As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to get rid of a federal law that hides information from the public about guns used in crimes and the stores that sell them. As president, says the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Obama has embraced most of the law and added even more rules that could make it harder for law enforcement to crack down on dealers and stores selling guns to criminals. While supporters of the secrecy law say shielding crime-gun data and dealer violations protects police officers, Milwaukee Police Chief Edward Flynn calls that “a crock.”
Flynn said he didn’t get a clear picture of what role West Milwaukee’s Badger Guns plays in selling crime guns until six police officers were shot in a two-year span – all with guns from Badger Guns or its predecessor, Badger Outdoors. The Journal Sentinel explores the issue of tracing data on crime guns. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fireams and Explosives is considering a new system for police to share more data, but even then it won’t be the unfettered access Flynn and others want, ATF officials said.