If Operation Fast and Furious wasn't about pushing for more gun control, then why is the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, a group with strong oppositions to the Second Amendment, coming to Attorney General Eric Holder's defense? Brady Campaign President Dan Gross issued a statement slamming Chairman of the House Oversight Committee and Speaker John Boehner for moving forward to hold Holder in criminal and civil contempt of Congress this week. Gross did not mention the vote was bipartisan, 17 Democrats voted for criminal contempt and 21 voted for civil contempt.
“As House Oversight Chairman Darrell Issa and Speaker John Boehner lead the ridiculous political theater of a contempt of Congress vote for the first time against a U.S. attorney general, American and Mexican lives remain at risk because of the out-of-control Mexican gun violence fueled by guns trafficked from American gun shops. As Issa and Boehner do the bidding of the NRA, innocent people are dying, including Americans.
“In addition to border agent Brian Terry, at least five other Americans have died as a result of gun violence at the hands of Mexican drug cartels, and more than 30,000 Mexicans have lost their lives. Where are the tears and compassion for these victims, who apparently were killed with guns having nothing to do with the ATF operation known as “Fast and Furious”? Where are the tears for the victims of the 68,000 American guns traced to crime in Mexico that had nothing to do with “Fast and Furious”? Where is concern for the 30,000 Americans who die each year in our communities because Issa, Boehner and their colleagues would rather do the bidding of the NRA than protect the American people -- as today's scheduled vote makes abundantly clear.
“A recent article in Fortune Magazine raises important questions about this ’scandal’ that was cooked up on a right-wing blog by a violent anti-government activist. Those questions, and this blatantly hypocritical move by Issa, Boehner and their Congressional partners, who continue to ignore the voice of the American people, lead us to believe that they will one day soon be called to account for their cynical, hypocritical pandering to the gun lobby.”
The recent Fortune article Gross mentions goes against nearly every piece of evidence, documentation and whistleblower testimony in this case. See my response to it here.
My question for Gross is, where are his tears and compassion for people in the United States, but particularly in Mexico, who are victims of gun violence due to strict laws that limit their right to defend themselves against violent criminals? Law abiding citizens in Mexico aren't legally allowed to own a firearm for protection and cartel members are mowing them down in the streeet as a result.
Also, Gross used misleading gun trafficking statistics to make his argument that "Mexican gun violence [is] fueled by guns trafficked from American gun shops." He fails to point out many of the guns found in Mexico and traced back to the United States, were originally purchased by the Mexican Army through a State Department program or purchased by Mexican police stations. Those guns are then walked off, or stolen, when corrupt officials join cartels (this happens all the time). The majority of guns in Mexico are not coming from American gun dealers, they are coming from China, Central America and....the State Department. State Department cables show this.
FLASHBACK: Sarah Brady says President Obama working on gun control, "under the radar."
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