News: Project Gunrunner

The ATF is much lampooned among the pro-gun community, and not just for its failures in Waco and Ruby Ridge. Nevertheless, they soldier on, and the latest news from their tireless battle against firearms (err...I mean illegal firearms) is actually something that might be within the ambit of their authority. They've accused Victor Varela of smuggling firearms into Mexico.

But, alas, for every thing the ATF might do right, one of their agents usually has a foot in his or her mouth. Case in point:

Authorities said one recent discovery, in a storage locker in Yuma, Arizona, yielded 42 weapons and hundreds of rounds of .50-caliber bullets already belted to be fed into a machine gun-style weapon, as well as Fabrique Nationale pistols, semiautomatic handguns that fire a 5.7-by-28-millimeter round.

What's interesting about this gun, why it's in high demand, is the nickname that it has in Mexico," said William Newell, ATF special agent in charge, about the Fabrique National pistol. "It's called 'mata policias,' or 'cop killer.' "

He's talking about the FN Five-seveN, a polymer frame pistol that can penetrate body armor in some cases. Funny thing is, to buy the gun legally here in the U.S. requires around $800, with ammo costing about 50 cents a shot. All for a round that doesn't penetrate as well as even the weakest centerfire rifle rounds. It's hard to believe a drug cartel would rather use this than an AK.