BELLEVUE, WA – After police in New York were compelled this week to return hundreds of firearms seized in a crackdown on so-called “rogue” gun dealers, it is now clear that Mayor Michael Bloomberg is far more interested in harassing law-abiding gun dealers than he is in fighting genuine crime, the Second Amendment Foundation (SAF) said today.
Bloomberg’s cops had to return 234 guns to the Woodhaven Rifle and Pistol Range a day after they returned 247 firearms to DF Brothers Sports Center. Both shops were raided May 25. The Woodhaven case smacks of entrapment, according to an attorney for the store who spoke with the New York Post.
“Once again,” said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb, “it appears the real rogues in this case were the undercover cops and the man who sent them, Mayor Bloomberg. His earlier anti-gun escapade that involved undercover private investigators doing purported stings against 15 dealers in five states is apparently under investigation by federal authorities. Bloomberg should not be allowed to get away with this demagoguery. Because this crusade has targeted firearms transported in interstate commerce, we believe the Justice Department should investigate.
“This latest debacle,” he continued, “just proves that Bloomberg’s true intent is to harass legitimate firearms dealers. He financially hurt these business people by having their inventory confiscated for several days on what amounts to bogus charges. Now, his spokeswoman has declared that these gun dealers will be subject to ‘heightened scrutiny’ by New York police.
“That sounds more like a mob threat than what we should expect from a big city mayor’s office,” Gottlieb stated. “The only difference between Bloomberg and a gangster is that he was elected to office, and his enforcers have badges.
“Bloomberg has declared war on law-abiding gun dealers, gun owners and everyone in the industry,” Gottlieb concluded, “and this proves that his real intent is to hound, browbeat and coerce these people out of business. We’re not sure what they call it in the mayor’s office, but anywhere else in this country, that’s called racketeering.”