Lawmakers Propose Local Fast and Furious Probe

PHOENIX - State lawmakers say they're on a "fact-finding" mission -- they're looking into Fast and Furious, the flawed gun smuggling investigation that put guns in the hands of criminals.

The Fast and Furious Operation was supposed to track how weapons got from buyers at valley gun shops to criminals. But the ATF lost many of the weapons.

Now state lawmakers are taking the investigation into their own hands. House Speaker Andy Tobin and other Arizona lawmakers are forming a bi-partisan committee to investigate whether Fast and Furious broke any state laws or if any new laws are needed.

“From my standpoint this is a fact finding mission,” says House Speaker Andy Tobin, R-Dist. 1.

“We know pretty much the background facts that guns went across the border and ammunition went across the border and we just don’t have cooperation from federal officials,” says Yavapai County Sheriff Scott Mascher.

The federal operation was supposed to identify and prosecute major gun traffickers, but it put guns in the hands of known drug smugglers -- including those linked to the death of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry.

“I think its time Arizona stood on Arizona soil and started talking about this issue that affected our state, that affected our people where we have victims,” says Tobin.

Activist Kathryn Kobor says state lawmakers are on the right track.

“I’m all for it a hundred percent. I think they should go to town and get rid of Eric Holder now,” she says.

But Jeff Moses disagrees.

“I think it’s almost inevitable that the government is going to screw up whatever they are doing because lets be real they always screw up. These are the same people who decided to send guns into Mexico and now they want to go looking for them. Why are we trusting any of these people?”

Lawmakers say the committee will have subpoena power and they will submit a report by March 30.