I never thought I'd feel like defending DHS anti-terrorism measures against charges of abusing civil liberties, but....
NRA: Don‘t ban gun sales to suspects
Staff and agencies
04 May, 2007
By SAM HANANEL, Associated Press Writer 12 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The National Rifle Association is urging the Bush administration to withdraw its support of a bill that would prohibit suspected terrorists from buying firearms.
In a letter this week to Attorney Gener, , ), D-N.J., "would allow arbitrary denial of Second Amendment rights based on mere ‘suspicions‘ of a terrorist threat."
In a letter supporting the measure, Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard Hertling said the bill would not automatically prevent a gun sale to a suspected terrorist. In some cases, federal agents may want to let a sale go forward to avoid compromising an ongoing investigation.
Current law requires gun dealers to conduct a criminal background check and deny sales if a gun purchaser falls under a specified prohibition, including a felony conviction, domestic abuse conviction or illegal immigration. There is no legal basis to deny a sale if a purchaser is on a terror watch list.
In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, lawmakers are weighing a number of measures to strengthen gun sale laws. The NRA, which usually opposes increased restrictions on firearms, is taking different positions depending on the proposal.
A 2005 study by the Government Accountability Office found that 35 of 44 firearm purchase attempts over a five-month period made by known or suspected terrorists were approved by the federal law enforcement officials.
On the Net:
National Rifle Association: www.nra.org/
NRA: Don‘t ban gun sales to suspects
Staff and agencies
04 May, 2007
By SAM HANANEL, Associated Press Writer 12 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - The National Rifle Association is urging the Bush administration to withdraw its support of a bill that would prohibit suspected terrorists from buying firearms.
In a letter this week to Attorney Gener, , ), D-N.J., "would allow arbitrary denial of Second Amendment rights based on mere ‘suspicions‘ of a terrorist threat."
In a letter supporting the measure, Acting Assistant Attorney General Richard Hertling said the bill would not automatically prevent a gun sale to a suspected terrorist. In some cases, federal agents may want to let a sale go forward to avoid compromising an ongoing investigation.
Current law requires gun dealers to conduct a criminal background check and deny sales if a gun purchaser falls under a specified prohibition, including a felony conviction, domestic abuse conviction or illegal immigration. There is no legal basis to deny a sale if a purchaser is on a terror watch list.
In the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings, lawmakers are weighing a number of measures to strengthen gun sale laws. The NRA, which usually opposes increased restrictions on firearms, is taking different positions depending on the proposal.
A 2005 study by the Government Accountability Office found that 35 of 44 firearm purchase attempts over a five-month period made by known or suspected terrorists were approved by the federal law enforcement officials.
On the Net:
National Rifle Association: www.nra.org/
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