Georgia Congresswoman-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene called the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) “oppressive” in a tweet calling for the government agency to be defunded and abolished.
“10 years ago today, U.S. Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry was murdered in cold blood with a gun provided to Mexican drug cartels through Barack Obama and Eric Holder’s ATF “Fast & Furious” program,” the Congresswoman-elect’s tweet said. “The ATF is an oppressive government agency that should be DEFUNDED and ELIMINATED!”
Greene’s tweet referred to the 2010 “Operation Fast and Furious” that allowed illegal gun sales to take place in an effort said to track buyers and sellers linked to Mexican drug cartels.
The operation failed when almost 2,000 firearms were illegally bought for $1.5 million, leading to the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry in what quickly became known as one of the Obama-Biden administration’s earliest scandals.
Following her initial declaration, Greene tweeted two articles: the first alleging rogue ATF agents were “cracking down on legal guns” ahead of the Biden administration’s anticipated firearms restrictions, and another claiming leaders of the agency have been colluding with Biden’s transition team in an effort to ban pistol braces.
According to the first article, Ammoland reported that federal agents raided the headquarters of Polymer80, a manufacturer of homemade gun accessories, often referred to “ghost guns” by critics.
The firearm accessory creator had reportedly been producing “80 percent complete” lower receivers for years, which falls under the ATF’s non-regulatable firearms standard. The receivers did not require a manufacturer’s license, serial number or an NICS check prior to purchase.
CNN reported that the ATF recently determined “80 percent” kits are firearms, but Polymer80 claims it never received a warning of the change in regulation prior to agents attempting to confiscate customer information.
Jason Davis, Polymer80 attorney, said the company has always cooperated with the ATF and “will continue to do so,” adding that “the company takes its legal obligations seriously” and is dedicated to “vigorously protecting its rights under the law.”
In the second article, Ammoland reported that ATF Acting Director Regina Lombardo said the Biden transition team had already reached out to the ATF in order to under the agency’s “top priorities.”
According to Ammoland, Lombardo said her priorities targeted pistol braces and 80 percent lower receivers.
The ATF is a law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice that seeks to protect Americans from violent criminals, criminal organizations, the illegal use and trafficking of firearms and explosives, acts of arson and bombings and terrorism.
