(Democratic) Senators see gun control as anti-terrorism strategy

[jpak]

http://www.examiner.com/public-safety-in-national/senators-see-gun-control-as-anti-terrorism-strategy

Several top Democrat lawmakers this week revised their gun control argument by claiming tighter gun laws will help prevent terrorists from acquiring weapons in the United States.

For example, Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.) advised lawmakers to include the threat of armed terrorists acquiring more weapons and ammunition in the United States due to the nation's lax gun regulations in any legislation to control firearms. He reminded his colleagues of an al-Qaeda video that urged jihadists to utilize the lack of gun restrictions to arm themselves and their comrades.

Senator Lautenberg so far this year alone proposed three gun control bills including one co-sponsored by Senator Robert Menendez, also of New Jersey. The “Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Criminals Act” is co-sponsored by Senators Durbin, Feinstein, Levin, Reed, Schumer and Sheldon Whitehouse, Democrats all.

But, a top Republican l(edit MORAN )awmaker rejects the notion that Congress should re-examine the nation's gun laws after al-Qaeda urged Muslims to attack America by exploiting loose firearm rules.

<more>

:thumbsup:

:toast:

yup

[TheWraith]

1. I see you're a big fan of the Bush Terror Watch List, like Lautenberg is.

Apparently, secret, unconstitutional, unaccountable lists of "state enemies" are only uncool when it doesn't line up with your hateon against gun owners.

[jpak]

2. Yup!

:rofl:

[TheWraith]

3. Wow.

It's not a surprise to me that you're in support of a police state, I just didn't expect you to admit it.

[jpak]

5. That too

:rofl:

[ileus]

4. What are you trying to say? Can't trust muslim Americans?

We need to change our laws to single out a group of people?

[petronius]

6. I'm disgusted by any politician trying to use trumped-up terrorism fear as a bulldozer

to push through repressive legislation. It was despicable when Republicans kept doing it, and I'm saddened to see Democrats trying the same trick (although it's funny to see Republicans in a tizzy over the theft of their magic wand...)

[DonP]

7. 5th posting of the same story in the last week...

... and the Bush/Cheney terrah list and all those that support it for any reason still suck ass.

[benEzra]

8. Ummm, no, that was a *Bush Administration* initiative

that a mixed bag of "terrah terrah terrah" legislators, both (D) and (R), have been pushing every year since the Bush team first proposed it.

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/terror/RL33011.pdf (originally from the Congressional Research Service, 2005)

(T)hree issues emerged regarding Brady background checks following the 9/11 attacks. First, should approved firearm transfer records be maintained on a temporary basis to determine whether persons of interest in counterterrorism investigations had previously obtained firearms improperly? Second, should terrorist watch list checks be incorporated statutorily into the Brady background check process? Third, should persons watch-listed as known or suspected terrorists be prohibited statutorily from possessing firearms?

(snip)

Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has directed the DOJ Office of Legal Policy to form a working group to review federal gun laws---particularly in regard to Brady background checks---to determine whether additional authority should be sought to prevent firearms transfers to known and suspected terrorists.

In the 109th Congress, several related pieces of legislation have been introduced that are related to NICS procedures and terrorist watch lists. The Terrorist Apprehension and Record Retention Act of 2005 (S. 578/H.R. 1225), introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg and Representative John Conyers, would authorize the retention of all related records for at least 10 years, among other things. In addition, Representative Peter King introduced H.R. 1168, a bill that would require the Attorney General to promulgate regulations to preserve records of terrorist- and gang-related record hits during such background checks until they were provided to the FBI. Representative Carolyn McCarthy introduced H.R. 1195, a bill that would make it unlawful for anyone to transfer a firearm to a person who was on the “No Fly” lists maintained by the Transportation Security Administration.

Note the Bushism "known or suspected terrorists" to describe those on the then-Bush blacklists.

BTW, Peter King (R-NY) is the same guy who held a bunch of witch-hunt hearings about American Muslims.


Here's a later news story from 2007, from the "war on terrah" cheerleaders at Fox News:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,269007,00.html

Justice Department, Senator Endorse Bill to Bar Gun Sales to Terror Suspects

Friday, April 27, 2007

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department and a Northeastern Democrat have formed a rare alliance intended to restrict gun sales to terror suspects.

The bill, introduced late Thursday by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., after two years of study produced an endorsement by the Justice Department, would give the attorney general power to block gun sales to persons on terrorism watch lists. In some instances, the attorney general could let a sale go through — for example, when stopping the sale would hinder a terrorism investigation.

(continued at link)

Note that that is the Bush Justice Department.


For those who have so conveniently forgotten:

U.S. Government "No Fly List" Is Unconstitutional and Ineffective (ACLU)

Unlikely Suspects (ACLU)

No-fly blacklist snares political activists

Marshals: Innocent People Placed On 'Watch List' To Meet Quota

Infants on the Terrorist Watch List

[rrneck]

9. Fire his ass and put a real Democrat in there. nt