Sent February 17, 2001

We shouldn't assume that just because "our" people are now in the White House that things are going to go our way. The leftist controlled major media constitutes the equivalent of a million letter writers in opposition to us. Consequently, it behooves us to pro-actively contact officials of the Bush administration and express our point of view. As the old saying goes, "its the squeaky wheel which gets the grease!" Unlike the prior administration, our thoughts will at least be considered.

For your perusal, below is my letter to Paul O'Neill, Secretary of Treasury. Those of you having web sites have my permission to post this letter as long as it is not edited and my e-mail address is not posted as well. RKBA advocacy must necessarily take 2nd place to earning a living and I simply don't have time to answer hundreds of e-mails.

Paul O'Neill
Department of Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20220

Dear Secretary O'Neill:

Congratulations on your appointment by President Bush as Secretary of Treasury. As a life member of the NRA and a firm believer of the individual right to keep and bear arms as enshrined in the Second Amendment to the Constitution, I voted for George W. in the hopes that he might restore some balance in the executive branch and halt abuses of citizens by government agents.

Unquestionably the agency which has committed most egregious violation of human rights in this country, is the one which reports to you, the notorious Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Since the passage of the anti-Gun Control Act of 1968, BATF agents have run roughshod over the Constitution with a sneer and a smirk. Armed with high-powered, high-capacity, rapid-fire, military weapons of mass-destruction, BATF agents have increasingly terrorized innocent citizens. I'll never forget when popular talk show host Michael Reagan declared that the Clinton regime had used more tanks against American citizens at Waco, than to support American troops in Somalia.

Something is terribly wrong in this country when heavily armed government gunmen can seize a victim's property, desecrate a person's prized gun collection, recklessly wave their guns in faces of their victims and in one case even stomped to death, out of pure meanness, a victim's helpless, little kitten, and then never have to say they are sorry much less face consequences the rest of us would face if we committed similar atrocities. There is good reason these state-sponsored terrorists are called "Jack Booted Government Thugs", and it's high time BATF be swept clean of all these wanna-be Gestapo!

There are several reforms which need to be enacted to restore the peoples' confidence in federal law enforcement. In an expose featured in highly respected, national publication (see enclosed) a BATF whistle blower revealed that BATF agents confiscate many more guns than are required for "evidence" and then deliberately and wantonly damage them during their raids. The whistle blower reported that this is a policy which is encouraged from the highest ranks of BATF much as the wartime atrocities by soldiers of the Empire of Japan were encouraged at the highest levels of that criminal government.

BATF agents not only need to be held accountable for such senseless and wanton desecration but they also must be trained in proper methods of preserving their victim's cherished gun collection. BATF agents should not only be demoted for damaging a citizen's property, but they should also be forced to reimburse their victims out of their own pocket for any damage they willfully or negligently cause. In addition, all BATF agents should be required to attend sensitivity training to respect the right of the people to keep and bear arms and respect the reverence with which most of us hold America's priceless gun heritage.

Another disturbing tactic reported by the BATF informant is for agents to go after ordinary citizens, especially gun dealers, which have committed some inadvertent, unintentional violation of America's numerous, confusing and contradictory anti-gun laws instead of apprehending dangerous, violent criminals. The whistle blower explained that agents go after such hapless victims instead of hardened criminals because the latter are much more difficult to apprehend and agents are looking to amass a high "body count" to secure their promotion. Well, everyone agrees that it is just absolutely despicable that violent criminals are free to kill, rape and pillage while BATF agents busy themselves busting ordinary citizens, who have hurt no one, for alleged victimless firearm violations!

I understand that BATF has a point criteria which foreign manufactured handguns must pass to in order to be legally imported. Perhaps, there should also be a point criteria for BATF agents. More points for apprehending dangerous criminals than non-violent ones and points should be deducted when a jury decides the victim is not guilty of the government's trumped up charges. These points would be used to determine promotion and salary of BATF agents.

In addition to the above, I believe that it would be highly beneficial for you to establish an advisory board to advise you regarding right to keep and bear arms issues as well as other concerns which citizens have regarding the enforcement of federal laws. Enemies of our Constitutional rights had the exclusive ear of the prior administration; it is high time to restore balance.

I wish you the best of luck in weeding out the bad apples who predominate in BATF and restoring the people's confidence in federal law enforcement. I think most people would agree that implementing the recommendations contained herein will greatly aid in achieving that objective.