David Codrea

David Codrea is the CCRKBA GunRights Defender of the Month forNovember.John M. Snyder, CCRKBA PublicAffairs Director, nominated Codreafor the award saying that he “hasseized upon the potentialities ofthe new media, especially massinternet communications, and sentit into action in effective defense ofthe individual Second Amendmentcivil right to keep and bear arms.“David has become well-knownwithin the Second Amendmentcommunity as one who spearheadedand pursued the ongoingfederal government gun scandal.The scandal emanated from theJustice Department’s ATF ProjectGunrunner and specifically its OperationFast and Furious. It’s nowthe subject of continuing congressionalinvestigation. Without David’sdetermination as a dedicated gunrights media investigative reporter,this probably would not have happened.”David Codrea is the National GunRights Examiner. His colleague, RobReed, the Detroit Gun Rights Examiner,noted that David was namedthe Gun Rights Journalist of theYear at the 2011 Gun Rights PolicyConference in Chicago, Illinois.Reed wrote that, “Codrea was recognizedfor his work exposing howthe ATF’s so-called ‘Fast and Furious’operation arranged for thousands ofguns to be purchased from licensedFFL dealers and then smuggled todrug cartels in Mexico. These gunshave since been linked to deaths onboth sides of the border, includingthe murder of Border Patrol AgentBrian Terry. Although potentiallya story larger than Watergate, thestory has been largely ignored bythe mainstream media, with a fewexceptions, and would have not beenknown at all if not for the work of Codreaand Blogger Mike Vanderboegh.“While the ATF insists the operationwas a ‘botched sting’ intended to trackthe flow of guns to the cartels, Codreainstead believes the purpose was to‘pad the statistics’ of the number ofguns going into Mexico to further theadministration’s gun control efforts inthe U.S. ‘It’s not like you don’t knowwho the drug lords are anyway,’ Codreasaid during a conference panelon the operation.”David Codrea’s investigative reportingapparently is driving some federalgovernment officials up the wall. Henoted that the ATF Chief Counsel’soffice had warned ATF managementabout his Gun Rights Examiner column.Codrea reported he had “obtained acopy of a January 20, 2011 email fromBarry Orlow, Associate Chief Counsel(Field Operations and Information)for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives, calling topmanagement’s attention to a January19 column posted by this columnist,‘Open Letter to Senate Judiciary Committeestaff on Project Gunwalker.’“Written to inform the committee ofwhistleblower allegations and to arrangefor their protection, the ultimategoal of the open letter was to prompta full congressional investigation.Orlow was named by House Committeeon Oversight and GovernmentReform Chairman Darrell Issa in Julyfor sending intimidating warningletters to witnesses about what theycould not talk about, with the resultthat ‘at least one witness wanted toback out of testifying to his committeeafter receiving the letter.’”Codrea stated that Orlov’s Januaryemail “was addressed to ATFDeputy Director William Hoover,Assistant Director in Charge ofField Operations Mark Chait, andDeputy Assistant Director of FieldOperations William McMahon, andcopied to ATF Chief Counsel Steve R.Rubenstein, as well as other Bureauattorneys.“Rubenstein was recently identifiedin another Sipsey Street Irregulars/Gun Rights Examiner exclusiveadvising then-ATF Acting DirectorKenneth Melson that whistleblowerallegations posted on the CleanUpATFwebsite would be subject torepercussions under authority of ATFOrders and Standards of Conduct,resulting in Melson indicating hewould turn the information over toInternal Affairs for investigation.”Codrea reported that Orlov wrotein his email, “You may well be awareof this, but I wanted to make sure.Attached is what purports to be an‘Open Letter to Senate Judiciary staffon Project Gunwalker. The letterstates ‘ATF employees are looking tocome forward to provide testimonyand documentation about guns beingillegally transported to Mexico, withmanagement cognizance’ and thatin order for these people to comeforward, they require whistle-blowerprotection.”David asks that if readers “agreethat mainstream media press coverageof the gun rights issue demandsa counterbalance, please help mespread the word by sharing GunRights Examiner links with yourfriends via emails, and in onlinediscussion boards, blogs, social mediasites, etc.”