Report: ATF ‘too lenient’ on non-compliant gun dealers

By Christen Smith

A NYT report suggests the ATF is reluctant to revoke gun dealers’ firearms licenses. (Photo: AP)
Political pressure encourages the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives to ignore non-compliant gun dealers across the country, according to a report from the New York Times published over the weekend.
The newspaper combed through more than 100 inspection records and interviewed multiple former law enforcement officials to determine why the agency so often overlooked licensed dealers with multiple serious violations — such as failing to conduct background checks or selling to admitted felons.
Of the 11,000 inspections completed between October 2016 and September 2017, more than half received citations. The agency shut down less than 1 percent, according to the report.
“We’re not selling ice cream here,” said Howard Wolfe, a retired ATF agent with nearly 40 years experience on its industry operations side, including as an inspector and supervisor. “You’re selling something here that if you screw up, somebody can be killed.”
The investigation uncovered a pattern of high-level ATF supervisors downgrading penalties for repeated non-compliance. Often, inspectors — charged with visiting more than 135,000 shops every three to five years — would recommend the agency revoke a license, only to have a senior official override

Source: Guns.com