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Hadrian’s Wall was the demarcation between civilization and the barbarians.
It separated control from chaos.
I’m currently perched atop Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England near the Roman fort of Vindolanda. The weather is uncharacteristically pleasant. That means I can extract my laptop without electrocuting myself in a rain storm. It’s the off season, so there are relatively few people around.
I sit on these craggy rocks and peer north, imagining what the poor shmucks who built this thing must have thought some two millennia ago. The wall itself is 73 miles long and includes sixteen integral forts. The entire edifice is comprised of millions — no billions — of hand-hewn stones meticulously stacked and held together with cement made from cooked limestone. Begun as a result of an edict by the Emperor Hadrian in 122 AD, his eponymous wall remains a truly breathtaking thing even today.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, this was the literal edge of the world. The Romans had pushed out as far as they were physically able and then just declared enough was enough. The wall demarcated the line between Roman Britannia to the south and Caledonia to the north. While Hadrian’s Wall never has been the national boundary between England and Scotland, it is close. It seems nobody ever quite successfully domesticated the Scots.
And that is what is so fascinating about this place. I sit here reverently listening to the wind whistle softly around. In the distance, a veritable sea of windmills stand in mute testament to the UK’s commitment to green energy solutions for a safer, cleaner tomorrow. Nearly two millennia ago, however, this place would have seemed very, very different.
Behold the abyss. This is the view north from atop Hadrian’s Wall. Roman legionaries
some 2,000 years ago would have looked at the same scene with trepidation, respect, and fear.
The typical Roman legionary stood five foot seven. He was expected to carry nearly 100 pounds on a 20-mile forced march spanning five grueling hours in all manner of weather. And that is without Gortex snivel gear, Danner boots or MOLLE load-bearing equipment. Organized into 80-man centuries and 5,000-man legions, Roman military formations quite efficiently conquered the entire known world. Yet those who sat atop this wall stared north, and they were afraid.
What stretched north beyond the wall was an abyss, a dark void that consumed soldiers without pity or remorse. Little was known about that place or those who inhabited it, save for that they were fearsome. It was a bit like outer space is today. It was unconquered, unfathomable, and intimidating, so Hadrian just built a wall to keep it at bay.
We humans build walls — both physical and metaphorical — for lots of different reasons. Such is entirely appropriate. If one of my rural neighbors chose to amass a modest saltwater crocodile collection, I’d welcome some kind of barrier between his space and my own. It is likewise eminently sensible to secure one’s national borders. This deep into the Information Age, a great deal of mischief in the form of criminals, terrorists, drug runners, and human traffickers can be found transiting porous unsecured borders. However, there is also a timeless drive to erect psychological boundaries that differentiate what we know from what we do not. The unknown is timelessly terrifying. This is part of the human condition.
In A.D. 122, it was the barbarian savages to the north of the wall. Today, it is that inky black spot between the stars on a dark moonless night. Hadrian built his wall because he feared what he did not understand. We modern humans boldly proclaim that we have outgrown God when in reality we cannot even explain whatever it is that resides above our heads 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That inky black spot goes on forever. It never, ever stops. This is undeniably terrifying if we allow ourselves to dwell on its particulars unduly. I personally love that.
That simple observation seems to so perfectly put human scientific endeavor in its proper context. We understand a great deal about what we can touch and feel. However, you get just outside our metaphysical boundaries and the universe becomes even bigger and more unfathomable than it ever was in Hadrian’s day. Even this deep into the Information Age, we still remain so terribly small.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, a young Roman legionary sat on this self-same spot and cerebrated upon the same sorts of stuff I am pondering today. He was no doubt younger and more fit, but he dreamt of peace, home and stability — the same things that drive my train. As I sit here, comfortably typing atop Hadrian’s Wall, I am simply struck by how little about the human experience ever actually changes.
Hallelujah! The legacy media has finally started covering ATF’s unconstitutional war on the country’s gun dealers, which the pro-gun media has been denouncing and warning the public about for more than two years.
The Wall Street Journal published a story Friday morning titled: “Hundreds of Gun Dealers Lose Licenses Under Biden Administration Crackdown.” Nine hours later, FOX News posted their take of the WSJ story titled: “Gun industry cries foul after hundreds of gun dealers lose licenses amid Biden administration crackdown.”
This friends, could be a very good thing.
The more scrutiny the ATF receives, the more difficult it will be for them to continue violating our constitutional rights. But remember that ATF officials are masters of hoodwinking and gaslighting the media and the public. Their responses to the WSJ and FOX show that ATF’s leadership are up to their old tricks. Clearly, they’re trying to downplay the significance of what they’ve already done, and what they continue to do every single day.
Everchanging Rules
In an emailed statement to Fox News, ATF said it is merely following the law:
“Federal Firearms Licensees are often our first line of defense against gun crime and are often a source of critical enforcement information that helps law enforcement identify straw purchasers and disrupt firearms trafficking schemes,” ATF Spokesperson Kristina Mastropasqua said. “FFLs that willfully (emphasis mine) violate the law, however, must be held accountable. ATF conducts inspections to ensure compliance with applicable local, state, and federal laws and regulations and to educate licensees on the specific requirements of those laws and regulations.”
For those familiar with Joe Biden’s weaponized ATF, the word “willfully” should jump off the page.
In a story published in May 2020, one expert warned that the ATF had redefined “willful” to bolster Biden’s zero-tolerance for willful violations policy. Now, because of the new definition, if a dealer makes a simple clerical error, they can lose their license because the new definition of willful states that the dealer knew the law, but willfully chose to violate it anyway – regardless of whether it was a simple oversight, an error by an employee or a minor paperwork mistake.
“They have twisted negligence into willful,” the ATF expert said. “These are not uncommon errors that we’re seeing. Things happen.”
Revoked vs. Surrendered
Both FOX and the WSJ cited ATF revocation data that claimed there were 122 Federal Firearm License revocations during the last fiscal year, which began in October.
First, I need to point out that ATF data – any ATF data – is immediately suspect. I’d rather rely on an 8mm Type 94 Nambu for home defense than any numbers ATF publishes. There is no doubt that far more then 122 FFLs were revoked, but this is not the point.
After a series of embarrassing losses during their own revocation hearings, ATF switched up some of its tactics. Now, in addition to formal revocation proceedings, ATF agents try to scare the hell out of a gun dealer they’ve targeted, hoping they will “voluntarily” surrender their license and avoid hearings and reams of paperwork.
This tactic worked when ATF sent a SWAT team to the home of a gun dealer in rural Oklahoma and handcuffed him in front of his 13-year-old son, but it failed when they threatened a longtime gun dealer in Texas with unspecified federal charges, who instead opted to take them to court.
An FFL is an FFL to the ATF. It doesn’t matter how they get their hands on them, but any truthful data should also include the number of FFLs that were “voluntarily” surrendered.
ATF-Speak
When covering anything ATF, particular attention needs to be paid to their legalese. Often, when ATF claims a gun dealer broke the law, it’s not really a law. It’s actually a rule the ATF came up with themselves. More than a few courts have chastised the agency for trying to be judge, jury and executioner. They’ve violated real laws by creating and enforcing their own rules, which carry the full weight of a federal law, such as fines and lengthy prison terms.
ATF still can’t grasp that Congress creates laws, not the administration or any federal law enforcement agency. They’re headed for a spanking from the Supreme Court that will be legendary in its scope.
Written Statements
When a public official or the agency they represent have nothing to hide, they take questions. They submit to interviews. They give out their cellphone numbers. They make themselves available to the media and the public. After all, they work for us, or at least they’re supposed to.
Nowadays, ATF leadership is hiding deep in a bunker. They don’t respond to emails, phone calls or ever FOIA requests. When pressed hard, they’ll sometimes send a written statement, but only after it’s been approved by teams of lawyers and communications staffers.
This alone speaks volumes about the ATF. It says they don’t believe in accountability to the public, which pays their salaries. It also screams that they have a lot to hide – far more than what’s already been uncovered.
I hope the legacy media’s interest in ATF’s shenanigans continues – the more, the merrier. Besides, ATF has become bloated with lies and is long overdue for a massive investigative enema.
This story is presented by the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project and wouldn’t be possible without you. Please click here to make a tax-deductible donation to support more pro-gun stories like this.
About Lee Williams
Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer,” is the chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shoote
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