Two Iraqis and a Guatemalan attempt to buy 4 M249 SAWs from DFW Gun Store

[Paladin]

Trio accused of buying high-powered rifle for Mexican drug cartel at North Texas gun store

ATF sent an alert in October to licensed gun stores in Dallas and other parts of the state, advising them of attempts by Mexican cartels to acquire assault rifles. The warning said the cartels wanted high-powered weapons like .50 caliber and “belt-fed rifles” and that the criminal organizations were “gearing up” for something, according to gun dealer websites.

Jeffrey C. Boshek II, special agent in charge of ATF’s Dallas division, said it’s rare for his agency to send such a warning, but it was necessary due to recent intelligence.

[philip964]

Thought a judge said it was legal for foreigners to possess guns in the US.

Seems a way to be taken over by a foreign government, but I’m just a guy who stayed at a Holiday Inn once.

Belt fed? Gun stores sell those?

[Paladin]

Thought a judge said it was legal for foreigners to possess guns in the US.

Seems a way to be taken over by a foreign government, but I’m just a guy who stayed at a Holiday Inn once.

Belt fed? Gun stores sell those?

They are semi-auto belt fed guns. Nice, but I haven't been willing to spend $10K on one.

[PUCKER]

Belt fed...drooooooool....!!

I've got a Lage MAX11-15 (it's essentially an AR-15 upper for my M-11 9mm from Lage Mfg....so now it's a select-fire AR-15, it's the M-11 lower that's the NFA item) and I've heard of possible (maybe?) availability of belt fed uppers that would mate with the M-11 and other NFA variants...that'd be a BLAST!!!

[wheelgun1958]

Two Iraqis and a Guatemalan walk into a gun store......

[C-dub]

(NewsNation) — A federal judge in Illinois earlier this month ruled that a Mexican man who was living in the U.S. illegally had a constitutional right to own a firearm for self-defense.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/on-balanc ... %2Ddefense.

[RoyGBiv]

Two Iraqis and a Guatemalan walk into a gun store......

That's EXACTLY what I thought when I clicked on this thread.

[Paladin]

(NewsNation) — A federal judge in Illinois earlier this month ruled that a Mexican man who was living in the U.S. illegally had a constitutional right to own a firearm for self-defense.

https://www.newsnationnow.com/on-balanc ... %2Ddefense.

This leaves me at a loss for words.

[srothstein]

As much as I do not care for this interpretation, it is correct in my opinion. It is a long held understanding in our court system that the rights in the constitution are applicable to everyone unless specified otherwise. This is correct, IMO, based on the theory that all of our rights are granted to us by our creator and the constitution protects these rights, not granted by it. The creator did not give them to US citizens, he gave them to everyone. The constitution restricts the government from infringing on these rights, so the illegal immigrants get them too. There are court cases going on whether convicted felons have these rights when they are not imprisoned, and my personal belief is that they do. One of Hunter Biden's defenses is that the law saying drug users cannot have a gun is an unconstitutional restriction since it was not made when the Second was written. So, this would be a correct interpretation and enhance OUR gun rights in the US.

I will point out that the one right that does not apply to illegal (or other) aliens is the right to vote. The constitution specifically restricts that right to citizens.

[Grayling813]

The purchasers were violating the laws against making straw purchases. Whether they were legal or illegal immigrants is immaterial.

Is ATF intelligence the same oxymoron as military intelligence?

[Paladin]

As much as I do not care for this interpretation, it is correct in my opinion. It is a long held understanding in our court system that the rights in the constitution are applicable to everyone unless specified otherwise. This is correct, IMO, based on the theory that all of our rights are granted to us by our creator and the constitution protects these rights, not granted by it. The creator did not give them to US citizens, he gave them to everyone. The constitution restricts the government from infringing on these rights, so the illegal immigrants get them too. There are court cases going on whether convicted felons have these rights when they are not imprisoned, and my personal belief is that they do. One of Hunter Biden's defenses is that the law saying drug users cannot have a gun is an unconstitutional restriction since it was not made when the Second was written. So, this would be a correct interpretation and enhance OUR gun rights in the US.

I will point out that the one right that does not apply to illegal (or other) aliens is the right to vote. The constitution specifically restricts that right to citizens.

Having read the history of "rights" as they have been historically understood the right to vote and right to keep and bear arms are things that a go together:

First-generation rights, often called "blue" rights,[citation needed] deal essentially with liberty and participation in political life. They are fundamentally civil and political in nature, as well as strongly individualistic: They serve negatively to protect the individual from excesses of the state. First-generation rights include, among other things, freedom of speech, the right to a fair trial, (in some countries) the right to keep and bear arms, freedom of religion, freedom from discrimination, and voting rights. They were pioneered in the seventeenth and eighteenth-century during the Age of Enlightenment. Political theories associated with the English, American, and French revolutions were codified in the English Bill of Rights in 1689 (a restatement of Rights of Englishmen, some dating back to Magna Carta in 1215) and more fully in the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen in 1789 and the United States Bill of Rights in 1791.[21][22]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_and ... cal_rights

It's safe to say I don't believe that uninvited criminals have either

[surprise_i'm_armed]

The OP's link doesn't work since it appears to be behind the Dallas Morning Snooze's paywall.

This was the front page, top of fold story in the Sunday edition of the DMN, 3/24/24. It was over 2 full pages, with some associated articles.

Let me add a few details:
One of the BG's flew in from Cali, and coordinated with the other 2. One of the straw buyers was a tow truck driver.
When they searched the tow truck, they found ~ $67,600 USD, wrapped in a coat.
The FFL, Rifle Gear, is located on the service road of the Sam Rayburn Tollway, TX121, in The Colony, Texas. Yes, the town's proper name is "The Colony".

The store's name is Rifle Gear. Yes, they have plenty of rifles, but a large selection of handguns as well.
They used to be located in a smaller site on Windhaven Pkwy in Plano, but the store visibility from the street was not too good, and they needed more room.
They had their current location purpose built for them, giving them high visibility on SRT, more room, and 28 lanes.
The new location opened in 2020. The old location ceased to exist.

The feds (ATF) were aware that the men were going to Rifle Gear, and had notified the store personnel.
The arrests were made in the parking lot. The arrests were for being straw buyers.
After the sale, the weapon(s) purchased were to have been brought to Arizona. No further word on what would have transpired then.

Now for some statistics, but take these with a grain of salt.
Seized illegal firearms in Mexico : 70% came from the US. Of those, 43% came from Texas.

For some odd reason, one of the US hotspot cities for allegedly supplying guns to the cartels is Hartford, CT. Really?

SIA

[surprise_i'm_armed]

A priest, a preacher, and a rabbi walk into a bar.
The bartender says "Is this some kind of a joke?!"

A horse walks into a bar.
The bartender ask "Why the long face?"

A blonde walks into a bar.
You'd think she would have seen it!

:-) SIA