The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) works to ensure that guns don't end up in the hands of people who are not allowed by law to own or possess them.
It is not alone in that responsibility. In fact, you could argue that Federal Firearms Licensees share in that responsibility. After all, legal firearms dealers are at the forefront of the gun trade here in the U.S. It is not an easy job.
A recent Washington Post series of stories showed that Texas has produced more guns seized in Mexico than any other state, and Houston is the focal point of gun-running operations to the border. The Post's yearlong investigation revealed the top U.S. gun stores that sold guns traced to Mexican crime scenes. You can read the Post stories at www.startribune.com/a107.
The Post stories are similar to stories I wrote this past summer about a Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to running guns to Mexico. He bought his guns at licensed dealers in Minnesota.
ATF officials say most dealers do their difficult job well, keeping the necessary paperwork and trying not to sell to straw buyers -- people without a criminal record who buy guns for those who legally cannot. The ATF is trying to help them do it even better.
The ATF has posted instructional videos on its YouTube channel. They are designed to educate dealers on a host of topics related to federal firearms laws and regulations.
In one video, an ATF attorney talks about not selling a gun to anyone without valid picture identification. That may sound like a "duh" kind of instruction. But it happens -- with sometimes deadly consequences later.
"A purchaser without a valid ID should raise a red flag," ATF attorney Erika Ritt said.
