In May, I wrote about Mike Detty's book, "Guns Across The Border", which is the story of his involvement in Operation Wide Receiver, a gun-running scheme similar to Operation Fast & Furious. Now, the rest of the story is out with the publication of "The Unarmed Truth," by John Dodson.
Dodson, a veteran law enforcement officer, was an ATF agent who was assigned to the Phoenix office and the Fast & Furious investigative team. More importantly, he is the whistleblower who contacted U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley's office and blew the lid off of the whole sorry mess. "The Unarmed Truth" is now available and is well worth reading.
Dodson couldn't believe that FFL holders in Arizona were being told to sell guns to suspected gun smugglers with little—or no—follow-up to the sales. In many cases, surveillance was poorly handled and the proper arrests were never made. In some cases, FFL holders were told that ATF surveillance of the sale was not possible due to the fact all available agents were on other assignments, but the FFL dealers should go ahead and make the suspicious sale regardless.
When Dodson complained about the unprofessional way the investigation was being run, he was tagged as a troublemaker and transferred to another unit. When word of the faulty investigation began to leak out, the ATF claimed it had never told an FFL holder to sell guns without surveillance being present. In fact, it planned to file charges against the cooperating FFL holders and make them the "fall guys" in the whole mess. The information Dodson supplied to Senate leaders stopped the whole mess before this further injustice could be perpetrated.
Americans have died because of Operation Fast & Furious. Honest Mexican citizens have died because of Operation Fast & Furious. To this date, none of the ATF supervisors responsible have been charged with any crime. "The Unarmed Truth," is an interesting and informative read, but my guess is that it will make you angry and fill you with something less than respect for the officials involved in this fiasco.
