Who Guards the Guards: Soldier Ships Guns From Iraq

While the media continually notes the “iron pipeline” to Mexico, where American guns supposedly end up in the hands of the drug cartels, or the other “iron pipeline” in which guns from the south end up in New York City, there is another “iron pipeline” that gets far less attention. This is the importation of illegal guns into the United States from Iraq. This week GoErie.com reported that James Lewis Bindeman, a sergeant in the Army National Guard, had been shipping guns home while serving overseas.

According to the report this included 11 weapons in total. The story noted that the weapons were in a crate with a false bottom:

“The cache contained an AK-47, a rifle with a 50-round drum, five 9 mm pistols and four other handguns, according to court records.”

What is interesting is that Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Sanner was quoted as saying the secret compartment was “pretty clearly the wrong way to bring firearms back to the United States.” In fact, we can’t agree more… but to add that special permits are required for the importation of guns! So it comes as a shock that Bindeman has plead guity to one felony count of entry goods by means of false statements! The news posted added this choice bit too:

“With the plea, Bindeman, a sergeant in the Army National Guard, admitted that while he was deployed in Iraq, he hid the guns in the crate and shipped them from Iraq to the Readiness Center in Cambridge Springs.

“Why he shipped the guns and what he intended to do with them was not explained at the hearing.”

We’ll be watching closely to see what fines or penalties Bindeman faces, but this clearly is another example of how illegal guns do come into this country.