine Texans sentenced to prison for buying guns for cartel