Obozo chooses new head of BATFE (read as anti gun extremist)

[jack404]

http://www.examiner.com/gun-rights-i...ext-batfe-head

Obama names anti-gun extremist as next BATFE head

Well, it's official (if misspelled, in the New York Times)--Andrew Traver is President Obama's choice to be the BATFE's next Supreme Leader:

Nearly two years into his term, President Obama on Monday finally chose a director for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Mr. Obama will submit the name of Andrew Taver [sic], the special agent in charge of the bureau’s Chicago field division, to the Senate for consideration, the White House said.

This, no doubt, will immensely please the Brady Campaign, who will probably try to imply that it was their complaining--and complaining (pdf file)--that inspired this action.

That Traver's would be the name eventually submitted has been suspected for months, with the first (to my knowledge) to bring up the possibility being Mike Vanderboegh, back in early July. In that post, Mr. Vanderboegh documented some of Traver's hostility to the right to keep and bear arms:

But there is more to Traver than selfless service to his community. He is an anti-firearm rights zealot. He is on record as opposing so-called "assault rifles" in the hands of citizens. Worse, he is a prominent member of the virulently anti-firearm International Association of Chiefs of Police.

The NBC Chicago "news" story in which Traver expresses his opposition to private ownership of so-called "assault weapons" is something, it turns out, that I have discussed before, as has National Gun Rights Examiner David Codrea (video of that story can be seen to the left). One of my favorite parts of the NBC piece was this:

Traver says the power and randomness of the heavy caliber, military-style weapons make them so dangerous not only to people, but to police.
Forgetting the "heavy caliber" nonsense, when discussing guns that are considered to be of pretty marginal power by most deer hunters, is Traver trying to say that police are not people? The "Only Ones" superhuman enough, apparently.

The question now is whether or not the Senate will confirm him. The New York Times article says "he may face a confirmation fight" (and David Codrea points out that there had better be one). The recent Washington Post anti-gun series (discussed here) seems to imply that such a fight is inevitable:

In August, sources in the ATF said Andy Traver, a special agent in charge of the ATF in Chicago, was being considered for the job. Gun-lobby representatives immediately said they would oppose his nomination because they thought he was too close to gun-control activists.
Hmm . . . "too close to gun control activists" is one way to put it, but a more accurate way might be to say that he has been an activist for forcible citizen disarmament.

It's hard to know when the confirmation fight will commence--will Obama try to ram it through the Senate during the lame duck session, before the Democrat majority shrinks considerably, or does he think it can happen even in the face of a considerably more Republican Senate next year? Perhaps Traver will be a recess appointment, and thus become Acting Director through late 2012. That, actually, might be the biggest threat. Mike Vanderboegh has said that this route will be attractive to the DoJ, since it would avoid the problem with confirmation hearings--those inconvenient questions under oath.

If that's what happens, expect an all out assault on gun ownership, and an energized forcible citizen disarmament lobby. Keep your powder dry.

who is this man ?? look here

http://onlygunsandmoney.blogspot.com...ew-traver.html

[hogger129]

I hope he never becomes head of the ATF.

[jack404]

he's written up the doc so this guy bypass's the senate selection and inquirey read about his past , whats left of it .. its being cleaned up faster than a duck eats cooked rice

[Rneck]

thanks jack, it's good to have an ally on the outside looking in, I had no idea this was coming. I'm going to send letters to all the reps

[300 H&H]

Good one Jack,

Ya those domocrates...They sure are a smart bunch...Polosi got back her job as party leader in the house! More people in her party were defeated by her than any repulican candidate! And they have the "brains" and the gall to keep her in the houses top Dem's position. The people have sent them a message, and they care not to hear. Wish California would go broke, and be on it's knees for a hand out from the Federal gov..That is also broke. Maybe then these folks would get it, but I doubt it

Lame duck session to push through the measures that the liberals couldn't get through. What a way to get what you want...Our defeated Govenor is going to replace 3 ISC juges with yet another bunch of libs, just like the ones we just roled out in the election. (voters here do not like judges who write new law from the bench, and they aproved gay marriage without the peoples vote) This will raise the level of dislike and ire for Democrats to a new higher level than ever before. They lost the election, but are going to try and ram what they can through while those defeated are still able to vote. What a bunch of loosers, and WE WILL REMEMBER these acts of the defeated party....This will cost them dearly over time I believe, as it should.

Regards, Kirk

[jack404]

From only guns and money (the link above about this clown )
http://onlygunsandmoney.blogspot.com...ew-traver.html


I've printed speculation about Traver being the leading candidate here and here. According to my tracking software for this blog, I have had numerous visitors from the Department of Justice doing a Google search using "Andrew Traver ATF". I even had a visitor about two weeks ago (now two months ago) from the Executive Office of the President searching for what was being said about ATF and a new Director. A screen shot of that visit can be seen here. Traver has also been mentioned frequently on the dissident ATF insider's website CleanUpATF as being the defacto candidate for Director. (And now is the actual candidate.)

So who is Andrew Traver and why should we care?

As noted above, Traver is the SAC of the ATF's Chicago Field Division. He is an Illinois native and a graduate of Northern Illinois University with a degree in Criminal Justice (summa cum laude). After college, he was commissioned as a Naval officer through Officer Candidate School and served as a gunnery officer on USS Benjamin Stoddard, DDG-22. Upon leaving the Navy in 1987, he joined ATF as a Special Agent.

His ATF career to date is as follows:

1987 - Chicago Field Division, Criminal Investigator and a member of the Entry Control Team.
1993 - Philadelphia Field Division, Group Supervisor
1998 - Assigned to ATF Headquarters, Washington, DC
2000 - Assistant Special Agent in Charge, New Orleans Field Division
2002 - Assistant Special Agent in Charge, San Francisco Field Division
2004 - Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Field Division
2006 - Promoted to Senior Executive Service, still SAC, Chicago Field Division
Personal Life

Traver is married and has three sons in their early to mid teens. He and his family currently live in the Chicago suburb of Naperville.

Traver is a prostate cancer survivor and it seems to have had a profound impact on him as one would well imagine. In 2008, at the age of 44, he was diagnosed with stage T2 prostate cancer. He ended up having a radical retropubic prostatectomy (RRP) at the Mayo Clinic. Post-surgery and recovery, Traver became active in ZERO- The Project to End Prostate Cancer. He has done presentations for them and has urged all the male agents in his Field Division to be tested.

In addition to his work with ZERO, Traver is the Veterans Outreach Coordinator in the Chicago area for The Mission Continues. This is an organization that works with and supports wounded vets from Iraq and Afghanistan.

From a story about his work with ZERO:
Andrew’s personal and professional relationships with Congressmen Mark Kirk and Jesse Jackson Jr., and Ken Bennett, state director to then-Senator Barack Obama, figured heavily into his recovery. All three men closely followed Andrew’s ordeal from initial diagnosis through the first post-RRP follow up visit to Mayo. He received telephone calls from Congressmen Jackson and Kirk themselves while at Mayo and while recuperating at home. Just prior to and again shortly after his surgery, Andrew and Mr. Bennett met for morale and spiritually uplifting lunches.
Connections to Joyce Foundation

Traver has significant connections to projects of the notoriously anti-gun Joyce Foundation. The Joyce Foundation provided $675,000 in funding for the International Association of Chiefs of Police - IACP - to put on the 2007 Great Lakes Summit on Gun Violence. Traver was a participant in this meeting along with such gun control notables as Gary Wintemute, Director of UC-Davis' Violence Prevention Research Program, Nina Vinik and Robyn Thomas of the Legal Community Against Violence, and David Hemenway of the Harvard School of Public Health. There were also a number of representatives from some of the local gun control organizations and a selection of anti-gun politicians and police chiefs including Mayor Richard Daley.

It is important to note that Traver was not a mere attendee at this meeting, he is listed as an advisor to it along with others like Tom Diaz of the Violence Policy Center and Nina Vinik of LCAV. The acknowledgments thanks the advisers who "worked tirelessly to help us design and accomplish a powerful policy summit by attending many meetings and events and by voicing their invaluable counsel as we moved forward with this important initiative."

Out of this conference came a report entitled Taking a Stand: Reducing Gun Violence in Our Communities. Contributors to the report included Tom Diaz mentioned above and Kristen Rand of the Violence Policy Center. The report made a number of recommendations which, to put it mildly, are anathema to those who believe in gun rights. Included in the recommendations were:
Requiring that all gun sales take place through Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders with mandatory background checks
Enacting an effective ban on military-style assault weapons, armor-piercing handgun ammunition, .50 caliber sniper rifles and other weapons that enable criminals to outgun law enforcement
Repealing the Tiahrt Amendment, which hinders investigation of illegal gun trafficking
Destroying guns that come into police possession once their law enforcement use has ended
Mandating safe storage of firearms by private citizens and providing safe facilities where gun owners can store their weapons
Mandating reporting of lost and stolen firearms
Develop a best practices protocol for voluntary gun surrender programs
Congress should restore funding for the Byrne Justice Assistance Grant Program for state, local and tribal agencies to investigate and prosecute cases of gun trafficking and gun violence
The federal government should increase funding to ATF for personnel and technical assistance to combat gun violence
Congress should enact legislation to allow federal health and safety oversight of the firearms industry


Opinion of Traver within ATF

CleanUpATF.org is a forum for dissident ATF agents and staff to vent their frustrations with the organization and with management. Reading the comments there on a regular basis gives you an idea of what the agents in the field think. Their comments on Traver are both revealing and discouraging.
Word is the Vetting process found some pretty scary skeletons in Mr. Travers closet. We are in trouble if this is true. Hopefully Mr. Obama has an alternate plan or we are done. Another 6 months w/o a Director and we will all be carrying Homeland security badges.Word is Mr. Traver has some issues with the truth. More to follow. Guess Steve Martin will be retiring after all. (Oct. 11)

Somebody explain The Andy Traver selection please.Everyone that has worked with him has the same opinion. A nice guy, as vanilla as they come and a marginal performer at every level of his career. The only plus being championed is "at least he's a gun toter". In other words, our first AGENT Director. Seriously? We have 2500 agents many of whom are quiet legends, to include reitred prior "gun toters". With all due respect he had ONLY 2 ASACs under his command, and one was driving a Government owned Cadillac and he DIDN'T notice? She abused her authority and misappropriated funds and is still an ASAC? (Sept 30)

Hearings into ATFs regulatory functions cancelled with allegations looming that Chief Counsels office knowingly and willfully have tried to circumvent Federal law and artificially impact statutory import procedures. If Mr. Melson cannot reign in the Executive leadership with his vast education and experience, what makes anybody think Andy Traver is more capable? (Sept 15)

Somebody please advise when and where Traver had ever been battle tested or command tested? Why is Jim Cavanaugh chiming in on ever commentary? SAC Traver is a decent man but was at best a marginal agent with limited street time, a borderline non-committal supervisor and a non-descript manager. He is middle of the road and doesn't have an opinion ATF has not told him he was allowed to have. Director? Seriously Mr Obama and Holder? (Aug. 4)

View PostDoc Holiday, on 08 July 2010 - 01:13 PM, said:
Very marginal agent, uninspiring manager. Nuff said. Great guy to have as a neighbor, but has never had an original idea and doesn't have an opinion that he hasn't cleared with superiors.
Is this going to be an infusion of Chicago style politics into ATF management? (July 8)

Heard the same thing. Grapevine has it that he was really kissing up to Obama or his folks before and after the election and then strutting around about how he was going to be the next Director.
I have to wonder if he knows Blago. (July 8)

You can add Andy Traver, in Chicago to that list of young, incompetent SAC's at the age of 40ish. Here is a recent example of his "leadership"! Chicago just held a Fantasy Agent Draft! They took approximately 75% of the Agents, only the ones located in the Chicago land area (because we can't afford to move anyone) and moved them from group to group based on their popularity with a Supervisor! They even had a pre-draft meeting where the Supervisors were told the rules and order of which they were to make their selections! The Supervisors were able to "protect" 1-2 of their favorite agents (read between the lines: good-old boy-club). The dry erase board went into overdrive as the Supervisors threw agents under the bus and argued with other Supervisors in-order to trade agents! It was the most unprofessional processes you can imagine. Traver threaten discipline on any Supervisor who leaked what actually went on inside the trades! Yet, Traver, his front office team and supervisors thought it was a great idea. At the same time, Traver had his Supervisors meeting where he basically tore up HQ's and showed his continued disdain and lack of respect for all his bosses. Yet, he wonders why not one of his management team respects him. For that matter, none of Andy's counterparts (SAC's) respects him. He leads by example...No interest in ATF nor any respect for bosses! If only the agents could get a dry erase board and select their Supervisors, ASAC's and SAC. I bet the only survivor would be the Supervisor who just returned from exile, Fargo North Dakota. If only someone in HQ's gave a damn about the sinking ship in Chicago, they would clear out the front office and all participating Supervisor in this fantasy draft!! (Oct 21, 2009)


Conclusion

Traver has been the rumored candidate for the Director of ATF from the moment that Obama was elected and now is the nominee in fact. He has been in bed with the anti-gun forces including the Joyce Foundation since the moment he became the Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago Field Division. As seen by the comments above, he is not widely respected by the ATF field who consider him a nice enough guy but marginal when he was in the field and even more marginal as a manager.

Traver makes a nice personal interest story and I'm glad his cancer is in remission. That said, I don't want someone like him in charge of ATF and I sincerely doubt he would clean out the culture of corruption that seems to exist in ATF's management. It is time for the Senate to just say no.

[Gun Geezer]

Sounds like Obama is doing some heavy duty payback in hiring/appointing IL./ Chicago "friends". How did he ever find enough pro-gun'ers to have body guards?

[Jeff Midguard]

When guns are outlawed, only Obama's people will have them.

While we were all enjoying our blissful ignorance Obama prepares to slip
another one by us. This is exactly the type of thing I was expecting after a loss at the polls that put most of his supporters in congress in the lame duck position. They now have nothing more to lose, but don't ecpect the prez. to actually put this guy up for confirmation. He'll most likely pass it thruogh during a recess.

[ofitg]

It is my understanding that FFL dealers are presently required to report any individual who purchases more than one handgun in a five-day period. It is rumored that a similar provision for rifles & shotguns may be in the works.

I have no doubt that BATF could impose additional regulations to put more FFL dealers out of business, but I'm not sure whether BATF could cause much more grief for gun-owners without new legislation coming out of Congress.

[Teejay9]

We all know that those Dems in power are anti-gunners. But now is not time to open that can of worms. They have enough on their plates. They just got a message from the voters that we don't want their brand of "Change." Well, all except CA and a couple of other states. We still have Barbra Boxer and that blast from the past, Gov Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown. I am awaiting the return of "A Flock Of Seagulls." The last time they went for guns, they got their collective butts kicked. I doubt they will try that again in the near future. TJ