Woman with ties to militias arrested on weapons conspiracy charges

[gunsmith]

http://www.billingsgazette.com/inde...ews/2004/05/17/build/state/75-militiaplot.inc
KALISPELL (AP) - A woman authorities say had ties to a militia group that was plotting to kill public officials in the Flathead Valley was arrested near Atlanta over the weekend on federal firearms charges, a federal agent said Monday.

Tracy Brockway, 34, was arrested without incident in Gordon County on Saturday morning, said Ken Bray, resident agent in charge of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Brockway is one of five people charged in a federal indictment with weapons conspiracy charges stemming from their alleged involvement in a group called Project 7. Bray said Brockway was expected to appear before a federal magistrate Monday and likely would be returned to Montana.


Investigators in the Flathead Valley have accused members of Project 7 of plotting to murder public officials, including judges and local law enforcement officers. However, no one has been charged with plotting murder, although Bray said an investigation continues.

Earlier this month, the ATF and FBI arrested four other people on similar firearms charges in connection with the militia group.

Also charged was David Burgert, 50, who authorities say was the leader of Project 7. He is already serving concurrent seven-year sentences for possessing an illegal machine gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

 

[Art Eatman]

This is the sort of deal where we just don't have enough information to talk intelligently about what anybody did do or didn't do. Well, aside from their yakking enough mouth music to get the feds upset enough to investigate and, obviously, accuse.

Off the cuff, sounds like the Burgert guy wasn't somebody I'd want working on my rocket.

Anybody got any other info?

Art

 

[Malone LaVeigh]

So, Art, tell us all about your rocket. John Ashcroft wants to know...

 

[RealGun]

Project 7 busted

A Google search on David Burgert provides plenty of background. What I found interesting is that charges against him are mostly related to unconstitutional anti-gun laws rather than the murder conspiracy that really sets him apart. I didn't find any explanation of how he was determined to be a "felon" on any basis other than weapons ownership. I just wouldn't be comfortable with the law finding it easy to criminalize someone based only upon RKBA infringements, one compounding another. The guy is not a martyr, but I doubt whether he has been appropriately charged.

 

[HankB]

This was a "militia?" I wonder how many of their members who joined since the OKC bombing are actually undercover Feds.

And since the story mentions "conspiracy" charges, one wonders . . . did Brockway actually do anything, or does the crime just consist of talking about doing something?

Like Art said, we don't have enough info . . .

 

[Foreign Devil]

Supposedly most of the militia members before and since the Oklahoma City bomb were just normal people who like to dress up in camouflage on the weekends and shoot tin cans. Even the former head of the FBI HRT said as much in his book and on TV. They're wacky but not criminals.

I don't actually know any personally though, that's just what I hear.

 

[deanf]

I'm surprised they didn't wait 'till the two were in church and then burn the building down.

 

[Dex Sinister]

Interesting how Bergert aged 12 years since 2002, though.

"...[Flathead County Sheriff Jim] Dupont said, "These people are scary, because they have a cause and they believe in it."

Um, yeah.

Dex }:>=-

 

[Ironbarr]

I agree with Art - not enough info to "judge".

But...

I do have a pet peeve, and "correct" or not let me state it:

He is already serving concurrent seven-year sentences for possessing an illegal machine gun and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

There is, IMNSHO, no such thing as an illegal gun. There is, however illegal possession of a gun.

This could be argued of course, however I'll not be deterred... "illegal guns" has a connotation that IMO would give many folks more of the willys... "Oh, Oh, He/She has an illegal machinegun".

Not that being confronted with a "legal" machine gun would change the feeling much, but in the "NEWS" and other rags, and MMM meetings, etc., etc. an "illegal" something connotes a something more dangerous.

And we know, that as far as machine guns are concerned, there really are "legal" machine guns - or more properly stated, legal possession of machine guns.

My point is that "illegal possession" is a more proper term. BTW, are there any illegal cars?

-Andy

 

[R.H. Lee]

Investigators in the Flathead Valley have accused members of Project 7 of plotting to murder public officials, including judges and local law enforcement officers. However, no one has been charged with plotting murder, although Bray said an investigation continues.

*** kind of doublespeak is this? Did they accuse them of plotting murder before they did not charge them with plotting murder? Sounds like Kerry clones