SPRINGFIELD, Virginia — A new Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) response from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) supplied to AmmoLand News by Gun Owners of America (GOA) shows more evidence of anti-gun groups weaponizing the FOIA process against the firearms industry.
Pro-gun groups like GOA and pro-freedom publications like AmmoLand News have used FOIA requests to keep government organizations like the ATF and FBI in check. By exposing these organizations’ inner workings and abuses, we have affected change and helped Congress call the ATF and FBI to the carpet for their misdeeds.
In past articles, AmmoLand News has reviewed the FOIA request of anti-gun groups to determine how these groups use FOIA requests to their advantage. Studying past FOIA requests and looking into the Brady Organization’s continuing legal education (CLE) classes, I have come to the conclusion that Brady is most likely using FOIA results to try to find ways around the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act (PLCAA).
The PLCAA protects American gun companies from frivolous lawsuits.
There are exceptions to the PLCAA for things like defective products, breach of contract, criminal misconduct, and other actions, such as selling a gun they knew would be used in a crime. Proximate cause is another way to get around the PLCAA. Proximate cause refers to a primary cause of an incident that sets everything into motion. Anti-gun groups have used FOIA results to void PCLAA protections.
Now a new FOIA request shows anti-gun groups are still weaponizing the FOIA process but are also targeting other organizations and the ATF for working with the industry.
Brady United, Everytown for Gun Safety, and Giffords filed FOIA requests. In addition to the anti-gun organizations filing FOIA requests, the anti-gun publication The Trace also requested information from the ATF through the FOIA process. Much like the last batch of FOIA requests, the groups target federal firearms licensees (FFLs) for ATF inspection violations. The groups first filed FOIA requests to determine what FFLs have been inspected by the ATF Industry Operations Inspectors (IOI) over the past three years. Then the groups requested information on inspection results, violations, and penalties. These include gun shops in multiple states and around cities like Uvalde, TX.
Click the link to read the whole article: FOIA Evidence Targeting ATF’s Relationship With The Gun Industry
No comments:
Post a Comment