Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE) Modernization and Reform Act of 2006
BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, FIREARMS, AND EXPLOSIVES (BATFE) MODERNIZATION AND REFORM ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - September 25, 2006)
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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, this bill says that its purpose is to, and I quote, modernize and reform, unquote, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.
But what it really does, under the guise of so-called modernization and reform, is to make it virtually impossible for Federal law enforcement officers in the ATF to revoke the licenses of those gun dealers who have violated the gun laws. It guts their power to go after the worst offenders.
You don't have to take my word for it. Let me just read to you from the first paragraph of a letter that was sent to Members of Congress on June 30 of this year:
As former officials of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, we write to urge you to oppose H.R. 5092, the so-called ATF Modernization and Reform Act. Far from modernizing ATF, this legislation would severely undermine the Bureau and protect corrupt gun dealers and gun traffickers. If passed, this bill would make it extremely difficult for ATF to successfully prosecute gun traffickers and dealers who break the law or to revoke dealers' licenses.
They go on to specifically point out that the requirement that the ATF prove that a gun trafficker or corrupt gun dealer not only broke the law, only specifically intended to break the law, would make it virtually impossible for ATF to successfully enforce our Nation's gun laws. That is signed by a number of former members of the ATF, including two of the former directors of ATF.
Let me also quote from David DiBetta, who is an 18-year veteran of the ATF and who is President of the Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association's ATF Division. He said it very simply: ``It could be crippling.''
Look, people have said when various Members of Congress have proposed new gun safety laws. They have said, just enforce the laws on the books. And we need to enforce the laws on the books. So what is especially troubling is that we are here today not to increase enforcement of the laws on the books but to weaken the ability of Federal law enforcement officers to go after the worst offenders.
I find it somewhat puzzling that we are gathered here in what has been dubbed by some so-called ``Security September'' to consider a bill that ties the hands of Federal law enforcement officers and gives a break to those few bad apples among the gun dealers who sell mostly to the criminal market. That is what is especially puzzling.
According to the ATF itself, nearly 60 percent of the guns that are sold to the criminal market are sold by just 1 percent of the gun dealers. The vast majority of people who are selling guns in this country are honest, law-abiding citizens. But this bill isn't designed to help them. This bill will help those who are the worst violators.
In a little bit I am going to go into how this impacts my State of Maryland where the ATF has been trying to revoke the license of one of the worst violators. But he ran down here to Capitol Hill to lobby against the ATF officials, and here we are on the floor. His voice seems to have a stronger influence than the voice of so many law enforcement officers who are out here, as well as others.
I will just close this portion with this. This has also been presented to us, this bill, as part of the so-called ``American Values Agenda.'' This bill is part of the American Values Agenda. And I just want to know, Mr. Speaker, since when did protecting the worst violators of the law become part of an American value?
Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to the bill.
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