Bill To Dissolve Federal ATF Agency

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives would be eliminated under a bill in the works from U.S. Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.).

Citing ATF’s recent operational failures and its overlap with other federal law enforcement, Sensenbrenner is preparing a bill to dissolve the agency and have existing agencies in the U.S. Justice Department take on its duties.

“By absorbing the ATF into existing law enforcement entities, we can preserve the areas where the ATF adds value for substantially less taxpayer money,” Sensenbrenner said. “While searching for its mission, the ATF has been plagued by decades of high-profile blunders….We cannot afford to ignore clear changes that will greatly enhance the government’s efficiency.”

A new Government Accountability Office report on the ATF released Wednesday found an agency trying to redefine itself while struggling with high personnel turnover and problems tracking its own criminal investigations.

The GAO report is the latest in a series of documents and studies going back more than two decades that are critical of the agency’s overlap with other law enforcement. At least two of those reports have called for the ATF to be dissolved and its responsibility folded into other federal agencies. The ATF received $12 billion from Congress between 2003 and 2013.

ATF spokeswoman Ginger Colbrun declined to comment on Sensenbrenner’s proposal, saying she first needed to see a bill.

Abolishing the ATF is being considered on both sides of the political spectrum.

Read the rest of the article: http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/bill-by-jim-sensenbrenner-would-dissolve-federal-atf-agency-b99306932z1-266361761.html

1 Comment

  1. James C Barcliff Sr on July 10, 2014 at 3:09 pm

    Since this extension of Our Government which was developed to protect us from Illegal People having and getting Illegal Weapons is involved in flagrantly Breaking and Violating Our Laws which we are asking every Legal Citizen to follow and support and they blindly follow a person who asks them to go against everything they are to stand for as if NO LAWS exist, Then there is NO NEED for any such department to be a function of a LEGALLY LAW ABIDING NATION who fails at following Our Laws!!! Disband this and every department that dares to violate their Oath of Office whether it is a sitting President or an individual in any department remove them or SHUT DOWN the whole thing!!!