Now, I want to share with you some information that might not be new, but just to share with the American people and the people in Georgia, just to show how this whole vested interest works in politics; we all know about Crete, we all know about the committee to re-elect presidents, the fourth largest single contributor of over $400,000 was the number one gun manufacturer in this country, so no wonder there was no meaningful gun control legislation coming forth. If by making it less easy, accessible, available, to save one American life, it is worth it, and it will save much more than that. This is an issue of major proportions. I am a black elected official and like two of those who went before me, I am very concerned about the effect on the black people. I am concerned about that. More than anything else I am concerned about the preservation of our lives and I know that that gun is made for no other purpose, a handgun, except to shoot people and I know that emotions run high, I know the social economic conditions. A man is poor, he has got problems, but are we helping him by not telling him, you know, the gun isn't going to solve it. I am very concerned about this, Mr. Chairman, and I would love to see Georgia not allow again the Federal Government come and do what the State ought to do. I have a kind of a different twist than the Mayor, because I am convinced that if each State would put forth uniformity in this area much the same as we put forth uniformity in folks meeting similar qualifications. If a guy is going to operate on you, you want to make sure that we have done our job and make sure that that doctor meets certain minimum qualifications. We give him something, some kind of a piece of paper. Even a C.P.A. so he can come and figure out your taxes, we make certain he meets minimum qualifications. We, in government, do that. We fly airplanes, we do what we can to make sure the plane meets safety standards, and the pilot does the same. None of these things are designed to destroy or to kill but we make people meet these minimum qualifications, to drive a car-and they are more or less uniform. I am concerned about the enforcement and the administration and I would like to make this clear to all the right thinking people who are very much concerned about Federal Government intrusion on State's rights, that here is an opportunity for us to move responsibly. The Gallup Poll is absolutely right. The majority of the people want to see us do something about this proliferation of guns. But, if we don't do it at the State level, you in the Federal Government are going to be forced to do it. Now, because it is right, because it is going to save lives. I want to sum up what I am saying to this committee by asking you to do several things in the process of developing a very strong piece of legislation at the National level. It is very important for you to carry this message from the South that yes, we in Georgia, because of our failure to put meaningful regulations on handguns help contribute directly and indirectly to the violent crime rates of Michigan, of New York, of Philadelphia, of Baltimore, Chicago, and all of the other 20 States in this Union that have attempted to act responsibly because they can come right down here to Georgia, get as many handguns as they want. Even an average vacationer on his way down to Florida can stop by the local service station, go in the hardware section, and get as many guns as he wants to. There is no waiting period. There is nothing but a driver's license required, filling out a form that the dealer fills out for you. It is catastrophic. I am trying to get something done in the Georgia Legislature. I am going to continue to do that because that is where the people elected me to office, and I will also try to do anything I can to get it at the National level, but I think that we need to examine the South as a main supplier of cheap handguns to other parts of this country and if we, in Georgia, cannot move to try to do something about this for the safety of Georgians, then America ought to rise up and demand that we do something for the safety of Georgia and other parts of the country. I tried to deal with this issue as frankly and as truthfully as I possibly can because it is an issue of major significance and proportion. I think that we are going to have to develop a program to deal with the special interest, it is there, America needs to know about it. Need to know about the gun manufacturers, the financial interest, they need to know about the influence on Capitol Hill and in every legislature across this country and they need to know about the tactics to expect, because in the final analysis it is the American people that have to live with what we are going to propose. So, in closing, and I'll take any questions, I do want to emphasize to this congressional committee the hope that in the legislation that we can offer and propose the type of legislation that will require uniformity in each of the 50 States. I think that because of so many handguns and the whole complexity of the problem, and as a State official, I am not one of those that is willing at this stage to shirk my responsibility and push it off to the Federal level as we have done in so many other profound and social issues. I think that if we had moved at the State level in so many other issues, whose time had come, that civil rights for example, labor laws, child labor laws, this society is better off because of those types of things; but it is a funny thing that the emphasis and demand never did come from right inside the legislative body, it came from the masses of people on the outside that rose up and demanded it, and I would like to say this that I think that is what's going to happen here, because I have been in public office a relatively short while, but I'll tell you one thing, the influence of special financial money interests is astronomical and there are not enough of us with the backbone, the guts, to stand up and say, let's do what is in the public interest. What is in the public interest here is life, the pursuit of it, and for us to move toward a more nonviolent, peaceful type of society and that handguns certainly are not going to help us move in that direction. Mr. CONYERS. Representative David Scott, your eloquence and your convictions, I think, speaks clearly and significantly for itself. I would restrain myself from even asking you questions because we would go even further beyond the time we originally allowed. May I commend you for your statement as one of the finest that we have heard anywhere during the course of our hearings across the United States. I am sure your constituents say and feel, that as long as you are a member of the honorable body in which you serve, that the people of this State indeed do have a lobbyist representing them. Thank you very much for appearing. Mr. SCOTT. Thank you. [Applause.] Mr. CONYERS. Our next witnesses are John L. Piper, Mr. Robert P. Lane and Mr. Durwood C. Russell. Mr. Piper is the Assistant Regional Director for Criminal Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, Department of Treasury; Mr. Lane is a special agent in charge in Atlanta, and Mr. Russell is in charge of the South Carolina Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in his position with the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Welcome gentlemen. We have before us a member here whom I am not able to identify. Mr. PIPER. Mr. Flynn, with Regulatory, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Mr. CONYER. All right. Chief of Field Operations, Regulatory Division. Gentlemen, we have a statement from ATF which we will incorporate in the record. The staff has advised me that you have an exceptionally good prepared statement. We are confronted with a time problem so I will ask you to summarize. As you move along, please keep in mind a question that is uppermost in this subcommittee's mind; what are you doing to interfere if not break up the so-called southern connection in the flow of handguns in particular into the northeastern region of these United States? Welcome, and you may begin in your own way. TESTIMONY OF JOHN L. PIPER, ASSISTANT REGIONAL DIRECTOR, CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT, BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS, SOUTHEAST REGION; ACCOMPANIED BY DURWOOD G. RUSSELL, ACTING SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS, COLUMBIA, S.C., DISTRICT OFFICE, SOUTHEAST REGION; AND ROBERT P. LANE, SPECIAL AGENT IN CHARGE, BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS, ALANTA, GA., DISTRICT OFFICE, SOUTHEAST REGION STATEMENT OF JOHN L. PIPER, ASSISTANT REGIONAL DIRECTOR (CRIMINAL ENFORCEMENT), BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS, SOUTHEAST REGION BIOGRAPHY Mr. Piper was born in Casper, Wyoming in 1924. In 1955 Mr. Piper was employed by the Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in Denver, Colorado. His employment with ATF has included the cities of Denver, Colorado, Cheyenne, Wyoming, Omaha, Nebraska, Chicago, Illinois, and New York City. In New York City, for a period of six years, he was Chief, Enforcement and Assistant Regional Commissioner for New York and New England. For the past three years he has been Assistant Regional Director, Criminal Enforcement, Atlanta, Georgia. STATEMENT Mr. Chairman and members of the committee: I am John L. Piper, Assistant Regional Director, Criminal Enforcement, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Department of the Treasury, currently assigned to the southeast region, Atlanta, Georgia. Our enforcement area covers the seven southeastern States of Georgia, North and South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee, with a district office in each of these States. We have a staffing of 420 special agents in these district offices, all of whom work under the regional office in Atlanta. I have with me today two of these district office supervisors. Mr. Robert P. Lane, special agent in charge in Atlanta, Georgia and Mr. Durwood G. Russell, acting special agent in charge from Columbia, South Carolina. To go immediately to the heart of the firearms problems in the south, we have 33,864 licensed dealers. Many of these dealers, both legally and illegally, are supplying firearms which end up in major cities in the north. Mr. Russell is here to give you a complete picture of this gun traffic from South Carolina to various locations in the United States. Mr. Lane will answer any questions you have concerning Project I in Atlanta, the firearms problem in Georgia and the interstate firearms theft project. My exhibits include a breakdown on Project I in Atlanta and Miami, along with statistics on the work we have done in the firearms area. BUREAU OF ALCOHOL, TOBACCO, AND FIREARMS Southeast Region EXHIBITS A-Federal firearms licenses, Southeast Region. C-Manufacturers of firearms, Southeast Region. D-Investigations of firearms licensees conducted in Southeast Region, investigations of explosives licensees conducted in Southeast Region. E-Criminal enforcement activities-Southeast Region July 1, 1972 through July 1, 1975. F-Criminal enforcement activities-Southeast Region-District offices July 1, 1972 through July 1, 1975. G-Firearms and explosives violations, court action on criminal cases presented July 1, 1972 through July 1, 1975. H-Interstate theft project-Southeast Region. |