They’re out of control,” Sen. Arlen Specter said Monday in regards to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.

To say the least. While the beliefs and/or actions of Randy Weaver and the Branch Davidian Compound members may be in question, there can be little doubt that this government agency handled these respective incidents rather poorly.

The Ruby Ridge incident involving Randy Weaver and the law enforcement group led to the deaths of three people during a shootout. The 1993 incident involving the Branch Davidian compound headed by the late David Koresh ended with a fire that killed 80 people inside the compound.

These incidents required law enforcement intervention. However, the bungling of these operations calls into question the leadership of the ATF.

Specter, whose comments preclude a Senate subcommittee that investigated the Ruby Ridge incident that looked into operating policies of the ATF. They are expected to issue a report next month.

Due to the apparent reckless leadership of the ATF, it would seem wise for the U.S. government to follow Specter’s suggestion and have the FBI and the Treasury Department assume the former leadership duties of an organization that has proven itself to be ineffective in operation.