Obama-allied liberal group wants ATF-FBI merger for stricter gun laws

A liberal advocacy group with close ties to the White House is calling for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to be merged with the FBI, saying it would lead to stricter enforcement of gun laws. The Center for American Progress said its two-year study of the ATF found that the agency can’t keep up with the challenges of enforcing gun laws and regulating the firearms industry. “Too often, the leadership, management, and resources lag behind the dedication of the agents,” said Arkadi Gerney, CAP senior vice president. “With 33 people murdered with guns in the United States every day, it is time to think big about how best to fulfill ATF’s mission.” The report said ATF has suffered from a “leadership vacuum,” going seven years without a confirmed director before the Senate approved B. Todd Jones in August 2013, who recently resigned. In its report, CAP said the gun lobby has worked to keep ATF as an ineffective agency by lobbying Congress to keep it “underresourced.”...more