(CBSNews) WASHINGTON - Keeping American weapons from getting into the hands of Mexican gangs is the goal of a program called "Project Gunrunner." But critics say it's doing exactly the opposite. CBS News investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reports on what she found.
In late 2009, ATF was alerted to suspicious buys at seven gun shops in the Phoenix area. Suspicious because the buyers paid cash, sometimes brought in paper bags. And they purchased classic "weapons of choice" used by Mexican drug traffickers - semi-automatic versions of military type rifles and pistols.
Sources tell CBS News several gun shops wanted to stop the questionable sales, but ATF encouraged them to continue.
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ATF managers allegedly made a controversial decision: allow most of the weapons on the streets. The idea, they said, was to gather intelligence and see where the guns ended up. Insiders say it's a dangerous tactic called letting the guns, "walk."
One agent called the strategy "insane." Another said: "We were fully aware the guns would probably be moved across the border to drug cartels where they could be used to kill."
On the phone, one Project Gunrunner source (who didn't want to be identified) told us just how many guns flooded the black market under ATF's watchful eye. "The numbers are over 2,500 on that case by the way. That's how many guns were sold - including some 50-calibers they let walk."
It came back to bite ATF on the ass when one of these guns was used to murder one of their agents. God only knows how many other people have been killed with them.
The idea to let 2500 firearms into the hands of criminals, including AKs and Barretts for Christ's sake, is an idea so fucking wrong and stupid that I couldn't begin to string together adjectives to adequately describe how I feel about the motherfucker(s) who thought this up like it came out of a human brain. 'Insane' does not begin to describe a criminal act like this. If I wasn't pretty used to our government fucking up by the numbers, I'd say it was beyond belief.
This has nothing to do with guns per se. This has to do with a government agency allowing, nay, aiding and abetting violation of every goddam firearms law we have and putting 2500 powerful weapons into the hands of violent sociopaths on both sides of the Mexican border.
Somebody had better fucking swing over this. Right fucking now.
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