Posted on 05/01/2007 12:47:00 PM PDT by Carry_Okie
BELLEVUE, WA – Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ troubling support of legislation that would allow him and future attorneys general the arbitrary power to block firearms purchases without due process is cause for him to step down as the nation’s highest ranking law enforcement officer, the Second Amendment Foundation said today.
The bill, S. 1237, was introduced last week at the Justice Department’s request by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), one of the most extreme anti-gunners in Congress. Called the “Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007,” this legislation would give the Attorney General discretionary authority to deny the purchase of a firearm or the issuance of a firearm license or permit because of some vague suspicion that an American citizen may be up to no good.
“This bill,” said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb, “raises serious concerns about how someone becomes a ‘suspected terrorist.’ Nobody has explained how one gets their name on such a list, and worse, nobody knows how to get one’s name off such a list.
“The process by which someone may appeal the Attorney General’s arbitrary denial seems weak at best,” Gottlieb suggested, “and there is a greater concern. When did we decide as a nation that it is a good idea to give a cabinet member the power to deny someone’s constitutional right simply on suspicion, without a trial or anything approaching due process?
“We’re not surprised that General Gonzales has found an agreeable sponsor in Frank Lautenberg,” Gottlieb observed. “The senator from New Jersey has never seen a restrictive gun control scheme he did not immediately embrace, and S. 1237 is loaded with red flags. It would allow an appointed bureaucrat the authority to suspend or cancel someone’s Second Amendment right without even being charged with a crime.
“Attorney General Gonzales has no business asking for that kind of power over any tenet in the Bill of Rights,” Gottlieb said. “He took an oath to uphold the Constitution, not trample it. Perhaps it is time for him to go.”
Have to agree with that. The guy came off looking like a complete incompetent.
Sorry, I did not explain myself. I was referring to John Ashcroft’s shredding of parts of the Constitution for the Patriot Act, not his handling of 2nd Amendment issues.
It’s my 3rd or 4th time through the book... When ever I start to think government may be “fixing” itself... I pull out one of these books for a clear reminder...
As I already posted, if this is true I think he should resing too. And if he is acting with Bush’s knowledge and consent maybe he should resign along with him.
I agree with Gonzalez and with Mueller. Allowing people on terrorist lists to buy weapons is ludicrous and those of you who support that are nuts.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2005-03-08-terror-guns_x.htm
I have been saying for a long time that he needed to be removed, not because of the DA firings but because of his discorn for gun owners and for letting the BATFE run roughshod over dealers, manufacturers and gun owners.
It is not suprising when he has stated that he is anti “assault weapon” prior to his being appointed. No wonder the the dems didn’t put up much resistance against his appointment.
Exactly. We are letting politicians and foreign officials (who most likely are siding with certain militias) dictate how our troops in the field will do just about anything. How can we be expected to win if desk jockeys, politicos, and corrupt Iraqis call our guys shots?
> If Conservatives were to call for impeachment over this issue, imagine the consternation that would cause among the Libs...
I don’t think so. Their hatred for Bush is so strong I think they would accept any bedfellows if it helped them get rid of him.
Quite agree— Gonzales is a bungler with a thirst for a too-powerful government. Just plain bad, and a big mistake from Bush that I’m disappointed he refuses to correct.
Most of Iraq is peaceful...and doing quite well. For this our President as leader deserves all the credit.
He inherited a royal mess and has elevated the conflict to where it should have been all those years: in the battlefields of the Middle east -—if we do not, the battlefields will come home to roost. The enemy is here already and those who do not believe it are being disingenous.
As for the way we fight vs the way we fought in WWII—Unlike the Axis Powers in the 40s, this is an ideological war and as such is the second chapter in the Cold War: sometimes hot and sometimes cold. The enemy’s “armies” have infiltrated thoughout the world and no amount a bombing can destroy them all. Especially if many of them are already here.
Establishing a secure bastion “front” in Iraq will go a long way to establishing a “beachhead” so to epeak for further action in the region in the future.
Oil has supplied the Islamic terrprist with the means and motivations to continue their terror into the distant future. When the money pot dries up (as it will) the impetus to terrorize will too.
Really? This is the same Justice Department that just staged a coup attempt on the President's white house cabinet.
Think about that for a little bit.
I sure don't. You can back that up, can't you?
Allowing people on terrorist lists to buy weapons is ludicrous and those of you who support that are nuts.
Nobody supports actual terrorists being able to buy weapons.
According to the article you linked to, 1) the current FBI National Instant Criminal Background Check System notifies the proper authorities if someone on a watch list applies for a gun permit, and 2) the watch list contains not only the names of true terrorism suspects and their associates, but their relatives, neighbors or co-workers as well.
From the email alert Carry_Okie posted:
"Called the "Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007," this legislation would give the Attorney General discretionary authority to deny the purchase of a firearm or the issuance of a firearm license or permit because of some vague suspicion that an American citizen may be up to no good.
"This bill," said SAF founder Alan Gottlieb, "raises serious concerns about how someone becomes a ‘suspected terrorist.’ Nobody has explained how one gets their name on such a list, and worse, nobody knows how to get one’s name off such a list.
"The process by which someone may appeal the Attorney General’s arbitrary denial seems weak at best," Gottlieb suggested, "and there is a greater concern. When did we decide as a nation that it is a good idea to give a cabinet member the power to deny someone’s constitutional right simply on suspicion, without a trial or anything approaching due process?
Do you believe that law-abiding U.S. citizens should be put on a terrorist watch list and possibly be denied the right to purchase a firearm just because they happen to be a neighbor or co-worker of a true terrorism suspect? Bill S. 1237 would give the AG the power to do that. Do you support that?
Do you believe that law-abiding U.S. citizens can never be falsely accused and put on a suspected terrorist list by any government official who has an agenda or axe to grind? If so, I recommend you read Constitutional Chaos by Judge Andrew Napolitano, espeically the chapters that describe how former Attorney General Janet Reno used her power to destroy the lives of law-abiding citizens, denying them their constitutional rights based on bogus charges.
Food for thought:
"You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in their struggle for independence."
--Charles A. Beard, Historian (1874-1948)
The fact that you base your whole argument on some email reveals its superficiality.
In fact, the bill - The “Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007” — would give the attorney general discretionary authority to deny the purchase of firearms (or the issuance of firearms and explosives licenses) to “known or suspected terrorists.”
Notice the phrase “known or suspected terrorists”
You may not think we are at war but in fact it is here.
BTTT
Hear Hear....
This clown should be fired forthwith...
Fair enough.
Terrorists don't buy legal weapons. This law only inhibits the law abiding citizen that the leftists will classify as "potential terrorists" just by virtue of the desire to buy a gun or protest encroaching tyranny.
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