Thread by @crabcrawler1

"Remembering Waco" says the ATF.

WELL, people are remembering it, for sure. Just not in the way the ATF intended.

Ok. Let's remember what happened at Waco.

"Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms has been pissing off everyone who ever lived"

Read the 1979 Congressional hearing transcript where the NRA outright calls ATF a ROGUE AGENCY, and accused them of attacking gun laws/ownership. en.wikisource.org/wiki/1979_Over…

The NRA/ATF clash snowballed into the 1980s. It was rumored President Reagan wanted to disband the ATF (thanks to NRA pressure), but this ultimately amounted to a pattern of budget cutbacks. archive.is/qK4eO

"to the point new laws had to be passed to bring [ATF] back in line."

That refers to The Firearm Owners Protection Act of 1986 (FOPA).

I'd prefer not to cite Wikipedia at all but in this case, you can see how much FOPA crippled the ATF. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firearm_O…

"In Waco TX there is a kooky religious group called the Davidians [...] got a compound on a hill called Mt. Carmel."
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I dig up an April 1992 article from the Waco Tribune. "Davidians observe Passover."

"Rumors of a mass suicide by those attending proved to be false."

Hard to locate any meaningful source, off hand, about how the ATF first set their sights on Waco. But I found this Waco round-up article that mentions the "empty grenade hulls" aspect of the story that apparently caught ATF attention. texasmonthly.com/articles/the-g…

Ah-ha. "[David Koresh] led in developing several commercial ventures for the financing of the community, including [...] selling guns, ammunition vests, hunting camouflage, and ornamental (empty) hand grenades at gun shows around the state." firstthings.com/article/1995/0…

"A liberal judge grants them the warrant"

To flesh this line of the Waco RECAP out, I found a September 1993 police report that explains how the ATF set their sights on the compound. policefoundation.org/wp-content/upl…

> The media was tipped off by ATF

ATF actually tried suing the MEDIA for leading to the tip-off for the Davidians.

"ATF agents settle suit with media over botched Waco raid"
rcfp.org/atf-agents-set…

"Who tipped off the media about the Waco raid?" salon.com/2000/04/19/wac…

AMID the Waco siege, March 15th 1993: "Media Plays Controversial Role In FBI-Cult Standoff in Waco" archive.is/wbspu

To be clear: "Media and law enforcement officials say journalists were tipped off by Cal Luedke, a longtime member of McClennan County Sheriff's Office, who was part of the ATF's raid preparation and support team." austinchronicle.com/news/2000-06-2…

AND as mentioned earlier: ATF learned that Koresh was tipped off, but decided to proceed with the raid anyway.

oof.

"Did the ATF shoots the compound's guard dogs? And did that cause an escalation at Waco?"

YES. "Trial testimony reveals that after federal agents shot dogs that guarded the Branch Davidian compound, those inside thought they were under attack." salon.com/2000/07/06/wac…

Found some old TV footage from February 28th 1993