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Thousands of firearms have been stolen from the ATF, and it is because ATF did not follow storage rules, and firearm safety basics. 

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I wonder how many arrests per year occur from firearm owners not storing, or securing their firearms. In some cases the ATF is sent in to investigate FFL’s for not storing their firearms safely, and cannot obtain a FFL license without having an on site safety eval done by an ATF agent. Now, the Agency is in hot water for breaking those very same rules.

Town Hall reports. According to a recent Department of Justice Inspector General investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms failed to follow proper security protocols for seized firearms and parts at the ATF National Destruction Branch facility in Martinsburg, West Virginia, leading to thousands of guns and parts being stolen by a security guard. ATF failed to properly log and track firearms under Bureau custody, including guns from the fatal Operation Fast and Furious. For three years, lax security measures and violations of standards led to thousands of guns and parts being stolen from the facility. Those firearms, including machine guns, were illegally sold off. 

Lets see what the DOJ inspector General had to say about this. Clip1>>

The feds did not like being embarrassed like this by their security guard, they threw the book at him. 

According to a justice department press release. In April 2019, Yates, 52, of Martinsburg, West Virginia, pled guilty to one count of “possession of stolen firearm” and one count of “theft of government property”. Yates was a contract employee at the ATF’s National Disposal Branch in Martinsburg, West Virginia. From 2016 to early 2019, Yates stole thousands of firearms, firearms parts, and ammunition. Yates sold much of the property to others across the country. The crimes caused ATF to issue more than 1200 referrals across all 25 ATF field divisions in 49 of the 50 states, District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. To date, ATF has recovered 4,625 pieces of the stolen firearms and parts, including 4,000 firearms parts, 3,000 of which were slides, and at least 15 rifles, 80 handguns, including ATF duty weapons, 10 to 15 AR-style lower receivers, and four machine guns.

It is going to take some time for the embarrassment to fade into the background for the ATF, as it appears that they should be looking at themselves for breaches of security, instead of going after guys at the range.

Let’s continue this conversation, in the comments below.