Guys,
We know that there have been many people railroaded by the ATF for having guns or kits that they determined to be "readily convertible" to something illegal. People like Bob Stewart of Maadi-Griffin and John Glover for example. Well, I'm working on a project that could overturn literally thousands of such unjust convictions, and I need help from you folks.
You've probably head of their various ludicrious justifications, like Shoelaces being machineguns, or 8 hours of machine shop time being "readily convertible". The question is, does the BATFE have any documented procedure for determining what makes something "readily convertible" into a gun or machinegun? Every other federal agency that does testing has clearly defined procedures, which are obviously necessary to make objective conclusions. Ask the FDA for drug-testing procedures, for example, and they'll give them to you.
What we suspect, however, is that the BATFE has no such manual - they use whatever procedures strike an agent's fancy at the moment, and make their conclusions subjectively. If this is the case, then their conclusions about the convertibility of guns in thousands of cases will become tainted evidence, allowing thousands of retrials and ultimately freeing thousands of people fraudulently convicted.
How do we prove it? We need Congressmen to request a copy of the ATF procedures manual from the Congressional Research Service. The CRS of course does not have such a thing on file, and so they will request one from the ATF. When the ATF can't produce it, we have grounds to challenge ATF trial testimony. While this may sound complicated, we're already halfway there! One Congressman has already requested the manual directly from the ATF, and they are desperately trying to get him to formally remove his request...and they might succeed, if we can't bring any more pressure on them. Even just a few Congressmen joining in the request would make it neigh impossible for the ATF to squirm out of the hot seat.
Best of all, this doesn't require Congressmen to do anything so public as introduce legislation, make speeches, or even vote on anything. All they need to do is request the ATF procedures manual - a purely internal matter that won't bring them heat from the media or anti-gun constituents.
Please help out by contacting your Senators and Representatives (contact info: Senators, Reps) and asking them to request the BATF firearm examination procedures manual from the CRS. This is a chance to make a real difference, by helping real people who have been illegally imprisoned. Please ask your Congressmen to do this...and please let me know what the ATF or CRS tells them.
Thank you!
We know that there have been many people railroaded by the ATF for having guns or kits that they determined to be "readily convertible" to something illegal. People like Bob Stewart of Maadi-Griffin and John Glover for example. Well, I'm working on a project that could overturn literally thousands of such unjust convictions, and I need help from you folks.
You've probably head of their various ludicrious justifications, like Shoelaces being machineguns, or 8 hours of machine shop time being "readily convertible". The question is, does the BATFE have any documented procedure for determining what makes something "readily convertible" into a gun or machinegun? Every other federal agency that does testing has clearly defined procedures, which are obviously necessary to make objective conclusions. Ask the FDA for drug-testing procedures, for example, and they'll give them to you.
What we suspect, however, is that the BATFE has no such manual - they use whatever procedures strike an agent's fancy at the moment, and make their conclusions subjectively. If this is the case, then their conclusions about the convertibility of guns in thousands of cases will become tainted evidence, allowing thousands of retrials and ultimately freeing thousands of people fraudulently convicted.
How do we prove it? We need Congressmen to request a copy of the ATF procedures manual from the Congressional Research Service. The CRS of course does not have such a thing on file, and so they will request one from the ATF. When the ATF can't produce it, we have grounds to challenge ATF trial testimony. While this may sound complicated, we're already halfway there! One Congressman has already requested the manual directly from the ATF, and they are desperately trying to get him to formally remove his request...and they might succeed, if we can't bring any more pressure on them. Even just a few Congressmen joining in the request would make it neigh impossible for the ATF to squirm out of the hot seat.
Best of all, this doesn't require Congressmen to do anything so public as introduce legislation, make speeches, or even vote on anything. All they need to do is request the ATF procedures manual - a purely internal matter that won't bring them heat from the media or anti-gun constituents.
Please help out by contacting your Senators and Representatives (contact info: Senators, Reps) and asking them to request the BATF firearm examination procedures manual from the CRS. This is a chance to make a real difference, by helping real people who have been illegally imprisoned. Please ask your Congressmen to do this...and please let me know what the ATF or CRS tells them.
Thank you!
prohibition), or so much as a finding of the necessity/CONSTITUTIONALITY of such a ,"policy"? 
...
