In my USA Today piece on Deval Patrick, I mentioned the 542 page confidential Justice Department task force report on Ruby Ridge which was compiled after an Idaho jury trounced the FBI and Justice Department in the Randy Weaver trial. Patrick dismissed the findings of that report and exonerated the FBI, helping spur widespread fears […]
Tag Archives | ATF
Waco Atrocity & Coverup Riff from Mises Institute Conference
My old friend Bill Anderson kindly asked me about the Waco coverup during the question-and-answer portion of my spiel at last week’s Mises Institute conference. Here’s my response: The feds got away with covering up the worst parts of that atrocity – or at least with delaying the damning evidence so long that the political damage […]
The Hill: Gun Crackdowns Ignore Waco & Other ATF Atrocities
The Hill, March 7, 2018 Gun crackdowns have already led to too many federal abuses by James Bovard President Trump declared last week that the law enforcement should “take the guns first, go through due process second.” But the history of federal firearms enforcement shows that due process is often a mirage when federal bureaucrats […]
25 Years Ago: Feds Attack at Waco in Name of Gun Control
25 years ago today, federal agents launched a military style attack on peaceful Texas residents who were suspected of having modified firearms. At a time when much of the media is in a frenzy in favor of gun control, the ATF raid on the Branch Davidians is a reminder of how armed bureaucrats will convert […]
FFF: Bipartisan Battering of Freedom in Congress
Future of Freedom Foundation Bipartisan Battering of Freedom by James Bovard For more than 40 years, Republicans have been promising to cut federal spending. In the same period, federal outlays have inched up by a few trillion dollars. But the Grand Old Party continues singing the same song — though voters may finally be losing […]
FFF: Obama’s Forgotten Victims
Future of Freedom Foundation Obama’s Forgotten Victims by James Bovard The White House kept one seat vacant in the gallery during Obama’s State of the Union Address in January “for the victims of gun violence who no longer have a voice.” This was part of Obama’s crusade for new federal restrictions on firearms ownership. But […]