(Jacob Bruns, Headline USA) In an amusing turn of events for the gun control regime, a Department of Justice Inspector General investigation has reveled that a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms security guard stole and sold thousands of guns and parts of guns because the agency failed to follow proper protocols, TownHall reported.
From 2016 to 2019, a former security guard stole thousands of firearms and firearm parts from the ATF’s firearm disposal facility. We looked at improvements to the ATF’s firearm disposal practices made in the wake of the thefts and found that more safeguards are needed. pic.twitter.com/JeZp66IUrt
— DOJ Inspector General (@JusticeOIG) September 20, 2022
The security breach took place at the ATF National Destruction Branch in Martinsburg, West Virginia, where a security guard stole thousands of firearms. According to the report, the ATF failed to track firearms adequately, leading to their failure to secure the facility.
“We found that NDB staff does not consistently adhere to established operating procedures in place to mitigate risk of firearms being lost or stolen,” the DOJ report noted.
“Specifically, we observed NDB staff: (1) propping open doors into secure areas of the facility solely for the sake of convenience, (2) allowing visitors to enter the facility through doorways other than the main entrance and drive their cars into the facility to unload firearms, and (3) permitting unauthorized individuals to access NDB vault storage spaces.”
The report also noted that the risk of theft or loss increases dramatically upon the insitution’s failure to follow established rules.
“Failure to strictly adhere to established operating procedures not only undermines the NDB’s security protocol, but unnecessarily places firearms in NDB custody at risk of loss or theft.”
The firearms were stolen by one Christopher Lee Yates, “a former contract security guard at a U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) facility,” who was sentenced earlier this week to “168 months incarceration for stealing firearms from the government.”
From 2016 to 2019, a former security guard stole thousands of firearms and firearm parts from the ATF’s firearm disposal facility. We looked at improvements to the ATF’s firearm disposal practices made in the wake of the thefts and found that more safeguards are needed. pic.twitter.com/JeZp66IUrt
— DOJ Inspector General (@JusticeOIG) September 20, 2022
“From 2016 to early 2019, Yates stole thousands of firearms, firearms parts, and ammunition,” the report continued. “Yates sold much of the property to others across the country.”
