Voltaire was, according to Wikipedia a “French enlightenment writer, historian and philosopher.” He believed in freedom of religion, freedom of expression and separation of Church and State just like our Founding Fathers. He was a versatile writer, producing works in almost every literary form, including plays, poems, novels, essays, and historical and scientific works.

He is also the source for many famous quotes like “Common Sense is not so common” and was an acknowledged influence on Thomas Paine, the author of the pamphlet called Common Sense - a spark that led to the American Revolution. Another quote from Voltaire, “It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong”. Another translation, also frequently cited, is more to the point: “It’s dangerous to be right, when the government is wrong”.

I was reminded of this quote because of the recent travails of Travis Bishop, the owner of a gun shop in Martinsburg. A couple of weeks back a couple of folks entered his store looking to purchase a firearm. Bishop became suspicious of the pair when they could not answer some basic questions. However, he submitted the background check 4473 report and informed them that there might be a delay in processing the paperwork, at which point they decided not to proceed with the purchase. As they left the shop Bishop noted their out of state license plate and reported the incident to other shops in the area. It wasn’t long before he got a call from a pawn shop reporting a similar incident - leading to a similar result. They left the shop without a firearm.

The two later returned to Bishop’s shop, Tannerman’s Weapon Systems, with a third individual and restarted the process. Bishop suspected that what was happening was what is known as a “straw purchase”, where someone who can pass a NICS background check is buying a firearm on behalf of someone that wouldn’t pass. At that point he got the police involved. According to Bishop, state troopers arriving on the scene arrested the alleged beneficiary of the straw purchase and charged her with marijuana possession.

Sounds like an “all’s well that ends well” story, except that the alleged perpetrators were released and were back out on the street in a mere 14 hours - and were allegedly spotted in a local liquor store. Apparently, the straw purchase charge apparently is a federal violation and as such can only be prosecuted by the appropriate federal agency. In this case, that agency is the ATF - The United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Bishop posted on his Facebook page last week that he had been visited by four ATF agents that assured him that they were “working the case - to which I am truly thankful for”. Hmmm. This is the same ATF that was embroiled in the “Fast and Furious Gunwalking” Scandal. Originally designed as a sting operation to ensnare drug cartel members south of the border, Arizona gun store owners that cooperated with the program eventually became concerned that the program wasn’t being properly monitored by the ATF and US Department of Justice. Their fears were realized when weapons that had been sold through the sting operation were used to murder a couple of border patrol agents.

According to an article that appeared on the CBS News website in December of 2012, written by Sharyl Attkisson, “Heads are beginning to roll nearly two years after the Fast and Furious gunwalker scandal first came to light…the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) official who was in charge of field operations during the controversial operation, has been fired”.  She continued, “Other ATF managers reportedly face similar fates, and announcements could be made soon”. Her coverage of Fast and Furious, was award winning, including the Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Video Investigative Reporting. The scandal eventually reached the US Department of Justice with US Attorney General Eric Holder eventually receiving a contempt of Congress citation for his alleged lack of cooperation with the investigation. Holder eventually resigned.

Two years later, Attkisson resigned from her post at CBS. According to Politico Magazine, “Attkisson, who has been with CBS News for two decades, had grown frustrated with what she saw as the network’s liberal bias, an outsize influence by the network’s corporate partners and a lack of dedication to investigative reporting…” She later wrote a NY Times bestseller called “Stonewalled - One Reporter’s Fight for Truth Against the Forces of Obstruction, Intimidation, and Harassment in Obama’s Washington”. She is back on television with a program called Full Measure with Sharyl Attkisson.

Local television station, NBC affiliate WHAG based in Hagerstown Maryland, was all set to cover the straw purchase story and had agreed to interview Travis Bishop. However, at the last moment the station canceled, and according to Bishop their only explanation was that they were “not interested in the story” any longer.

This has led to much speculation by locals as to why. Said one comment, if Travis Bishop had sold the firearm and it was used in the commission of a crime, the TV station would have been all over it - but a gun dealer doing the right thing: “not interested”. The ATF not prosecuting the law: “not interested”. And for his trouble, Bishop now feels concerned that the alleged straw purchaser is out on the street and that the authorities, to this point have let him down.

I admire people like Travis Bishop. He did the right thing because it was the right thing. That is something we should all appreciate - and as Voltaire said, “Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well”.

The day after Thanksgiving is now referred to as “Black Friday” - the day when holiday retail sales are supposed to set records. This past Black Friday, the numbers are in and while retail sales disappointed, NICS requests set a new record. For the season, with apologies to the Rolling Stones, you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, you get what you need. Here’s to hoping that you and yours have a Merry Christmas and a peaceful, happy and healthy New Year.