This is Not an Assault

In February, 1993, a gun battle erupted outside Waco, Texas, as federal agents attempted to search the communal residence of a religion known as the "Branch Davidians." The battle, and the following siege, was the greatest law enforcement debacle in American history, costing nearly a hundred lives. After a criminal trial, two Cabinet-level studies, and three sets of Congressional hearings, the truth appeared to be firmly settled. A cult led by a madman had shot at federal agents and had then set themselves aflame. The issue was settled. Then in 1999, the Waco issue exploded, with proof that the Federal agencies had lied to their own leadership, to Congress, and to the courts. "This Is Not An Assault" explores this remarkable turnabout. It is authored by someone who saw it from the inside, a former government attorney whose lawsuit forced ATF and FBI to divulge the incriminating documents and tapes.

Author Biography: David T. Hardy is an attorney and a legal scholar. He holds a B.A. and Juris Doctorate from the University of Arizona, where he served as Associate Editor of the Arizona Law Review, a fellow of the Instiute for Humane Studies, and was given the ABA's Lewis M. Powell medallion for excellence in appellate advocacy. Mr. Hardy is the author of three books, portions of six anthologies, and thirteen law review articles. His writings on Federal firearms laws have been cited as authority by the U.S. Supreme Court and ten of the thirteen U.S. Courts of Appeals. He has testified before two Senate committees conducting oversight of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Mr. Hardy spent eight years as a Federal agency attorney, representing the U.S. Department of theInterior and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Before and after his federal service, he practiced law in Tucson, Arizona.