Anonymous Host

For some time now, their leader, David Koresh, had been predicting an impending apocalypse on their land, which would take the form of government persecution.

"'What are you going to do six months from now when this is all surrounded by tanks?'

he'd asked several followers in June of 1992."

Two months later, as they followed reports of the Ruby Ridge siege on television news, David Koresh wondered aloud, Is it a dress rehearsal for an attack on Mount Carmel?

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, abbreviated to the ATF, is a US federal law enforcement agency that falls under the Department of Justice.

Initially founded as a way to collect taxes on imported spirits and tobacco, the agency's role evolved over time, taking on a more investigative and regulatory role.

The ATF is responsible for investigating crimes that involve alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives, which has made it an unpopular agency at times.

This has been attributed to the ATF's role in regulating products that many Americans enjoy and don't want regulated.

In the words of author Jeff Gwynn, the agency has become something of a public punching bag.

The ATF wasn't just unpopular with the public, it struggled with lawmakers too.

It received less funding than other federal law enforcement agencies, had fewer employees, and frequently came under attack by the country's powerful gun lobby, the National Rifle Association.

The ATF's role as the nation's enforcer of gun laws meant it was often accused of trampling on citizens' Second Amendment rights, the amendment in the US Constitution that enshrines the rights of Americans to bear arms.

In the early 1990s, the ATF was in such dire financial straits that agents in charge of divisional offices began issuing fines to other agents if they were late for meetings, just so they had some money they could use to purchase necessary equipment.

The ATF undertook its own investigations, but was also often called upon by other agencies to provide support as required.

In early June of 1992, the ATF received one request from a sheriff's department in Texas who said that they were dealing with a situation in McLennan County near the city of Waco.

It had all started with some reports of troubling things being sent in the mail.

Larry Gilbreth was a driver for the United Parcel Service, or UPS, and he had been delivering parcels to the Mount Carmel compound since 1986.

Sometimes he made several deliveries in one week.

Initially, he'd thought nothing of it.

The residents who lived at Mount Carmel were viewed by the broader community in Waco as maybe a little odd, but harmless and decent people.