Apparently the anti-gunners are rather desperate for victories and are cheering their latest one… in a few years. They managed to get a rider removed that would have abolished all funding for the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to establish any form of long gun registry:
The amendment, offered by Reps. Dan Boren (D-Okla.) and Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), would have prevented federal funds from being used by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) to track bulk sales of long guns in southwestern states. Up until late moments in the negotiations, sources familiar with the discussions say, it remained in the text of the final continuing resolution.
It’s sickening but honestly I don’t feel it’s that big of a victory. As it currently sits federal laws prohibition the establishment of a long gun registry anyways so this would have simply been extra insurance. What I did find hilarious was the following:
“ATF is already chronically underfunded and has been without a confirmed director since 2006 as a result of inaction by past sessions of Congress,” New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a co-chair of the coalition Mayors Against Illegal Guns, said in a statement. “We welcome this sign that leaders in Washington may be ready to step up and help law enforcement save lives.”
Yeah the ATF is underfunded, especially with the cost of fuel going up. Soon they aren’t going to be able to afford driving down to gun shops sitting on the border and telling them to sell guns to sketchy individuals in order to supply the drug cartels with money. How will the ATF be able to function if they can’t afford to help run guns?