Gunwalker Update: Rumor ATF to be Abolished

Wish I could have heard this live, but JBH let me know that Cam Edwards of Cam & Company, part of NRA Radio, and featured on SiriusXM Patriot network, had a very interesting show last night where he mentioned that Cam and his guests discussed something about the entire ATF being thrown under the bus and disbanded.  I find that less likely than Holder being thrown under the bus – even when rumors were circulating about that.  Podcast available here. Worth listening to.  If that link doesn’t work try here on NRA Podcast list, Cam & Company 9/21/11.

The podcast includes Cam speaking with Katie Pavlich of Townhall.com (at about the 20 minute mark), who was invited to Congressman Darrell Issa’s blogger/new media conference.  There are several good portions of the show that are relevant to F&F.

Just after the 31 minute mark, Katie Pavlich drops the bombshell:

Katie: And speaking of ATF agents losing their job, I have information that there is a white paper circulating within the Justice Department that implies abolishing ATF in order to clean house, get rid of all the agents, in an effort to kind of say “we’re taking this very seriously, we’re getting rid of ATF.”  They would transfer all the explosives to FBI so that way the ATF no longer has jurisdiction over it.  And then that way they can say “we’ve gotten rid of ATF, we’ve gotten rid of the low-level agents, and therefore, we’ve cleaned this up, no one else knew about it” – keeping the pressure off of DOJ once again.

Cam: Wait wait wait wait wait.  So you’re saying that there is a paper circulating around the Justice Department right now that advocates actually scr-

Katie: Yes.

Cam: Wait wait wait.  Barack Obama wants to scrap a government agency?

Katie: Yeah.

Cam: And it just happens to be the ATF?

Katie: Yes.

Cam: Really?  Like that’s – “America I found some savings!  I found some savings, America!”  Really?

Katie: Really.

Cam: Wow.

Katie: A serious policy document.

Cam: And… so they would shut down ATF?

Katie: At least 450 agents completely just gone.  Fired.  Done.

Cam: And move everybody under other –

Katie: Move ’em out.

Cam: – other justice department umbrellas.

Katie: No.  Just fire them.

Cam: Really?

Katie: Just get rid of them.  There’s no evidence.  Just move all the responsibilities of ATF to other agencies, like I just mentioned the FBI.  There’s no plan in place for where these ATF agents who are simply taking orders like we just said from higher ups who threaten them. …  And now the Justice Department is seriously contemplating getting rid of at least 450 ATF agents. … Just getting rid of them, in an effort to say “we cleaned up our act, we got rid of ATF”.  When really, it’s a coverup once again to keep the pressure off the high level officials.  …  This is actually circulating in Washington, D.C., among the Justice Department.

Much of the rest of the segment is Cam and Katie going over the history of the Obama administration’s gun control efforts, efforts to reinstate the AWB, their success in committing an international crime that resulted in increased laws on US gun owners (long gun reporting), etc.  It’s worth listening to the whole thing, the background, and the discussions of how the Obama administration has worked and is planning on working.

Listening to three very knowledgeable people pull the info together helps make sense of the whole mess for those who haven’t been following it since late Dec/early Jan this year.

Update: Keep in mind also what Sipsey Street Irregulars revealed a couple days ago – that the ATF is about to offer buyouts for agents to leave.

Update 2: Welcome ARFcommers (FU ARock!), SubGunners and HotAir readers!