They were undercover agents from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives running a storefront sting aimed at busting criminal operations in the city by purchasing drugs and guns from felons.

But the effort to date has not snared any major dealers or taken down a gang. Instead, it resulted in a string of mistakes and failures, including an ATF military-style machine gun landing on the streets of Milwaukee and the agency having $35,000 in merchandise stolen from its store, a Journal Sentinel investigation has found.

via A Journal Sentinel Watchdog Report – ATF’s Milwaukee sting operation marred by mistakes, failures.

ATF is a self perpetuating joke. It should have ended alongside Prohibition but bureaucracies never die, they just become irreparably costly in terms of money & lives.