Turning a Blind Eye to Gun Dealers

By Brian Bennett/Washington

http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1618392,00.html

In the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, many gun control advocates
are renewing calls for imposing tighter restrictions on firearms
purchases. But the federal government, as it turns out, is having a
hard enough time keeping up with current regulations.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is not meeting its
own goal for monitoring licensed firearms dealers. At the current rate
of inspections, says an ATF spokeswoman, it would take 17 years to
inspect all existing license holders. ATF's stated goal is to complete
a routine inspection every three years. "At our current staffing
levels we are unable to meet that goal," ATF's chief public affairs
officer, Sheree Mixell, told TIME.