Texas Coordinates With ATF to Share Income of Residents for Warrantless Monitoring
BY Herschel Smith
1 year, 6 months ago
Texas secretly gives its citizens’ incomes to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Documents show this has led to at least one person being monitored by the feds without a warrant through the federal gun background check system. The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) told The Epoch Times that it has written contracts with ATF for “sharing income information” for criminal investigations. The revelation may lead to oversight by the legislature.
Texas state Rep. Briscoe Cain, a Republican, is “deeply troubled” about this coordination with the state’s unemployment agency and federal government.
“My office will be looking into whether the Texas Workforce Commission is assisting the ATF in the Biden Administration’s mission to violate the constitutional rights of law-abiding Texans,” Cain told The Epoch Times after reviewing the emails obtained by Gun Owners of America (GOA) as part of its ongoing FOIA lawsuit.
This is the third part in an exclusive Epoch Times series on the ATF giving information on innocent suspects to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) for daily monitoring through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). The FBI uses NICS as a database of people who are prohibited from possessing or buying guns.
In one of the documents, an ATF agent emailed the FBI that a person suspected of straw purchasing or firearms trafficking needed to be put into the gun background check database. The agent wrote that “per TWC,” the man’s “reported wage earnings with the State of Texas do not appear to supply the financial means to afford the firearms purchased.”
Isn’t that nice? The FedGov is making decisions on what you have the money to purchase based on income level. Here is the kicker.
A spokeswoman for TWC said in a statement: “Federal and State law provides a path for sharing income information with a federal governmental agency if the federal agency can establish a purpose that is permissible under law and enters into a written agreement which sets forth legal requirements regarding allowable use and protection of the information.” She also said a warrant to release salary information is not required by law.
They’ve been caught and they’re proud of their cooperation with the FedGov. Proud of it.
The road to disempowering the FedGov starts right there in your own city, county and state. I don’t want to hear another word about how big Texas is, how they are a 2A sanctuary, and how they respect gun rights, until they clean house and get rid of the controllers in their own midst. Next up should be passing state laws against this sort of thing, with heavy penalties for violation (such as prison time).
Oh, and where is the governor in this? Someone near him should ask him if he supports the actions of his employees in cooperating with unconstitutional infringements of the second amendment.
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On April 19, 2023 at 10:34 pm, Chris Mallory said:
When it comes to firearms, Texas has always been all hat, no cattle. They have a reputation, but that is about it. Better than California or Hawaii, but not as good as others.
On April 19, 2023 at 11:22 pm, FeralFerret said:
As a native Texan, I wholeheartedly agree that this sort of behavior should be illegal with severe mandatory penalties.
On April 20, 2023 at 10:18 am, NOG said:
I have been writing about them for years. I would trust our Texas political class screws their pants on every morning as well as anyone in DC. I think they created the myth to hide behind. Texas is no more or perhaps never existed. 3 million people when I was growing up and they (political class) were all crooks, thieves and egotistical tyrants . Now 30 million people and it is even worse. This fight is not going to just be between the people and the fedgov. It will be against all political animals in power including state, county, city and the few seeking power in the vacuum. Heinlein was right, anyone seeking power should be taken out back and shot. There will be no winners.
On April 20, 2023 at 11:17 am, J said:
“ALL politicians are scum; prove me wrong.” Abbott, Cruz, Cornhole, Crenshaw-do these names ring any bells? Texas DPS, local cops, local city council pols in Houston, Dallas/FW, SA, Austin…Fuc#n scum all.
On April 20, 2023 at 1:07 pm, IAB said:
How does TWC have information about my income? That could only have come from the IRS, as Texas has no income tax and I don’t have to file with state government. Or does TWC only have access to those who are receiving benefits through it?
On April 21, 2023 at 12:23 am, scott s. said:
You might not have income tax, but you do have payroll tax including unemployment, so any employee income will have employer reporting and if you are 1099-NEC you have self-employment tax. States want to know employment income for unemployment fraud and child-support or welfare (AFDC/general assistance) fraud.
On April 21, 2023 at 9:17 am, Latigo Morgan said:
It’s only until very recently that when I crossed the state line into Texas, carrying legal in my state made me a felon in Texas.
Texas is not the gun-friendly utopia some people think it is, and it was a lot worse before now.
On April 24, 2023 at 11:28 am, Chas said:
Here is to putting a face and name to problem state offices…. Now you know who to blame..
https://www.twc.texas.gov/commissioners#aboutTheCommissioners