Firearms Agency Chief Leaves After Criticism on Gun Program
This article is for subscribers only.
The acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. attorney in Arizona are leaving their jobs after lawmakers criticized a program that allowed illegal gun purchases in the U.S. in an effort to link the weapons to Mexican drug cartels.
The firearms chief, Kenneth Melson, will become a senior adviser on forensic science in the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Policy, and the U.S. attorney, Dennis Burke, is resigning, said Attorney General Eric Holder in statements released today. The ATF ran the gun operation and the U.S. attorney’s office was involved.