Feds Raid Blackwater
No, really. Over that little machine gun issue we discussed earlier. And one question has been answered:
She said it is not unusual for Blackwater to store automatic weapons because the company is licensed to sell, provide training on, or even manufacture firearms.
So, why the arrangement with the sheriff? And it seems ATF knew all along.
June 26th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Yeesh.
I’m telling you, winning that trip isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. I’d drop out of the race if I were you. You don’t need that kind of headache.
June 27th, 2008 at 12:18 am
It must have been done after hours. I bet Blackwater could have held off a siege by the Feds longer than 51 days, and probably driven them off.
Regards,
Rabbit.
June 27th, 2008 at 4:58 am
i still say something smells fishy about this one… color me skeptical but i just dont believe that the story released so far is the whole story… something is missing here…
June 27th, 2008 at 8:27 am
First there’s this glaring error in the story: “Federal laws prohibit private parties from buying automatic weapons.”. Add in “..manufactured after 1986” and it becomes true.
Assuming everything else is true, Blackwater probably uses brand new black rifles which could only be held by a LEO, SOT, or dealer.
June 27th, 2008 at 9:22 am
I would add that it is considered an illegal transfer to allow non-registrants to hold a registered machinegun. When sending a gun in for repair, the ATF recommends filling out the required forms for a temporary transfer if the repair is going to take an unusually long time. Of course it being the ATF, their definitions of “unusual” constantly change.
June 27th, 2008 at 11:22 am
Perhaps the whole thing was a setup & ATF were looking to use their “Always Think Forteiture” expertise to acquire a state-of-the-art training facility?
I know… tin-foil, right? 😉
June 27th, 2008 at 2:36 pm
im more inclined to believe that the ATF told them it was legal 3 years ago and has now changed their mind… that would be about par for the course for the ATF
July 4th, 2008 at 12:23 am
Actually it is completely legal for Blackwater to convert semi-automatic AR-15s into fully automatic M-16 configuration if Blackwater’s armory department holds a 07 manufacturer license with an SOT 2 tax paid. And from the Blackwater press release this seems to be exactly the case. Why was Blackwater storing these for the Sheriff? Probably because A) Blackwater’s range is where the Sheriff department trains. B) Most rural Sheriff’s Departments do not have adequate facilities to store full auto weapons. This raid seems to be suspiciously like a federal agency taking part in partisan THEATER. I find it highly likely that the Democrats in Congress behind the “partisan Blackwater investigation” are also the unseen hand behind the “ATF THEATRICAL raid” and the “partisan AP mis-information article”.