Posted on 12/08/2001 9:49:30 PM PST by Sir Gawain
Bill Offered to Give FBI Access to Gun Records "It makes no sense to deny these records to the FBI in its ongoing investigation of the atrocities of September 11th," Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts said in a statement. Kennedy joined Sen. Charles Schumer of New York in offering the measure. Both are members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, before which Ashcroft testified on Thursday. The attorney general, in defending his decision to block the FBI from using gun documents in its probe of the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States, said the law does not allow investigators to review the federal records created when a buyer applies to buy a firearm. His stand drew angry words from a number of Democrats, who noted the former U.S. Republican senator from Missouri has been a longtime defender of gun rights. Asked at Thursday's hearing if he wanted the FBI to have the power to review gun records in its terror investigation, Ashcroft said he would not comment on "a hypothetical," but would be "happy to consider" any such legislation that would enable it to do so. Kennedy said on Friday the bill he and Schumer offered would do that, and called on the administration to back it. Meanwhile, the Justice Department said it would review the regulations on accessing gun-purchase records. A Justice Department official told reporters on Friday he would check with the FBI and other agencies to see if they thought there was an "operational need" to warrant a change in the law. "We are continuing this top to bottom review, so we will take a look at it now that the question has been raised," the official said.
December 7, 2001 6:56 pm EST
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A day after U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft told Congress existing law does not allow the FBI to compare the names of suspected terrorists with federal gun purchase records, two senators introduced a bill on Friday to allow such action.
Exactly, and we won't have to wait for a democrat AG to abuse it. Ashcroft is no different from any other career politician, except that he's an appointed bureaucrat at present.
Could be no fight at all. If we're to rely on republicans in Congress to stop this, we're doomed.
Stay well - Stay safe - Stay armed - Yorktown
IOW, they are ordering the police to look the other way when stopping ILLEGAL aliens who have broken federal immigration law.
And the fedgov does NOTHING about it.
This is exactly the route Kosovo took, and look how that turned out.
The only condition is that Teddy has to drive.
FReepers let's stop this bill! Call, write, fax, e-mail your Senators telling them that thisbill must not pass.
LET'S ROLL!!!
There's a police unit in Chicago? called CAGE that's compiling a national registry from every record that the BATF can get its hands on.
And so far, because it's a state agency instead of federal, the courts have let its actions stand.
William Burroughs- 1992
taped conversation (published in Grand Street, no. 37)
Mel Carnahan, not John Ashcroft was the governor to whom you refer.
Come on folks, LET'S ROLL
Midnight snack: maybe they're just Arabs who married American women and want to protect themselves from folks who lump them all into one category.
I guess we need to make a decision here, yes? Are we going to be OK with being guilty until proven innocent?
The Brady Law says that the records of approved transactions must be destroyed, but it doesn't specify a time period. The FBI/DOJ "compromised" with the critics and instituted a six-month limitation (they were originally asking for 18 months), which was whittled down to the 90-day period. Ashcroft had proposed the 24-hour period earlier this year. Purchase denials, on the other hand, are retained for ten years and are kept in a federal records center.
The NICS regs state that the Audit Log will include:
The regs also state that the Audit Log will be used for system performance analysis, evidence for appeals, and to search for abuses of the system, such as through false ID.
So, in truth, there are records available to check, but they're not supposed to be used for the purpose that Chuckie Cheese and his gun-grabbing buddy want to. If I understand correctly, they want to be able to check the names of suspected terrorists against approved gun purchase records. So what happens if they get their way? They have a name of a suspected terrorist, they run it against the records, it shows that he made a purchase. What can be done legally?
Bottom line, keeping the records is illegal and unconstitutional under SCOTUS case law...Ashcroft cannot allow the violation of Federal Law, period. The FBI is damn lucky he isn't prosecuting those involved with keeping the records illegally. I may decide to sue them...who knows.
The terrorists didn't use guns. The used box cutters and jet airplanes.
FReepers let's stop this bill! Call, write, fax, e-mail your Senators telling them that this bill must not pass.
LET'S ROLL!!!
Anyone know what the bill number is?
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