“The devil is in the details—and this budget proposal is short on those,” said Thomas Chittum, a former associate director at the ATF. The law establishing a right to relief offers “only vague criteria and assessing future dangerousness is challenging.” I recently wrote about Mel Gibson wanting his gun rights back (https://lnkd.in/gjZvfSYf) and the statute […]
Restoring Gun Rights Read More »
Happy West Virginia Day! “Montani Semper Liberi.” For those not familiar, that is West Virginia’s motto. It means, “Mountaineers are Always Free.” It’s written at the bottom of the state seal. At the center of the seal is a stone bearing the date June 20, 1863 (162 years ago today). That’s the day West Virginia
Happy West Virginia Day! Read More »
I’m just a regular everyday normal guy.* But once upon a time, I was “The Government.” When you don’t deal with them everyday, it’s easy to think of federal agents as unfeeling, nameless, faceless authorities. The Government. Just an endless number of Agent Smiths. https://lnkd.in/gGsDfCw2 In reality, they’re just everyday normal people, too. Most are
Just Regular Everyday Normal Guys Read More »
“No one becomes a seasoned investigator overnight.” I appeared on CBS News this evening with Scott McFarlane to offer my view on the importance of institutional knowledge and experienced agents. You can watch the video here, and read the companion article here.
CBS News Report on DOJ Cuts Read More »
Police tackle two people and a gun falls to the floor. One is a felon, one isn’t. Whose is it? That’s the question the government faced in this case from DC, and it was willing to be intrusive to answer it. But this magistrate is no “rubber stamp.“ Because the order is redacted, the facts
No warrant for gun owner DNA Read More »
You probably thought that was Paul Newman and Robert Redford, but no. It’s just me, standing by a picture of the real Butch Cassidy. I’ll bet you don’t often think about the historical laws of Western Territories but they still come up from time to time. For instance, in the 2022 landmark Second Amendment case,
Me and Butch Cassidy Read More »
Some attorneys are better than others. This tiny killer thought his defense attorney was one of the bad ones. Edwin Davis arose early one morning in Camden County, NJ, to go to work. His fiancé heard him leave the house just after 6:00 a.m. She did not hear the single gunshot that killed him right
A tiny killer claims ineffective counsel Read More »
Tom Chittum is a world-class problem solver. His firm, Chittum Law, is built on his deep experience with investigations, government operations, federal law, forensics, corporate leadership, and academia. Put that experience to work for you.
Chittum Law is Live! Read More »
On average, I get one or two Westlaw alerts a week with judicial decisions that mention ShotSpotter. Today there were three. None of the cases alone was noteworthy. I have made the point before that most decisions mention ShotSpotter only once, to explain why police were investigating. https://lnkd.in/gPRCnHB5 It is routine evidence. That’s basically what
Three ShotSpotter Cases in One Day Read More »
The single best source of real-time intelligence on firearms trafficking is the retail firearms industry. That’s why it is so important for ATF to maintain a collaborative relationship with it. At the same time, it must hold bad dealers accountable. Not an easy needle to thread. ATF’s new administrative action policy should help. https://lnkd.in/gWDUhrRj I
Trafficking and the Retail Firearms Industry – Podcast Read More »
