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Posted on 12/13/2007 12:49:33 PM PST by neverdem
Associated Press
Idaho's senators are blocking President Bush's nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, saying the agency has become overly aggressive in enforcing gun laws.
Republican Sens. Larry Craig and Mike Crapo placed separate holds on the nomination of federal prosecutor Michael Sullivan, the acting ATF director for more than a year.
Crapo's spokesman, Lindsay Nothern, said the senator's office has heard from a number of gun dealers, gun owners and others in Idaho who "have concerns about ATF policies regarding gun sales and even (gun) ownership. Maybe the federal government is getting a little too aggressive with people who haven't done anything wrong."
Sullivan, who also serves as U.S. attorney in Massachusetts, was nominated by Bush in March. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved his nomination last month.
Under Senate rules, a single senator, sometimes anonymously, can put a hold on legislative action for months.
The ATF had no immediate comment Wednesday.
Crapo met with Sullivan last week and "had some pointed questions," Nothern said. The senator is still waiting for answers, Nothern said.
Sidney Smith, a spokesman for Craig, said the Craig's intention "was not to throw up a permanent roadblock. We were hearing concerns from people in our state about how ATF was working with law-abiding gun dealers on compliance issues."
Craig also met with Sullivan and awaits answers to his questions, Smith said.
The action comes as an Idaho gun shop wages a high-profile battle with the ATF over its right to buy and trade guns.
The ATF stripped the license of Red's Trading Post, in Twin Falls, Idaho, in March after an audit found numerous record-keeping violations over a five-year period.
A federal judge later ruled the agency had exaggerated and omitted some of the findings it used to revoke the license. U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge allowed the gun shop to continue operating until he decides whether the license revocation was legal. The case is pending.
Sullivan, a former GOP state legislator, has been known for a tough stance on drug and gun cases in his tenure as U.S. attorney. One judge criticized him publicly for burdening the federal system with cases that could be handled by state prosecutors.
Associated Press writer Andrew Miga contributed to this report.
Gotta give ol’ widestance credit on this one.
Apparently Sullivan refused to give Craig the in-kind bribe he requested.
Mike Crapo? His name is really Mike Crap-o?
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I bet if the nominee would agree to meet Larry Craig in a men’s public restroom, he’d support him....
This one-person veto in the Senate happened to me in 1981. Some yahoo Senator put a hold on the entire promotion list for the Air Force for about 9 months because of one name he didn’t like. Meanwhile, several hundred of us cooled our heels one rank lower than we should have been. When the list was finally released, we got retroactive date of rank adjustments but NOT retroactive pay. Cost me about $3000.
Yep.
Lost six months of Captain’s pay back in 1994 because of our congress-critters.
good
Yep. He seems a decent enough guy, but you have to wonder how he managed to get ANYWHERE in politics with a name like that.
Well, at least his name isn't Kaka!
Sounds like SOME Senators are declaring independence from King George. Also sounds like they are justified. BATF should be aborted.
Yay for my State! Course doesn’t surprise me at all they would help block it.
Pronounced “Cray-po”
“His name is really Mike Crap-o?”
His best friend in congress is John Boehner.
Article doesn't mention the almost weekly (definitely monthly) ATF raids and spot checks that occur over at Red's.
Also doesn't mention that a "record-keeping violation" includes things as minor as writing "ID" on an application instead of spelling out "Idaho" on the address line.
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