4 ms·

No government agency attempted anything like the Branch Davidian raid for the next 15 years.

• notreallyserio 5y ago
  How often were they doing this before the Branch Davidian raid? I honestly don't know. If it was rare it's hard to infer anything from what they've done or not done since.
  • throwaway0a5e 5y ago
    The Branch Dividian raid was supposed to be an easy political win for the feds "look at all these guns we've taken from these christian fundamentalist wackos" to distract from the Ruby Ridge incident a year prior that everyone hated them for.
    • ctdonath 5y ago
      Of note, both lethal cases occurred over failure to submit 4 pages of registration and a $200 tax (NFA Form 1 or 4).
  • ctdonath 5y ago
    There was a clear trajectory toward increasing such aggressive raids. Quarter-century-old details escape me at the moment, but many were quite aware of such things ramping up. The Ruby Ridge incident was comparably violent but on a smaller scale, a high-profile violent raid occurring a year earlier. While there were no known punishments for agents/managers of the Branch Davidian incident, there was clearly a massive change in attitude toward using such tactics, lasting decades. The Elian Gonzales incident seemed a hesitating/reluctant resumption 15 years after, again avoided thereafter. The Bundy Ranch incident seemed ready to go there again, but was largely dissuaded by armed citizens. Of late, perceived rhetoric pointing toward resuming aggressive raids is increasing, but held back back per plurality of sentiment willing to fight back. Note that I'm referring to incidents perpetrated by federal agents. Local police, as the lead article depicts, are ramping up aggressive raids faster - with some, as noted, learning by law or lead that doing so is a bad idea.