Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc. (VCDL)

Virginia Citizens Defense League, Inc.
PO. Box 513, Newington, VA 22122 • 804-639-0600 • 703-372-3285 • 757-271-3705 • 540-446-5783

02/08/07 - Feds Slap Bloomberg!

Just in: the Federal Government has no intentions of prosecuting the first 15 gun dealers that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg alleges were caught doing straw sales in a 'sting' operation that Bloomberg ran without coordinating with any law enforcement agency! It gets better: "...the feds warned the Bloomberg administration that it could face 'potential legal liabilities' if it continues to conduct sting operations that fall within the jurisdiction of federal agents." But the Mayor's Office, when asked if it will cease these sting operations said, "Not necessarily." I can just picture a little kid stomping his feet and showing defiance after being told by an adult that what he did was wrong and to stop doing it. ;-) Bloomberg's actions were not about stopping crime, but political grandstanding at any cost - and this article vindicates what VCDL has been saying from the beginning. Is this now over? NO - Bloomberg has made it clear that those civil suits that he has brought ARE GOING TO CONTINUE! The ATF rebuke of Bloomberg ONLY applies to his sting operations, not his civil law suits - so more civil suits could still be brought by Bloomberg. There are four Virginia gun dealers who are still fighting to keep their businesses and two who we are actively helping financially. We must see this out to the end and, perhaps, see some suits turned around with Bloomberg as the defendant. The only store we can't help is Cole's in South Boston. By signing an agreement with Bloomberg that store is on the hook until the onerous terms in the agreement put it out of business. Even if the suit is dissolved with the other gun dealers in the future, Cole's agreement will carry on - providing confidential information on all gun sales to Bloomberg. For now we will continue our course - standing with the four dealers who are still fighting, while boycotting Cole's. http://tinyurl.com/ypedor New York Daily News Feds shoot down Mike's gun suit BY MICHAEL SAUL DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU CHIEF Thursday, February 8th, 2007 The federal government will not file criminal charges against any of the 15 out-of-state gun dealers accused by Mayor Bloomberg in a federal lawsuit of selling guns illegally, the Daily News has learned. In a stern rebuke to the city's high-profile crusade against illegal guns, the feds warned the Bloomberg administration that it could face "potential legal liabilities" if it continues to conduct sting operations that fall within the jurisdiction of federal agents. Bloomberg announced the filing of a federal lawsuit last May against 15 gun dealers, who he lambasted as the "worst of the worst." The city later filed a similar lawsuit against another 12 dealers. In both cases, the city sent private investigators to gun dealers and secretly videotaped them making what Bloomberg called illegal "straw purchases." A "straw purchase" refers to when an individual talks with a store clerk about purchasing a gun, but then gets another person to fill out the required federal forms and undergo the mandatory background check. According to a letter sent to City Hall, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and various U.S. attorneys' offices have determined the city's findings against the 15 dealers "do not rise to a level that would support a criminal prosecution." The letter - sent Tuesday by Michael Battle, director of the executive office for United States Attorneys at the Department of Justice - also scolded City Hall for engaging in sting operations involving persons "without proper law enforcement authority," saying that could put the city in legal jeopardy. Battle added that City Hall could "unintentionally interrupt or jeopardize" criminal probes. Asked if the Bloomberg administration plans to stop conducting the sting operations, Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler said, "Not necessarily." "The city hasn't violated any laws," Skyler said defiantly, adding that the city will continue to pursue its civil lawsuits against the gun dealers. ***************************************************************************