Is Mayor Bloomberg relevant anymore?

[coyote_jr]

After losing out on the Tihart deal, which he was one of that movements biggest champions, it seems as if the wheels are falling off for the gun control zealot. From the USA Today:

Police often skip 'trace data' in gun crimes
By Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Only about a third of the nation's estimated 17,000 local law enforcement agencies regularly request federal assistance for "trace information" identifying the source of firearms used in crimes, federal authorities said Monday.
"There may be law enforcement agencies out there not asking for it because they don't think they have access to it," says Michael Sullivan, acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

For investigators, the trace information is often key to tracking suspects in gun-related crimes. Using serial numbers and other descriptive information from recovered weapons, federal authorities can compel firearms manufacturers and dealers to provide information about who first bought the weapon and when.

Federal authorities say they tend to receive repeated requests for help every year mostly from the same 6,000 law enforcement agencies — and rarely hear from the other 11,000. They worry that the ongoing public debate — fueled by advocacy groups and a national coalition of mayors — over access to the critical background information may be discouraging police departments from requesting it. Sullivan says conflicting interpretations of federal law may be contributing to false perceptions that the police are no longer able to receive the information.

The ATF is permitted to share trace information with agencies that request it as part of individual ongoing criminal investigations. The bureau, however, is restricted from sharing results of individual requests with departments other than the requesting agencies. Federal law also shields the data from use in civil suits.

A national coalition of municipal leaders, Mayors Against Illegal Guns, have called for broader access to the trace information, saying that when analyzed in bulk it could help cities target illegal gun dealers more effectively.

John Feinblatt, criminal justice coordinator for New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a leader of the coalition, says it has been "impossible to get a straight answer out of the ATF," about the rules for requests on trace data.

Feinblatt says the ATF has turned down requests from some cities attempting to "use trace data to map the black market" for illegal weapons.

But Sullivan says that individual law enforcement agencies are free to share the information ATF provides to other agencies.

Chuck Canterbury, president of the Fraternal Order of Police, says Bloomberg and other members of the coalition have done "a wonderful job of confusing police chiefs and sheriffs" over their rights to access, which he thinks are adequate under current rules.

Broader release of the data, he says, could compromise sources of key information and interfere with criminal inquiries

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-08-20-guntrace_N.htm?csp=34

Mr. Canterbury doesn't seem too thrilled with Bloomberg or his coalition. Do you think the Mayor will become less vocal since he has had his hat handed to him as of late?

 

[ftierson]

Anymore...?

Is this a trick question?



Forrest

 

[Apple a Day]

Never underestimate a politician with lots of money in his pocket.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Do you think the Mayor will become less vocal since he has had his hat handed to him as of late?

Leftist extremists politicians become less vocal when they're buried.

 

[foghornl]

Bloom (ing idiot) berg is irrelevant to me, in the same heap as Rudy G.

 

[Old Fuff]

I think there is more to this then meets the eye, which when dealing with the BATF&E isn't unusual. Acting Director Sullivan's real complaint is that too few police departments are taking advantage of his agency's gun tracing program. If that number doubled for example, so would the need for more people to handle the load, and of course a bigger budget.

While gun tracing may sound like the best thing since sliced bread, the fact of the mater is that it can only lead to the first legal buyer. More often then not, it is discovered that the gun was stolen from a legal owner, thereby ending the paper trail, or it was purchased by a straw buyer, whom they fail to go after. Uncle Sam's Assistant Attorney General's can't be bothered with such little stuff. Meanwhile some local dealer is blamed without the full circumstances of the sale ever being revealed.

ATF Gun Tracing Data Released
August 20, 2007 6:28 PM EDT

WASHINGTON - Local police forces last year asked the ATF for help investigating whether an estimated 284,000 weapons were legally sold, officials said Monday.

But Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives acting Director Michael J. Sullivan said he's worried that fewer police departments will request assistance because of new legislation barring public release of so-called gun trace data, which tracks gun sales in specific cases.

"My biggest concern is we have law enforcement departments out there that believe that they can't get access to trace information, so they're not even asking for it," Sullivan told reporters at ATF headquarters. "And it's undermining their ability to advance their investigations."

"There's little that I can think of that they've requested that we can't provide to them," Sullivan said.

To underscore the data's availability, the ATF released a state-by-state breakdown of requests for help in tracking down guns recovered at crime scenes, including by type of firearm and where they were sold.

The confusion stems from a provision in the Justice Department's spending plan for next year that prohibits ATF from releasing case-specific information to the public.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has pushed for the information that he says will help local officials uncover dealers who sell guns that disproportionately end up in the hands of criminals. But gun rights advocates like the National Rifle Association, who successfully fought for the ban, said mayors want the data to sue out-of-state gun dealers.

Sullivan's explanation Monday still didn't satisfy some city officials who said they remain unclear on whether the ATF would penalize police for using trace data to map illegal gun sales on the black market.

"It has been impossible to get a straight answer out of the ATF on trace data," said John Feinblatt, Bloomberg's criminal justice coordinator.
ATF used to recap generic gun trace data, like the information released Monday, in annual reports. But Sullivan said budget cuts in part hampered the bureau's ability to compile and release those reports - although he pledged to do so in the future.

Additionally, 8 percent of police agencies nationwide can investigate the gun sales on their own with technology called e-trace, Sullivan said. About 6,000 of the estimated 17,000 police departments in the U.S. ask ATF for help with at least one firearm each year, he said.

Last year, California asked for ATF assistance in tracing 21,223 guns, more than any other state, the data released Monday show. The overwhelming majority of the guns - more than 8,000 - were originally sold within the state. Just over 600 guns recovered at California crime scenes were sold in neighboring Arizona, and the rest of the firearms came from all over the country.

California was among five states - including Illinois, New York, North Carolina and Texas - that logged more than 10,000 requests.

The ATF's state-by-state breakdown of gun trace data can be found at: http://www.atf.gov/firearms/vcit/index.htm

http://enews.earthlink.net/article/gen?guid=20070820/46c911c0_3ca6_15526200708201705338880

 

[AirForceShooter]

He very well may be.
There's a pretty good chance he'll run for Governor.

AFS

 

[tinygnat219]

This is the danger that we tend to fall into: we've defeated him on one or two issues and tend to place him and his ideas away from our forefront of vigilance.

This is a mistake. Bloomberg is an anti-gun billionaire with plenty of time on his hands (he doesn't seem to really be running the City of New York now is he?). His ideas and proposals need to stomped, crushed, squashed, defeated, and overturned wherever possible.

Personally, I think he's one of the larger threats that's facing our Constitution. Vigilance and an electronic tag would be useful in keeping taps on Bloomie.

 

[Tom Servo]

He's relevant if you're a gun dealer.

How he's not in jail is beyond me. He paid private individuals to commit Federal weapons violations (straw purchases), and he did so across state lines. All for the purpose of a lawsuit.

Thing is, he's free, and it worked. The owner of one of the affected shops in our area had to sell the business, and the other is sinking a great deal of his personal fortune into counter-suing.

Somebody's protecting this guy. Be very wary.

 

[spooky_t]

Relevant? Probably not. Still dangerous to gun owners? Absolutely.
As tinygnat219 wrote, don't count him out. And don't be fooled by the fact that he hasn't done anything lately.
His kind worry me more when they're quiet. You just know their thinking of ways to mess with pro-gunners.

 

[harbinger_j]

Yes, he is relevant. He has enough $$$ to be relevant with anything he wants. He knows how to throw his weight around with his connections and money, and he is used to getting what he wants. He wont quit so easily

 

[MD_Willington]

He's still the admitted ring leader of an of a highly publicized "straw purchase" gang...

I'm still wondering why he's not in court and or prison along with his cronies...



Oh yeah, that's right, he's one of the "Beautiful people"...

 

[USMC6177]

You know between Bloomy and ol' Rudi its a wonder I get any sleep at all, I spend all my time trying to convince my "republican" friends who are from the city that those two are not the second coming of jesus, but far left sheep in wolves clothing.

 

[geekWithA.45]

Well, it seems that the Bloomberg's has crashed against the wall of American common sense, but it's never wise to ignore or deem irrelevant an avowed enemy with billions in his pockets, political connections up the wazoo, and NYC in his thrall.

 

[coyote_jr]

it's prudent to stay vigilant, but I say he's finished

 

[tinygnat219]

coyote_jr,

I think Bloomberg is far from finished. His lawsuits are ongoing, but stalled. He went after the Tiahart amendment, but failed.

For a Liberal anti-gunner, he's shown some remarkably creative ways at assaulting our firearms rights. This creativity will succeed if we don't take the threat that he represents seriously.

I will consider him finished when he's put behind bars for the crimes that he has committed.

 

[Navy joe]

If you believe the Declaration of Independence is relevant, especially in how it refers to dealing with tyrants then Mike Bloomberg is relevant.

 

[Tin Gizel]

Somebody's protecting this guy. Be very wary.

You've read my mind...just because he's not on the news everynight doesn't mean he isn't plotting on how he will take over the world tomorrow....

 

[hnk45acp]

He is absolutely relevant. Just ask the out of state gun dealers that are being sued in NYC courts.
from ny daily news a few days ago:
Mike lawsuits get drop on gun shops
Saturday, August 18th 2007, 4:00 AM

Two out-of-state gun dealers who sold illegal guns used in city crimes agreed to a settlement yesterday that will allow a special master to monitor them.
Mayor Bloomberg, who sued 27 gun dealers in five states in an effort to reduce illegal gun sales, hailed the legal deals as "major steps forward in our fight to get gun dealers to obey the law and stop selling the guns that end up being used to kill our citizens."
Fourteen gun dealers have settled with the city.
The latest settlements with John's Gun & Tackle Room of Easton, Pa., and Franklin Rod & Gun Shop of Rocky Mount, Va., came two days after a federal judge in Brooklyn ruled that New York courts have a right to hear these cases.
The judge also said the city has shown that dealers in the suit are responsible for "large quantities of handguns used by local criminals to terrorize significant portions of the city's population."