Post by BeckyTech on Jun 17, 2016 16:40:23 GMT
You point out we've got an "agency with power of confiscation" involved, but that's a rather obvious red herring.
Is it? Sure, on the face of it, a tax credit for turning in a gun sounds fine. The problem is that now the IRS knows who some of the gun owners are. The IRS is not just some faceless agency of people following the rules. I wish it were. But a lot of things came out over the conservative targeting scandal and it turns out the IRS is staffed by petty, vindictive people, some of whom have a whole lot of power. Consider this C-Span video where an IRS employee says he will "go after you and target you" because he doesn't like the goals of the group.
I'm not sure what you know, but the problem isn't that these groups' applications were just "slow walked" through the IRS, but that the principals were suddenly being audited, if they had existing businesses, they were suddenly being paid visits by OSHA and other Federal agencies in a very short period of time (suspiciously so) where they had never been on anyone's radar before, they were subject to audits in large numbers. They were being asked for information that no such group should have been asked: donor lists (not a legal request), and questionnaires like were they planning to run for office, texts of speeches, postings on social media and so on.
Louis Lerner might be gone, but what of the culture that allowed all this to happen? Legally obtained e-mails and documentation from FOIA requests refer to a ‘secret research program’ using illicitly-obtained confidential donor lists of conservative and Tea Party organizations that opposed President Obama’s agenda or reelection.
www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-new-irs-documents-used-donor-lists-to-target-audits/
www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/judicial-watch-new-irs-documents-show-lerner-need-conservative-group-donor-lists-emails-mention-secret-research-project-top-irs-official/
Remember, it took years for the improper actions of the IRS to come to light and be admitted. The anti-gun sentiment of this administration is well-known and to now give them the names and addresses of more people they don't like doesn't sound like a good idea to many.