Five Signs You May Be A Fast & Furious Conspiracy Theorist

[one...two...tree 2,762]

The theory holds that the Obama administration gave weapons to Mexican drug cartels in the hopes that they would commit acts of violence, that the guns would be traced back to the United States and that the public would be scared into accepting tougher restrictions on firearms.

Born on right-wing blogs, boosted by the NRA and subscribed to by members of Congress, it has Democrats banging their heads against the wall.

"By pushing the hallucinatory theory that the Administration cooked this whole thing up as a means to push for gun control, Issa has entered crazytown and has officially become the Dan Burton of our time," a Democratic official told TPM.

As far fetched as it sounds, Issa's support for it makes the whole matter worth examining. (For what it's worth, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner did not respond to a request for comment on whether he believed the conspiracy theory.)

So, let's say you want to think the Obama administration sent thousands of guns across the border in a mad plan to keep Americans from owning them at home. Here are five things you'd have to to believe in order to fully subscribe to the theory.

1.) That the Obama administration wanted to spend political capital on gun issues. When Fast and Furious started in 2009, the Obama administration was not talking about guns. There's been little movement on the issue of guns their whole time in office — even after a member of Congress was shot — and the administration has in fact expanded gun rights in national parks and on Amtrak trains. The idea that they'd even want to touch the issue, or even thought that they could make any progress on it is simply not supported by the available facts.

2.) That DOJ officials contemporaneously created evidence to suggest that they never knew about the tactics being used. There are plenty of emails showing DOJ officials rejecting the first suggestions that guns were allowed to walk during Operation Fast and Furious. For the Republican-backed gun control theory to be true, officials would have had to fake conversations in which they denied that the ATF allowed guns to walk to begin with. In an email sent on Feb. 2, 2011, then-U.S. Attorney Dennis Burke called staffers for Sen. Chuck Grassley ® "willing stooges for the Gun Lobby." Not exactly the kind of thing you'd write in an email if you secretly knew the allegations were new and could anticipate such an email being publicly released.

3.) That the number of weapons going to Mexico wasn't already sufficient enough. Plenty of weapons from the U.S. were headed to Mexico before Fast and Furious got underway in 2009. In fact, more weapons were recovered at crime scenes in Mexico before Fast and Furious got underway than after it had been going on for awhile. As Holder told Congress, Fast and Furious was "a flawed response to, not the cause of, the flow of illegal guns from the United States into Mexico." In short, the few thousands weapons sent across the border as part of the program are a fraction of the total number of American firearms that end up as part of Mexico's drug war.

4.) The whistleblowers who brought the tactics to light were also in on the gun-control conspiracy. Last spring, ATF agents tried to testify about how "toothless" gun laws weren't allowing them to do their jobs. Issa tried to shut down the testimony, but it's important to note that the very same individuals who were upset with the tactic being used also believed that Congress wasn't doing enough to stop gun trafficking.

5.) The White House pretended not to know about an emergency reporting rule request. The one measure that the Obama administration has implemented since "Fast and Furious" is a minor regulation which treats so-called "long-guns" the same as handguns, but it is only in place in four border states. The measure (which Issa contends wasn't necessary because he trusts dealers to provide the information voluntarily) was first proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) in 2010, before Fast and Furious became a scandal and around the same time Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry died. Emails obtained by TPM though a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request show that officials with the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) chastised the ATF for not notifying them before publishing an emergency request. Under the gun-control theory, they were lying in the email on the off-chance that someone eventually would FOIA the information.

http://tpmmuckraker....racy_theory.php

[slim 1,525]

If it really happened... how can it be a theory?

The lefty libtards and dems are killin me here. "Well, even though it happened... it didn't really happen and that's not what happened." ORLY?

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

If it really happened... how can it be a theory?

The lefty libtards and dems are killin me here. "Well, even though it happened... it didn't really happen and that's not what happened." ORLY?

I think the issue is, did the ATF purposely do it for political reasons - IE tighter restrictions in the US. I have yet to see any evidence of that.

[웃 910]

If it really happened... how can it be a theory?

The lefty libtards and dems are killin me here. "Well, even though it happened... it didn't really happen and that's not what happened." ORLY?

Exactly what Sousuke said.

You are a delusional Fast and Furious Conspiracy paranoid loon if you believe:

Da muslim Obama administration setup a skeem to take way our guns n ammos. They did this by givin out more guns N ammos to cartal members in mexico. Reason is they wanted this to blow up so they can later complain bout how bad guns n ammo are so they can take em away if Hussein gets reallected for annother 5 year term of tear-a-knee

[Danno 1,228]

I think the issue is, did the ATF purposely do it for political reasons - IE tighter restrictions in the US. I have yet to see any evidence of that.

I thought the issue had to do with Holders Dept. refusing to allow oversight over what went on.

I guess the "most transparent administration" .... is not all that transparent.

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I thought the issue had to do with Holders Dept. refusing to allow oversight over what went on.

I guess the "most transparent administration" .... is not all that transparent.

Thats the issue at hand, but there is a fringe theory that the administration purposely sent the firearms to cause violence and then turn around and highlight the need for more US restrictions.

[slim 1,525]

You are a delusional Fast and Furious Conspiracy paranoid loon if you believe:

Da muslim Obama administration setup a skeem to take way our guns n ammos. They did this by givin out more guns N ammos to cartal members in mexico. Reason is they wanted this to blow up so they can later complain bout how bad guns n ammo are so they can take em away if Hussein gets reallected for annother 5 year term of tear-a-knee

That's exactly what happened.

So, yeah. I am a delusional Fast and Furious Conspiracy paranoid loon. Or, you could just call me "someone other than an Obama-loving leftwing **."

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

I have to say, I have yet to see this administration do anything that restricts firearms. I think they have bigger fish

[JohnR! 5,495]

I have to say, I have yet to see this administration do anything that restricts firearms. I think they have bigger fish

Apparently something to that effect was printed on the back of some kool-aid packs, hence the entire kerfuffle gaining popularity amongst the aluminum-foil headgear prone.

[mawilson 2,133]

I think the issue is, did the ATF purposely do it for political reasons - IE tighter restrictions in the US. I have yet to see any evidence of that.

Why would a bunch of dead Mexicans - in Mexico - lead to tighter restrictions in the US?

[Pooky 3,784]

Why would a bunch of dead Mexicans - in Mexico - lead to tighter restrictions in the US?

Because a bunch of dead Americans would be de rigeur in DC.

[slim 1,525]

I have to say, I have yet to see this administration do anything that restricts firearms. I think they have bigger fish

They're setting us up for round two.

They're going to try to put the UN small arms treaty through.

Why would a bunch of dead Mexicans - in Mexico - lead to tighter restrictions in the US?

Because they're future democrats!

[Usui Takumi 1,562]

They're setting us up for round two.

They're going to try to put the UN small arms treaty through.

Because they're future democrats!

I did forget about the issue regarding the garands as well. I noticed they are allowed to import them now though (but not the carbines). So will they be going through the CMP or private dealers? Because I heard a rumor that could be as low as 250USD (where as the CMP charges 600+)

Edited June 26, 2012 by Sousuke

[Danno 1,228]

I have to say, I have yet to see this administration do anything that restricts firearms. I think they have bigger fish

I agree, this administration does have bigger fish to fry Gov't taking further control of Healthcare was job 1, Gun control they know is not popular so outright attacking that front would be counter productive but make no mistake, these folks are ANTI GUN and it "may" be revealed that this was an attempt to move the ball down the field covertly.

I'm not convinced of that but their actions lead people to speculate...."Why are you hiding?"

But here, lets let Holder speak for himself.

Is it not alarming that in a public forum he outright claims he wants to "brain wash" Americans to turn their opinion away from a Constitutional right.

[slim 1,525]

I did forget about the issue regarding the garands as well. I noticed they are allowed to import them now though (but not the carbines). So will they be going through the CMP or private dealers? Because I heard a rumor that could be as low as 250USD (where as the CMP charges 600+)

I haven't heard the $250 rumor. If it turns out to be true I'll be the proud owner of at least a dozen Garands.