Informant Might Have Stood Among Gun Safety Activists

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Ward has said BBI did nothing illegal and declined to comment on methods or investigations, citing what he said were confidentiality rules under Maryland law.

As a gun safety activist, McFate appeared to encourage infighting, said Miller of Ceasefire New Jersey. When McFate became involved with Ceasefire Pennsylvania in 2001, she was "absolutely determined to destroy" a similar group, Pennsylvanians Against Handgun Violence, he said.

"She was on that issue like a bulldog grabbing the bottom of your pants leg," he said.

She would look for activists who were not getting along, press them for details and then slyly share the information until fights broke out, he said.

More recently, Miller said, McFate had become critical of the Brady Campaign, accusing the group of monopolizing the movement's resources and taking credit for others' work. "Every chance she got, she was running down the Brady Campaign to the rest of us in the movement," he said.

In hindsight, Miller and others say there were warning signs: McFate rarely spoke of her personal life; she seemed wealthy but did not donate to gun control groups or their favored political candidates; and her activism spanned several states and multiple organizations.

Still, they said, they viewed her as merely quirky. "She was always there," Miller said. "That's the thing about Mary."

Staff researcher Meg Smith contributed to this report.