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.”
First off, Freepers should putting oputting the blame where it belongs... with Sen Lautenburg and the D's...
Called the “Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007,”
Secondly, if they have reason to believe someone is a terrorist, then they should be arresting, detaining, or deporting. In any case where authorities have stepped in, the privilige of purchasing guns or posessing guns is suspended until charges are cleared. That makes the need for this proposed law mute.
Thanks the text of the introduced bill is at the bottom of your link: http://lautenberg.senate.gov/assets/terrorgap/Lautenberg_Bill_4_26_07.pdf
It’s awful: “or appropriately suspected” boy, that’s a heck of a legal phrase.
Unless an indictment or some such real legal process is required the bill is unconstututional on it’s face.
Besides being stupid: it requires revealing that the person is under suspicion.
Bush has been an unmitigated disaster for the conservative movement.
I get mail at my house addressed to kerryusama04.
I am so sick of this crap.
“”I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.””
Yeah, his problem is he has FAILED MISERABLY to defend our borders!!
You and me both, D C !!
I miss John Ashcroft.
See post 77: "in response to the Senator’s request, the DOJ created a department-wide working group that eventually produced a series of recommendations. That working group produced the legislative recommendations that Lautenberg introduced last night........DOJ recommended the introduction of the “Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2007.”
“I miss John Ashcroft”
You prefer an honorable man to Mr. La Raza??
That does it for me.
He should resign now. If not, I'm all for impeaching his ass.
I am so sick of this crap.
Ditto, DC. At this rate, it won't be long before that Constitutional reset button gets pushed.
If they find a Terrorist Mohammedan they should just put a bullet in his brain, don't try to take his gun away from him. If he is a terrorist he will steal a gun to do people in, or look under the kitchen sink and make an explosive to do people in.
Pass the law now to fight terrorists and have it turned around against us by the next Democrap Administration to coddle and appease the Mohammedans.
The last thing we need is to give our Federal Gvt. the ability to arbitrarily take the last line of defense from Americans.
“At the very least he is derelict in his duties as defined by the Constitution. Actually, he’s not derelicting anything—he’s deliberately not defending American Sovereignty”
It’s the “deliberate” part that one cannot defend!
Gonzales' parents were illegal aliens. They entered this country illegally. Gonzales is an anchor baby and was also a member of the racist hispanic organization called 'La Raza'.
The same was said of campaign finance reform from McCain and Feingold. It was signed. I have not seen it swatted down as unconstitutional. It's better to prevent bad legislation from being passed or signed into law.
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