Gunwalker Terrorizing America, Too: Guns Show Up in U.S.
It was inevitable.
Some of the estimated 2,000 firearms that federal law enforcement allowed to slip into the hands of Mexico’s violent drug cartels are showing up in gun crimes in U.S. cities.
KNXV-TV in Phoenix, AZ, conducted an investigation regarding weapons the federal government “walked” to drug cartels, and can confirm that those weapons are turning up at crime scenes inside the United States — some scenes just blocks from each other.
They have documentation proving that “Gunwalker” firearms are turning up in Arizona gun crimes, and that some of the firearms in question may not have ever left the United States at all.
KNXV reporters cross-referenced serial numbers of weapons recovered from area crimes with those of firearms that the multi-agency federal task force let arms smugglers purchase in area gun shops. More recently, they uncovered that an additional 43 Gunwalker firearms were recovered in a single bust, out of 59 total firearms recovered.
The news is far from surprising. It was, after all, the murder of U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry within the U.S. — in the Arizona desert — that triggered whistleblowers within the operation to come forward. Two “Gunwalker” guns were recovered at the scene of Terry’s murder. ICE Agent Jaime Zapata was also killed with Gunwalker guns, and a fellow ICE agent was seriously wounded.
These are just two confirmed American deaths. We don’t know how many Americans have been murdered by guns provided by the Obama administration to narco-terrorists, and they certainly aren’t going to volunteer that information.
KNXV should not be the only investigation by news agencies in border states. Both local and national news organizations should be demanding the ATF publish the list of “Gunwalker” firearms by serial number, so that the public may maintain a running tally of how many of these firearms have been recovered and whether the recovered guns were linked to any specific crimes.
Sadly, investigative reporters and bloggers aren’t the only people interested in using Gunwalker data. Neil Munro of the Daily Caller reveals that criminal defense attorneys are seeking discovery to determine if they can use Gunwalker to the advantage of their clients:
“As the lawyer for Jose Sauceda–Cuevas, I’ve got to look at every possibility,” including agency misconduct, that would help him in the courtroom, said David Dudley, a Harvard-trained criminal defense lawyer based in Los Angeles.
The U.S. Attorney for the Arizona district is charging Dudley’s client with 25 counts related to gun trafficking. The charges include 10 false statements made during gun purchases, five identity theft charges, five counts for felony possession of a gun, and “five counts of Illegal Alien in Possession of a Firearm,” according to a May 19 press statement.
“The defendant orchestrated straw purchases of over 110 assault rifles and pistols in a multi–state enterprise to provide weapons for the drug war” in Mexico, the statement said.
It is impossible to predict how much of an impact the Gunwalker fiasco will have on this particular case or four other related cases — in which there are 17 defendants — but the much larger concerns are that the government has not only armed narco-terrorists with thousands of weapons, but that it may have made the prosecution of gun smugglers and straw purchasers much more difficult.
“An independent prosecutor must be appointed to determine who in the Obama Administration came up with this plot, who authorized it and went along with it even though it was illegal, and who participated in the cover-up after it was discovered.”
This is the heart of it. A special prosecutor really is needed for this and at the very least there should be hearings under oath in Congress grilling most of the people in the Justice Department. This is worse than Watergate because people actually died because of this scandal. And Eric Holder, Janet Napolitano, Hillary Clinton, and maybe even Obama himself should be really, really, worried about this. They said that nothing would come of Watergate. Well, they were wrong. Time to prove them wrong again right now.
a special prosecuter should be appointed to investigate and prossecute the intire obama regime,
What we have here folks, is a criminal government. Yes, we need a special prosecutor to get to the bottom of this. Who authorized this? Who put the money in the budget? Since the Dems were in charge, they need to take the responsiblity for this and be prosecuted.
For years the government has acted outside the commonly understood meaning of the law, using novel interpretations to do as they pleased. Now they arent even bothering with that pretense.
By doing so they are delegitimizing their legal authority, and at some point enough people will see that. It will become our duty as citizens to remove them.
How sad that we have let our country come to this.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Complicity
This casts serous doubt of any prosecution by party affiliation and provides complex immunity for for those that support any action establishing fundamentals provided for commission of crime or defense thereof. All evidence indicates that that the American Bar Association maintains the most active lobby force and fund allowed in the big cesspool on the hill.
However violent rhetoric may occur when one party infringes on the proposed financing of obvious criminal intent of the other without any public criminal accusation thereby leaving a dozing public to it’s beauty sleep and little dirt for sewage media to cultivate sustaining advertising revenue.
I agree but further questions come to mind ie which alphabet agency supplied the money and or guns to begin with and where is the money that bought the guns from the gun stores? We all know that no fed agency is going to allow the middleman to keep that money. The best way to prosecute is always “follow” the money” right?
Why is it that so many of these guns are ‘found’ at the scene of the crime? Are murders just carelessly dropping the guns after committing murder? (“Oops, sorry Mr. Cartel boss I accidentally left my gun at the crime scene and I’m going to need another before I can commit more murders for the cartel.”)
Or is it that these guns are being planted and what would Occam say?
Dear Parker:
I’m not sure exactly what you’re suggesting, but if it is that the Obama Administration is trying to implicate itself in criminality on a international scale, I think that rather unlikely. All known evidence suggests that they are, in fact, doing their utmost to cover up any trace of criminal complicity.
It is not at all uncommon for the police to recover weapons used in crimes in a variety of ways. One way common with the soldiers of drug cartels is that the police simply pluck the ground at the scene of the crime, where the shooters left them. This keeps the weapons from ever being associated directly with them (they wear gloves).
But guns are expensive! Indeed, but costs are relative. We’re dealing with drug cartels who make so much money that they build and maintain their own fleets of submarines. They use jet cargo aircraft to make single drug runs into the United States and torch the aircraft. True, these are usually old aircraft, but you’re still talking millions of dollars going up in flames. Leaving a few firearms costing only hundreds of dollars each at a crime scene is like throwing away a candy wrapper to such people.
Occam, if he had police experience, would not find this remarkable in the least and would conclude just what I’ve suggested. For experienced investigators, the easiest, most likely answer to the question is the answer to the question.
I think Parker is suggesting that gunwalker guns are appearing at crime scenes in order to make the 90% lie come true. Most people reasonably believe that that was the original intent of this operation.
The operation had a budget of $37,000,000. When are we going to see a full accounting of that money to put to rest any suspicion that deals were made with criminal gangs not only to facilitate illegal sales, but to fund them as well?
You may be right but wouldn’t any of them found North of the border make them look foolish? My thinking is those found here are not “plants”, but this administration doesn’t hire many rocket scientists so both you and Parker might be on to something. Once again, never discount Mrs. Gump’s wisdom.
Any guns purchased by straw buyers that end up at crime scenes or in the possession of criminals north of the border wouldn’t stop obama’s push for tighter gun control.
Obama/holder would draw attention to the accessibility of illegal firearms, the corrupt gun sellers and the need for greater control right?
They might have succeeded if the cartel dogs they armed hadn’t murdered American Law Enforcement guys.
Hell, they might still succeed. Gunwalker’s blowing up in holder’s face and he still instituted tighter restrictions on gun sellers.
It appears you are suggesting that professional criminals, members of a cartel, are leaving their weapons at the scene of the crime (wearing gloves so as to not leave finger prints) in order to not be found in possession of a murder weapon at the scene of the crime or after the fact. But that assumes the dead or any frightened witnesses are willing to testify. Highly unlikely senor. But if so, why not take the guns with them and later disassemble them and dispose of the parts at various locations (dumpsters, riverbeds, etc.)? Or are you assuming all Mexicans are stupid?
Sorry to rain on your parade, but Fast and Furious stinks of corruption and definitely was intended to promote an agenda.
Occam would say the way you tend to misunderstand and misapply facts indicates you are probably not a very good candidate for employment with a private sector employer. Best stick to academia, old boy.
Parker’s question seems reasonable to me. Most criminals are pretty anxious not to leave evidence — especially weapons — lying around at a crime scene. That’s where we get the expression “smoking gun,” isn’t it?
I’m curious why drug warriors are so careless about leaving weapons behind. Okay, no fingerprints — but the guns are traceable. How did Jose Sauceda–Cuevas and those 17 defendants get caught?
Dear Arhooley:
Good question. What most people do not understand is that the overwhelming majority of crimes are not solved by hi-tech forensic means–the various CSI shows have given the public very odd ideas about such things–but by the simple expedient of talking to people. Where crimes with firearms are involved, this is also true. Finding a gun at a crime scene, absent clear fingerprints (which considering the presence of gun oils, rough surfaces, etc. is far less common than one might think, leaves only tracing the serial number. At best, a serial number trace will only reveal when and where the gun was purchased and who was the original purchaser. This may or may not provide a useful lead, but it provides nothing more than that. Unless the police can place that gun in the hand of the original owner at the specific time and place, of the crime they have nothing.
Even if they find fingerprints, there is no massive computer database that will, in minutes, unmistakably match partial or complete latent prints found at a crime scene with criminal suspects. Even if this was true–and it is beyond our current computer technology–it would only match prints already in the data base. If prints are found, they might be matched to one degree or another with a specific suspect found through other means.
With this in mind, leaving behind a gun that was obtained through a straw purchaser is in fact a smart move. Any trace will lead only to the person who bought the gun, not the killer who was three or four steps removed from the purchaser in the first place. The reality is that the weapon is dangerous to the criminal only if the police find it in their possession and can do a positive ballistics match–something that is also not as easy or common as TV would have us believe.
Mike McDaniel,
You must have an ulterior agenda to pop smoke for Fast & Furious.
Today I went to my favorite coffee cafe and I started talking to people. None of the people I talked to ever heard of Gun Walker. It is so totally amazing to me that this hasn’t become front page news. The MSM maintains a strangle hold on what the American public is exposed to. Its up to us now to inform the American public. Gun Walker is so outrageous that it is hard not to sound like a total nut when you try to tell the story. The only redeeming thing is that you can show them this on the internet or that they can look it up.
Help, start talking to people. Get the word out one person at a time!
If I remember correctly, the Iran-Contra hearings were televised daily.
Did you see the nightly news? They just had a thing about how the Fed. is going to make it tougher to sell guns in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas because so many of our guns are showing up south of the border and so many people are being killed because of them. MSM says nothing about Gun Walker but cheers our new efforts of gun restrictions.
Just heard on the radio that Obama signed an executive order instructing gun stores in the border states to report the sale of two automatic rifles to an individual to the government. Just a bit of hypocrisy there? Who reports the sale of 2500 assault rifles to gun runners in the border states? Simply amazing!
Absolutely right.I also remember in the summer of 73 that every day the networks played live coverage of the watergate hearings.No dull-witted witness was irrelevant when it came to that coverage.Yet high-ranking Urkelings appear in a steady stream today with testimony of pretty shocking violations of the public trust without much interest by the fossil news outlets.Amazing.
I understand that the profession of journalism is riddled with rabid liberals. I understand that they believe liberalism makes for a better world. What I dont understand is why when they find themselves covering for liberal politicians over and over and over it never occurs to them that perhaps they were wrong. In this case, a liberal media is attempting to bury what amounts to high crimes and misdemeanors committed by a group of people who are the antithesis of what liberalism professes to stand for.
Do they believe that they are somehow serving some greater good?
Obviously, you Suthen’ homeschooled bigot, even the Evolutionary dead-enders and throwbacks deserve representation and to be heard! And now, perhaps even the Missing Link has finally been induced to out itself and thereby come to the fore!
The proper socialization you lack only impedes the advancement of science through Social Justice, QED.
“This is what democracy looks like!”
a well-placed Pajamas Media source indicates that senior Justice Department officials are feverishly working to scapegoat a different DOJ official in another attempt to deflect blame.
Nice bombshell at the end of the article, Bob! Has the source dropped a name? Let’s hope the intended fall guy pulls a Melson.
ATF Tampa Division Walked Guns to Honduras and to MS13 Gang Members (Video) Posted by Jim Hoft on Sunday, July 10, 2011, 12:57 PM
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2011/07/atf-tampa-division-walked-guns-to-honduras-and-to-ms13-gang-members-video/
I’ve been following this case since it broke. Everyday I search for new information with the hopes of any type of progression. Unfortunately, on many occasions those search results come up empty or just repeated past information. Strikingly, very few major news agencies have reported on it and if not for certain blogs that I read daily, I too, like many Americans would be ignorant to Operation Gunwalker. I do not understand how a scandal of this proportion has been kept so hush hush by the media. I am perplexed at the enormous willful blindness the main stream media has taken to this possible Pulitzer Prize news worthy article. Is there a plot by certain journalist, their bosses, or both to control news stories that have a negative impact on President Obama, one similar to the Journalist? Are they still active? Another question is if (and I do believe it is THE most corrupt administration and Justice Dept. in the history of this country) they are complicate in this crime/scandal and cover-up who can you trust to investigate and bring charges to those who are guilty? Who investigates the Justice Department? I’ve yet to read anyone do the what if thing. Who or what has the authority to appoint a special prosecutor? If and i think he is, Eric Holder is guilty of this, then who investigates him? The FBI? If the FBI is also complicate, who investigates them? The same goes for Homeland Security, The Office of the Secretary of State and DEA? Who has the authority to investigate something this huge and who has the authority to make arrest if charges are to be filed against anyone in these organizations? Is there a specific criteria that has to be met before a special prosecutor is brought in? I do not understand with all the information thus far that has been released to the public that nothing (publically) has been done to criminally investigate these accusations. Why aren’t Republican leaders screaming at the top of their heads for hearings by the Senate and for the appointment of a special prosecutor? I have studied the Watergate Scandal and Iran Contra. Both together do not come near the criminality and severity of Gunwalker…. NO way no how and yet the major news media outlets, other than The Washington Examiner, Washington Times, and Fox News have bothered to give this the coverage it deserves.
It is such a sad day in American history one that is so rich in democracy and justice, that it has been forever stained by power craved thugs and egomaniacs who believe they are above the law making themselves THE law, stomping on the American constitution that so many have freely given their life to defend, and doing so with a smirk on their ugly faces and a “now F off” attitude out of their lying mouths. I just do not believe those responsible will be HELD responsible for these crimes. This administration and truly forever harmed my belief in justice.
just curious we can only hope the next President will be brave enough and smart enough to order a special prossecutor to investigate and prossecute the intire obama regime. starting with gun runner and unearthing all of obamas history.
One must remember that it took time for Watergate (as well as Irangate) to unfold in the mainstream media. In politics, timing is everything. In my view, we should leave the timing to the political professionals. Congressman Issa is no fool, and is in no rush to bring this scandal to the public’s attention. That does not mean, however, that he will not pursue it as far as he possibly can, and expose the miscreants at the most opportune time. Collectively, the public’s attention cannot be directed at too many targets without diluting the public’s impact. This week, the public’s focus appears to be on the debt limit, so Just Curious, please be patient and let the political professionals determine the timing of the revealing of this scandal. (I am no fan of the MSM, but I have to admit that CBS news, thanks to Sharryl Attkinson, was one of the first news agencies to uncover the story.)
The biggest problem in searches for “Operation Gunwalker” is that there is no such government operation by that name. “Gunwalker” is a blogger term for the official program Operation Fast and Furious and adjunct to Project Gunrunner. Operation Castaway is the same as F&F except it’s an operation run out of Florida to Honduras. There have been several similar operations within the U.S. by various name – Operation White Pistol, Operation White Gun, Operation ATL Blaze – from Kansas to Maine, Georgia to California that have netted drug cartel employees involving guns purchased in the south western states but never left the U.S. The DOJ and ATF websites are full of them, but no “gunwalker.”
An attempt by the Obama administration to establish its own Reichstag fire moment (yes, I invoked Godwin’s Law right out of the gate) worse than Nixon? Sure you jest, sir. To liberals there is no plan to devious or illegal if it means disarming American’s that potentially pose a threat to centralized government tyranny.
If they are willing to go to these lengths to disarm us, ask yourself what they will do if they are successful. How will they behave after we are disarmed?
One doesnt have to speculate very much to imagine how that scenario might look. The answer to that question should chill your blood.
Just Curious expressed exactly my own frustration with the entire administration and even more so, the MSM. Something is really wrong at every level when corruption, lies, obfuscation and complete disdain for our rule of law seems to be the norm. Complete disdain for the American people? Hell yes!! Just listen to Obama’s press conferences, like yesterday’s; he’s totally out in Left field and completely locked in to a dangerous ideology that seems to me to go strait for the Stalin routine.
The Republicans’ silence on ‘gunwalker’ is telling. There’s something very creepy going when Islamists, Communists (of every ilk) and sympathetic RINO’s are are free to roam the WH claiming that they have the backing of “the American people”. Power…they’re so drunk on it they’re destroying themselves and in the process they’re causing pain for everyone else too.
Corruption…WILL be routed no matter how hopeless it looks right now.
So take heart.
The problem with a special prosecutor is that this administration has no respect for the rule of law. They routinely disregard legal attempts for information. And because of their “liberation theology,” they do not believe in equal justice under the law. They believe in special justice for certain groups only.
Bought my first gun yesterday. An astute PJM reader recently stated that guns and ammo are our bank accounts for the future (before we are forced to become as “safe” as the unarmed non-criminal citizens in Mexico).
Just as an aside, I shopped in 3 gun stores before making my selection. In 2 of them, very young Arab men were buying long-range high-powered rifles. Masses of them taking flying lessons came to mind. Is this the newest area in which we’re being open-minded dumb asses? Oops. I’m profiling.
You’re killing me, what did you get?
My husband has been on a gun buying kick since Obama got elected. I work out of town and he looks a ‘porn’ quite a bit. Of course his ‘porn’ are all of the gun sites. We have a stockpile of ammo as well. We both now have our CHPs. We won’t be victims.
Gunwalker simply does not make sense. But if half of what “is known” is true, this should be on the front page, above the fold, and dominate the nightly news hour. History says that, like an onion, we will peel away one layer of truth at a time. If we are not stone walled, and have a bit of luck. Keep shining the light. Important facts are not known.
Ken Starr, the independent prosecutor in Watergate, against Clinton, reluctantly did his job. Independent prosecutors do not work. There is no defense, in a democracy, if one branch of the sovereign government conducts, or condones criminal behavior. Our sole control, against losing our nation to thugs, is the ballot.
It is crucial to remember that Hitler was voted into office, and by popular vote, he assumed dictatorial authority. His first acts were to confiscate all weapons, and destroy the free press. No independent prosecutor would have controlled him; it took 65 million deaths to remove his hand from total power.
I believe Kenneth Star was one of the very best friends Clinton ever had. There were so many gates, Travel Gate, China Gate, etc. China Gate was especially egregious, but Kenneth Star chose to prosecute over Monica Lewinsky – what a joke! Daily, nightly, mainstream media broadcast the latest on the scandal involving sex between two consenting adults. The important issues were ignored and mainstream media were ecstatic to go along, taking the public’s attention away from what should have been prosecuted.
It’s about time that indictments are issued and people brought to justice. Then, and only then, will they squeal and involve the higher ups in this crime. It will go all the way to Holder and maybe Obama.
Zerobama is lying. Americans are dying.
Impeach.
The media is incredibly important because they are the guardians of our freedom! But when the average American has never heard of Gunwalker, because the mainstream media is DELIBERATELY covering up this shocking crime of government providing weapons to narco terrorists — with which to murder innocents, Americans are in great danger of losing their freedom.
And Muslim terrorists work with narco terrorists.
Can ANY American think they are safe when our government provides weapons to barbaric narco terrorists to MURDER innocents?
Latest from Bob McCarty at Big Government now ties Deputy Attorney General David Ogden into this as he laid out the overall plan for agent increases in the area in 2009 and then resigned after that. This is tying in Obama as those increases had to be approved by him and there had to be a reason for DoJ and ATF to ask for them.
This scandal hasn’t even started yet.
Mr Owens, thanks for another fine article on Gunwalker. And the DOJ definitely not capable of investigating itself!
But… There are still some things not being stated about Gunwalker.
Obama Orders Launched Fast and Furious
http://patriotsunion.ning.com/video/obama-orders-launched-fast-and?commentId=6376701%3AComment%3A30542&xg_source=msg_com_video
Above short video is Deputy Attorney General David Ogden discussing Obama had just ordered operation Gunrunner to track and disrupt arms flowing to Mexico from US.
Currently, Obama says he doesn’t recall, and the LIAR Holder says he was not involved, but there is an internal investigation.
But the even larger and less discussed issue is WHY did Obama do this? Why send 2000+ high power firearms down to Mexico?
To arm Hezbollah in Mexico, primarily northern Baja.
Report: Hezbollah Has Set Up Base Camp in Mexico Near Border
http://gatewaypundit.rightnetwork.com/2011/05/report-hezbollah-has-set-up-base-camp-in-mexico-near-border/
Hezbollah is indeed in Mexico. Obama is doing all he can to open our borders to them. And Gunwalker was merely a means to arm this terrorist entity. It’s just another step after bowing and hand kissing of Islamic ‘leaders’.
Holer needs to be removed from office, now. I’ll reserve my Obama comment.
Suggested reading on how in previous eras of American history the MSM mediated the thought process of the public through a period of/or a so called “crisis’. “The Strength of the Wolf (the secret history of America’s secret war on drugs)”. Authored by Douglas Valentine, takes the reader down the rabbit hole of when the media, government and the “establishment “elites” conspire together to “make” and “manage” and on going real horrible tragedy (1920′s and 30′s worldwide narcotic sales traffic). As compared to contemporary times (ATF and law enforcement battles with so called illegal weapons sales). As you venture into this read you’ll see as Yogi Berra famously replied ” Deja Vu all over again.”Follow the money, follow the drugas, follow the vice, follow the “leaders”. The circle shall be unbroken by and by Lord, by and by.
Could it be possible that those that worship Obama really believe he can do no wrong and the Republicans must be making all this up just in an attempt to tarnish he who must be obeyed? I’m sure some people are gullible enough to think this way but the MSM shouldn’t be that stupid. As Hallmonitor said, follow the money. Who’s paying the press to keep this stuff quiet? They can’t all be so naive enough to let this happen. Who holds so much power that the MSM would not go after something like this?
Thank you for doing your job, mr obama by keeping America safe and you uphold our Constitution so well. I think the cartels will keep Americans safer than you mr obama, remember we are their best customers. Now that your taking our guns you have more to sell to the cartels so they can protect us.