ATF Post Backfires After People Notice Deadly Mistakes Being Openly Ignored
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is taking serious fire for a social media post showcasing deadly serious negligence on the agency’s part around the very devices it is supposed to safely regulate.
In the Wednesday post by the ATF’s Houston Field Division, agents are seen at a gun range with guests from the local United States Attorneys’ Offices.
The bureau’s attempt at public relations failed immediately. Users were quick to point out obvious mistakes being made by agents and officers who are supposed to be experts in the subject.
Along with parts and firearms that the American peasantry are kept from owning being laid out like children’s playthings, a major violation of the golden rule of gun safety (“Treat every firearm as if it’s loaded and ready to fire”) was seen front and center.
Take a look at the ATF’s post below and see if you can spot the most egregious example of firearm safety negligence.
The ATF Austin Office out on the range today with special guests from our local U.S. Attorneys’ Offices. pic.twitter.com/568GrEEHLG
— ATF Houston (@ATFHou) July 19, 2023
If you need some help finding it, go back and look at the man in the foreground. Although decked out in what appears to be an ATF-tagged ballistic plate carrier, not every part of his body is covered.
On the table in front of him, what appears to be an MP 40 submachine gun is pointed directly at his exposed pelvis.
At this point, it’s important to note an important feature of the MP 40. A firearm of German design, it is most famously known for a major presence in the Third Reich’s World War II armament. Its only mode of fire is automatic. This firearm also operates from an open bolt, meaning the entire bolt is held back until a trigger pull releases it.
This type of design is largely abandoned today in favor of closed-bolt weapons for a number of reasons — one being that something as simple as a part failure can send an open bolt forward, potentially chambering and firing a round in an instant.
It’s unclear whether the firearm in the photo is an automatic open-bolt MP 40, but other parts on the table — including an apparent Glock “switch” in the front case, allowing for the conversion of the ubiquitous pistol from semi to fully automatic — would suggest it’s the real deal.
In either scenario, this is not something you’d want pointed at your own pelvis. As a relatively small area that hosts a confluence of several major body systems and arteries, an injury here could easily be fatal. A gunshot anywhere in this same area would undoubtedly ruin the day’s fun.
Although it may be argued that the magazine is out of this firearm and it was cleared by an expert, there’s no denying that the golden rule of firearm safety is being ignored here. And while the man is wearing ATF gear, his affiliation is unclear — he could be a U.S. Attorney wearing borrowed plates for the range day.
This doesn’t excuse the ATF entirely, however.
Agents were definitely present, and at the very least should have been acting as range safety officers or ensuring one was available to monitor for deadly mistakes and safety oversights.
Instead, it appears that not a single person noticed anything wrong with the open disregard for firearm safety. The ignorance was even unwittingly documented and published, much to the entertainment of the American public.
That would get you thrown out of most ranges.
— Kevin Miller (@ReelKevinMiller) July 21, 2023
you idiots are in charge of policing our firearms???
— Abby Libby (@abbythelibb_) July 21, 2023
As usual, law enforcement is exempt from gun laws. I’m seeing multiple felonies in one picture, not to mention violation of the most basic safety procedures.
— TimmerMcGraw, CFI 🇺🇸🔎 (@TimmerMcGraw) July 20, 2023
While many of the things on the table would send an average American to prison for a lifetime, it seems the “experts” over at the ATF will continue to play with these deadly devices for years to come.
Let’s hope they learn a little gun safety by then.
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