Federal agents hunt for guns, one house at a time

Federal agents hunt for guns, one house at a time

www.chron.com

They also combined efforts with the Drug Enforcement Administration for an aircraft to stealthily follow traffickers to the border.

On this day, agents weren’t wearing raid jackets or combat boots and weren’t armed with warrants.

Guns were hidden under civilian shirts.

(visit the link for the full news article)


Mod Edit: All Caps – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 7/1/2009 by JacKatMtn]

Well, here we go... the precedent is being set and so far, no one is saying 'boo' about it. As the general public sees, and accepts this move, it will already be easier to expand this action to other "questionable" purchases. The slope is steep, and slippery indeed.

This quote kills me:

In front of a run-down shack in north Houston, federal agents step from a government sedan into 102-degree heat and face a critical question: How can the woman living here buy four high-end handguns in one day?

The question that should be asked is, "Who are they to make this judgement?" If this is all the justification they need to make a warrentless search, then the Constitution has now been rendered meaningless.

www.chron.com
(visit the link for the full news article)




Mod Edit: All Caps – Please Review This Link.

[edit on 7/1/2009 by JacKatMtn]

Anyone else notice that the DEA and ATF in this country and in, I believe, South American, like the military in Iraq and Afghanistan, are now using more and more contractors as opposed to actual full-time agents? Maybe that partially explains the line "On this day, agents weren’t wearing raid jackets or combat boots and weren’t armed with warrants."

On second thought, Sloan switched to Spanish and interviewed a neighbor.

Not only do they do searches without a warrant, but they also use your neighbors to spy on you. And many people make excuses for it.

So now it's a crime to spend more on guns than on clothes? Just because someone has different purchasing priorities than the people who buy $300 shoes and watch Friends re-runs does not make them a threat to national security.

I would love to see them try to take my guns away.

Flagged.

Originally posted by exile1981
So now it's a crime to spend more on guns than on clothes?

I havent bought any clothes in years but havent bought any firearms in a couple of weeks. I must be at the top of the list.

A pair of jeans and a couple of flannel shirts go a long way.

Pants + 5 shirts = $80
AR15 = $1200



I spend more on rags and gun oil than I do on clothes.

As long as my nakedness is mostly covered I'm good to go.

Another tip took agents on a 30-minute drive from the shack to a sprawling home with a pool in the back and an American flag out front.

It turned out two handguns, of a type drug gangsters prefer, were bought by a pastor for target practice.

So they are already harassing lawful firearms owners, based on some type of alleged "tip off".

The BATF is all about gun seizure, they should be called the Bureau of Gun Control.

The pastor mentioned above almost certainly purchased 2 Glocks on the same day, likely from the same store.

These worthless bureaucrats are looking for multiple purchases. Avoid buying more than one gun from the same store in the same week, or make private purchases.

I can't believe I just gave that advice, this used to be a free country.

I read this article on Drudge earlier this morning.
I didn't think too much of it at the time, until they stated that there were no warrants.

Does this mean that they can conduct 'search and siezure' without a warrant or probable cause soley because they think owning a handgun should only happen at certain socio-economic levels?

If they think that someone in my neighborhood is providing guns to criminals, does that give them the right to come to my home and check for handguns?

This is not a good thing my friends.

Another tip took agents on a 30-minute drive from the shack to a sprawling home with a pool in the back and an American flag out front.

It turned out two handguns, of a type drug gangsters prefer, were bought by a pastor for target practice.

Some stories, they say, are hard to believe.

Who the hell says a pastor can't have a handgun?? What kind of BS is the 'type drug gangsters prefer'?

The Government just loves to push this. What a big load of crap. If these thugs showed up at my house with out a warrant I would call the police.

In front of a run-down shack in north Houston, federal agents step from a government sedan into 102-degree heat and face a critical question: How can the woman living here buy four high-end handguns in one day?

Another reason to be AGAINST GUN OWNERS LISTS AND PERMITS.

When we have permits, the government have list of gun owners. And 99% of those buying guns legally are PATRIOTS, meaning they are the real enemy of the state.

They don't care about illegal guns since they go into criminal hands, and criminal only mind their business and don't care about the constitution.

reply to post by Vitchilo


Citibank give pay raises instead of bonuses and riots/protests break out (thank you ACORN).
Michael Jackson dies (RIP, Mike) and the media freaks out.
Bernie Madoff gets 150 years in jail, and all we see is legal talk for hours.

The government goes door to door to check for handguns and we get Matt Drudge, and ATS.

-is it just me, or did we fall down the rabbit hole with Alice?-

This is what is going on,

The federal government and their elitist crocks are scare as the sale in guns and ammo keeps raising in the nation.

An armed nation is always a danger to the powers in charge if they know that they are corrupted and harming the nations citizens with their corruption.

That is what is happening in the US right now.

The worst enemy is now the citizens of the nation.

The mission is especially challenging because, officials say, that while Houston is the number one point of origin for weapons traced back to the United States from Mexico, the government can’t compile databases on gun owners under federal law.

Sounds like they are trying to make a case for Federal Gun Databases.

Does the Federal Government ever stop and think about the root of the problem?

If there wasn't such a high demand for illegal drugs combined with draconian drug laws (i.e. government regulation of drugs) there wouldn't be Mexican drug cartels.

Pull the tooth already, don't beat around the bush so you can sell more orejel.

Wait, they know this but then what basis would they have to take away our gun rights?

Mods: In no way shape or form am I promoting or encouraging drug use.

[edit on 1-7-2009 by lucentenigma]

[edit on 1-7-2009 by lucentenigma]

It is likely that the agents were looking to see if someone was using the woman's name to buy guns and ship them to Mexico. That situation is problematical for many and slowing down the illegal trade will help gun owners in the long run and remove some of the arguments for stricter controls.
As to ownership of guns and concealed carry -- this is a good way to make the bad guys rethink whom they target as long as the intended victim knows the limitations of their permit and the laws.
Here are some useful rules to help out:
1. Don't be an aggressive hero. Stopping a robbery at the local convenience store is not your job.
2. Retreat until you are cornered then shoot without warning. This does several things for you. It shows that you are not the aggressor and that you were willing to avoid confrontation. It shows that you only acted when you had no way to escape. Warning the bad guy after he has chased you down helps him by alerting him to what happens next. He doesn't need any additional help.
3. Wounded bad guys tell lies. If they can't talk, they can't lie or seek revenge. Stay as anonymous as you can. Another reason to avoid confrontation.
4. The vast majority of concealed carry folk never display their weapon much less get involved in a shootout. I recommend that you not carry an arsenal and use the minimum size weapon that you think is necessary. You will likely not need 4 extra mags for your doublestack 1911 and all that extra will make the prosecutor think that you were looking for trouble. A small revolver or compact auto should do the trick.
5. If you are unlucky enough to get into it, find cover. People under stress often lose their skills and blast away. Even a non-trained criminal can shoot you at close range. Gunfire from anything helps people remember that they suddenly need to be somewhere else. Nobody has to get hurt unless you are cornered. See #2.
6. Don't corner any rats. The bad guys will be wanting to leave without being perforated. They were tough guys when they thought that they were the only ones with guns. Don't make them desperate by cornering them and allow them to retreat if you can.
6. After the event, the police will be talking to you. They will probably cuff you -- go easy and don't panic. They will take your gun. Don't wave it at them when they arrive. Open it and place it where they can see it. Don't do anything sudden and obey their commands. When they arrive they don't know who did what and who is dangerous to them. They are as afraid as anyone when it comes to getting shot and are trained to be cautious. Go with the flow and be sure to get a receipt for your weapon.
7. Keep your mouth shut. No one has to know you are an IPCC champ or that you shot expert with everything you touched in the service. If you are serious, take the BS stickers off your car and truck about "prying your cold, dead hands...." or your ooorah USMC/Airborne hero sticker. If you have a SEAL tattoo, you are on your own but, then again, you are used to that.

Among other things, the agents are combing neighborhoods and asking people about suspicious purchases as well as seeking explanations as to how their guns ended up used in murders, kidnappings and other crimes in Mexico.

People who are legally in the United States and have clean criminal records, but are facing economic problems are often recruited by traffickers to buy weapons on their behalf in order to shield themselves from scrutiny.

Some stories, they say, are hard to believe.

The lamest so far came from a police officer: He said he bought a few military-style rifles, left them in his car and — on the same night — forgot to lock a door. He couldn’t explain why he didn’t file a police report or why he visited Mexico the day after the alleged theft.

OP's Source


So basically unless you buying weapons and selling them to real thugs and murderers then you have nothing to worry about. They are not looking for people who are buying weapons for themselves, they are looking for people who are selling weapons to people who for whatever reason cannot buy weapons for themselves.

But whatever, lets just chalk up another point for the "evil" government.

May be time to hide your survival gear folks.

They will use Houston as a training ground under the guise of looking for drug cartel weapons. The press will report it as a miracle cure for gun problems. It has already been proven that the majority of these guns DO NOT come from the U.S. anyway.

The next step will be door to door searches in every major city that has high levels of MS13 gang activity.

This isn't good.

[edit on 1-7-2009 by jibeho]

[edit on 1-7-2009 by jibeho]

I just bought a 500 round box of 5.56's last saturday.

And cause of this article I'm going to go buy another this weekend.

reply to post by pteridine


Very Great advice!

A good witness, is a dead witness. If you do have to pull it out, use it, and use it good. If you don't need to use it, don't pull it out at all.

Any law enforcement officer "without a tazer gun" will tell you the same thing.