Federal election laws are, in fact, federal laws.
I know this is a groundbreaking statement that likely has caught many of you unaware, but it's true. It's absolutely true.
Wait...you already knew this? You're not shocked in the least?
Well, I guess I shouldn't be surprised, since you also understand phrases like "shall not be infringed." Unsurprisingly, a group (Giffords, in this case) that doesn't understand that also thinks there's something wrong with the ATF being at voter precincts to help enforce federal election laws.
GIFFORDS, the national gun violence prevention group led by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, responded to the news that the Department of Justice is sending ATF agents to “monitor polling places” during the election. This is a dangerous departure from the ATF’s mission, which includes arresting violent offenders and gun traffickers and protecting American communities from violent crime driven by the illegal use of firearms, explosives, and acts of arson.
“Instead of directing the ATF to do its job, the Trump administration is sending agents to polling places in its latest desperate attempt to intimidate voters and election workers. It won’t work,” said GIFFORDS Executive Director Emma Brown. “This is a ridiculous use of an agency with limited resources, in charge of fighting violent crime. The federal agents who are supposed to be protecting our communities will instead be standing around polling locations for an administration that knows Americans are about to reject its extreme agenda. The Trump administration must immediately rescind these plans and allow the ATF to get back to work.”
Let's understand that the original story, from The Reload, notes that agents will be there, but not that all agents are putting everything aside to spend the entire election season standing around doing nothing except "intimidating" voters.
I find it funny that the group that seems to think that we shouldn't have to worry about gun confiscation or anything else at the hands of ATF agents operating at the behest of an anti-gun president somehow now see the mere presence of ATF agents as "voter intimidation."
Now, I don't trust ATF agents either. ATF Director Robert Cekada is an OK sort from everything we've seen, but this is an agency that has enjoyed its ability to run roughshod over gun owners and gun dealers for years, and I'm not entirely sure that I like them being used for this, either. I just find Giffords and its hysterics laughable because these are the same agents they lionize when one of their own is in the Oval Office.
I guess the old line of "if you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear" when it comes to things like background checks, registration, and the like now applies to the gun control lobby.
No, I don't like that statement and think it's absolute BS, but I'm holding them to their own standards here.
The fact that without double standards, they wouldn't have any at all hasn't escaped my notice, either.
Frankly, having federal agents enforce federal election law isn't really an issue for me. Especially since, unlike some, I do believe election fraud is a thing in this country, even if I'm unconvinced that it's definitely enough to sway national elections. I'd like to see a whole lot less of it, and if an ATF agent prevents someone from voting who shouldn't be, well, I'm sure I can live with it, personally.