Feds Bust Atlanta Gang Members in Gun Theft Investigation

Stolen guns in criminal hands are nothing new. Most of us recognize the role they play in so-called gun violence. It's one of the reasons that restrictions on law-abiding citizens are so universally dumb. They ignore the criminals and how they obtain firearms, while punishing those who did nothing wrong.

But members of a notorious Atlanta street gang got a chance to become acquainted with federal law enforcement over their alleged role in a gun heist, among other allegations.

Twenty individuals, including five members of the GoodFellas criminal street gang and four convicted felons, have been indicted on federal gun and drug charges, including firearms-trafficking charges arising from the theft of nearly 1,500 guns stolen from shipping facilities in Conley, Georgia and Macon, Georgia. 

“Gang‑related firearms trafficking and drug trafficking pose a grave threat to our community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Criminal networks that move guns and narcotics fuel violence, undermine neighborhoods, and endanger innocent lives. Using every lawful tool available, my office and our law enforcement partners in the Homeland Security Task Force are committed to eliminating these criminal enterprises, holding offenders accountable, and protecting law-abiding Georgians.”

“Stealing nearly 1,500 firearms and flooding our communities with guns and drugs is more than brazen criminal conduct; it is a direct attack on public safety,” said ATF Atlanta Field Division Special Agent in Charge Benjamin Gibbons. “The GoodFellas gang and their associates allegedly put deadly firepower on the streets across multiple states and even beyond our borders. ATF will not allow criminal organizations to profit by endangering our communities. As this investigation shows, our agents, working with our federal, state, and local partners, move quickly to shut down illegal firearms pipelines. If you steal guns, traffic guns, or arm violent gangs, ATF will find you, we will dismantle your operation, and you will be held accountable.”

“The sheer amount of stolen guns and drugs these individuals were allegedly dealing with is alarming,” said Richard Bilson, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “The FBI will continue to prioritize investigations like these so that Georgians will be able to live without fear of either themselves or their loved ones becoming a victim of the violence used or drugs peddled by these street gangs and their associates.”

These are the people the ATF should be hammering, and should have done so throughout the POTATUS years, rather than jamming up law-abiding citizens and shutting down gun stores over paperwork issues.

And let's be real here: those 1,500 guns didn't stay in the United States, as noted above. That means a large number likely went to the cartels, as they're the biggest buyer I can think of. Those guns were all supposed to feel terrible about going south? At least some of those, likely including many that were traced back to the US, were from this operation or one very similar.

I'm glad to see these jackwagons in cuffs, and if they're convicted, I hope they rot in prison for a very long time.

These are the people who have created the environment that anti-gunners capitalize on. I happen to think that many of them know it, too; they just don't care. Maybe I've become cynical in my old age, but it's the only excuse I can find for their tough-on-guns, weak-on-crime approach to, well, pretty much everything.

While I don't expect this operation to lead to more peaceful streets, either here or abroad, it is nice to see the good guys notch a legitimate win from time to time. This sure looks like a prime example. It'll be interesting to see how this case proceeds and how many of them end up doing real time, versus how many end up taking deals to roll over on their buddies.

Editor’s Note: The American people overwhelmingly support President Trump’s law and order agenda.

Help us fight back against the Democrats and Soros-backed DAs that refuse to enforce our laws to hold criminals accountable. Join Bearing Arms VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.