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.
Well at least his last name isn’t Hunt!
IF, for no other reason Bush should not have appointed him because he comes from the liberal state of MA. I'm glad the Idaho Senators blocked him. Bush has a tendacy to appoint liberals until Americans raise a big stink about the person he has chosen. Some things never change. I don't trust anything Bush does these days! He's a globalist traitor, and has no concern about America/Americans!!
“Republican Sens. Larry Craig and Mike Crapo”
Wasn’t Craig in the Crapo?
Up here there’s a county legislator by the name of Ponzi.
Hey, gotta give some extra credit to a guy who can get elected with a name like that!
It looks funny but it is pronounced Bay-ner.
Mark another attempt to screw us by Jorge El Segundo.
His former AG Alberto was anti-gun too.
There is hardly anything Jorge touches which he doesn’t screw up.
I must say that IMO it sure took you long enough to see the truth. I am glad more FReepers are able to see these days though.
Keep your glasses clean.
What kind of schemes does he come up with?
Good.
He is 100% for 2nd Amendment gun rights, and 100% against illegal aliens, unlike Senator Wide Stance.
“Hey, back off of Mike Crapo. He is one of the most Conservative members of the Senate.”
Sorry, I shouldn’t have posted that.
I don’t know anything about him...
Good for them.
Defund the ATF.
Be fair. The Bush administration may treat gun rights as nonexistant, but at least they're individual nonexistent rights.
Should be a convenience store rather than a bureau of the US government.
That’s true.
Nothing beats an individual non-existant right - except maybe a “virtual” border fence.
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