January 31 : 2013  

Around the Water Cooler: Short Subjects

• Apparently California Senator Barbara Boxer has resurrected her attempt to "establish minimum standards for States that allow the carrying of concealed firearms" by introduction of Senate Bill S147. The summary and text of the bill have yet to be posted on http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s147#overview, but apparently she believes that states shouldn't govern the carrying of arms within their borders - that the fed should do that. She proposed a like-named bill in 2011. It was unsuccessful.

• According to politico.com, attorneys for USAG Eric Holder and for the House of Representatives may be close to a deal in the Operation-Fast-and-Furious-related contempt citation levied by the House of Representatives on Attorney General Holder. A key hearing, set for next week, has been delayed for more than two months while parties attempt to reach a settlement. http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2013/01/house-holder-may-near-deal-on-fast-and-furious-contempt-155525.html

• If Fast and Furious wasn't bad enough, another ATF operation has gone awry according to a report in the Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal-Sentinel "Watchdog Report." According to the story, a store calling itself Fearless Distributing was opened as a front and run by undercover agents from Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives - this was in order to purchase drugs and guns from felons. The service reported that no major dealers or gang was popped, what was described as a "military-style machine gun" belonging to the agency ended up on the street, $35,000 of merchandise was taken in theft from the store, a document was left as the agents moved out - which listed "names, vehicles and phone numbers of undercover agents," and agents allegedly busted the wrong people in at least three cases. The story reported another troubling aspect to this operation: agents paid such high prices for guns "some defendants bought guns from stores such as Gander Mountain and sold them to the agents for a quick profit" - making it seem that agents didn't know what the property was worth. http://www.jsonline.com/watchdog/watchdogreports/atfs-milwaukee-sting-operation-marred-by-mistakes-failures-mu8akpj-188952581.html?abc=Ct5vpWpS&fb_source=message

• According to a Fox News account, sources say the President isn't quite the skeet shooter that was implied in the interview appearing on The New Republic online edition last Sunday. In that interview, President Obama said, "Yes, in fact, up at Camp David, we do skeet shooting all the time. Not the girls, but oftentimes guests of mine go up there. And I have a profound respect for the traditions of hunting that trace back in this country for generations. And I think those who dismiss that out of hand make a big mistake." Fox reported that "This has only happened with the president at Camp David, at most, a couple of times, according to a source who says he has been to the retreat on a half-dozen visits with Obama." He shot during President's Cup, a tradition involving presidential Marine guards - but the President "stayed for about five minutes, and couldn't leave fast enough," the source told Fox News. The source went on to note that "skeet shooting is very hard." http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/01/30/obama-keet-shooting-all-time-hardly-sources-say/#ixzz2JVcSeyMG