Will the terrorism "watch list" strip citizens of their 2nd Amendment rights?

Detroit Gun Rights Examiner ^ | 5 May, 2010 | Rob Reed

[marktwain]

With terrorism at the top of the headlines again a U.S. Senate committee today held hearings on ways to strip U.S. citizens of their Second Amendment rights under the guise of protecting the country.

The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing titled "Terrorists and Guns: The Nature of the Threat and Proposed Reforms" started at 10 a.m. today.

On the agenda are Senate Bills S. 1317 and S. 2820, both sponsored by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).

S. 1317 would grant the U.S. Attorney General the ability to deny the transfer or possession of a firearm to anyone he "has a reasonable belief" might use that firearm in connection with terrorism.

Essentially this would strip the RKBA from anyone on the terrorism "watch list" without due process and without any more then one government official's personal decision.

While keeping weapons out of terrorist hands might help prevent acts of terrorism, a blanket prohibition that strips anyone on the watch list of their ability to legally own a firearm, and on nothing more than the "belief" of a government official, strikes right to the core of our Constitutionally protected freedoms.

Just looking at the huge problems with the "no fly" list, which is a much smaller subset of the entire watch list, should show how dangerous this bill is to law-abiding U.S. Citizens.

[marktwain]

"the U.S. Attorney General the ability to deny the transfer or possession of a firearm"

Note: This is not just saying someone cannot buy a gun from a federaly licensed dealer. This authorizes full blown swat raids to confiscate guns from someone who legally owns them.

[Anti-Bubba182]

Lots of ways to strip people of their Gun Rights, Watch Lists, domestic violence (even the accusation is enough) and so forth.

[Tarpon]

So all Conservatives make the list ?

This is so unconstitutional in so many ways it’s laughable.

It’s the problem with Joe Lieberman, isn’t it? Just another progressive.

[rarestia]

The collective sounds of gun owners fighting back are about to fill the air in this country. Obama and his Regime are trying to take Waco and turn it into 1933 Weimar Republic.

I’m prepared to die for my freedom. I will not allow the government to enslave me. Better dead than enslaved. It makes me sad to say it, but I feel it within the core of my being.

[ClearCase_guy]

I think we all know that the government wants to grab guns. Obama is feeling around trying to find a way to start that process. His intention is to make the effort snowball so that he can disarm the dissenters.

There will be blood.

[MamaTexan]

"the U.S. Attorney General the ability to deny the transfer or possession of a firearm"

Since we can't sue the government for failing to protect us, it is impossible for it to have the legal authority to prevent us from protecting ourselves....PERIOD.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

The “No Fly List” and the “Watch” list are two different things.

The Frequent Flyer web site has had message threads about these lists for years. There was even a segment on “60 Minutes.”

People with common names end up on these lists. Anyone named Jack Baldwin, David Nelson, Alexandra Hay, etc. get hassled because somewhere there is someONE wanted by the authorities who has this name. Notice none of them are Middle Eastern sounding names. At one time, there were 200,000 names on these lists. The “No Fly” list is smaller.

Ozzie and Harriet’s son.....David Nelson....used to be hassled at the airport because of his name. I don’t know whether this situation has been alleviated. Often times, if you make a reservation with a middle initial included you won’t get hassled at all. Great system, huh?

Will Ozzie and Harriet’s son be denied his Second Amendment rights, and 150,000 - 200,000 innocents like him?

[CPOSharky]

Yeah, right. That’s going to keep guns out of the hands of wannabe terrorists.

Yo, libtards. They don’t give a @#$% about your “good intentions.”

And we don’t like what your unstated intentions are.

[modhom]

I’m far more worried about car bombs and nuclear bombs than I am about handguns and rifles. What planet are these people on?

[allmendream]

Just as the “War on Drugs” was the leading edge of government encroachment into our liberties (because who wanted to be on the side of druggies?), now it is the “War on Man made disasters” (0bama don't call it terrorism) that will be used as the “wedge” to destroy our liberty (because who wants to be on the side of the jihadists?).

It started with the Patriot(ism is the last refuge of a scoundrel) Act, but it will not end there.

[ClearCase_guy]

If every US citizen walked arouind with a gun on their hip, there would be precious little to fear from a terrorist with a handgun. But, as you say, the real threats are car bombs and nukes. Whether we have guns or not makes no difference in that scenario -- but that is what the President wants to focus on.

Tells me what he cares about, and it's not terrorism, and it's not personal liberty. This guy wants control.

[FourPeas]

According to Aaron Titus, Privacy Director of the Liberty Coalition:

"Due to the secret nature of the watch lists, the Attorney General may determine that simply tipping off the person that they are on a terror watch list may compromise national security, thus rendering the notice clause illusory. In that case, the person would receive a "Denied" signal from NICS, with no further information about the reason for the denial, nor with any recourse to obtain the reason for denial."

"The citizen may ask why he or she was denied, but the Attorney General is not required to answer or correct erroneous information within the system. Consequently, the citizen will be unable mount a meaningful appeal to the Attorney General's decision."

Truly Orwellian.

[ZULU]

That old bastard cadaver’s brain stopped working years ago.

The only thing it is set on is to disarm Americans.

Like the Patriot Act, these other efforts to make America safe against terrorists are counterproductive.

No matter WHAT measures America takes, Muslims will find whys to circumvent them.

The only solution is to KEEP our guns and to DEPORT all the damn Muslims - the sooner the better.

[ZULU]

http://hsgac.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?FuseAction=AboutCommittee.Membership

People to contact: those snakes Collins and Graham and that other viper McCain.

Lautenberg and his backers are out to totally disamr America anyway possible.

He was responsible for the legislation that deprived gun-owning men of their right to keep arms in nasty divorce cases with no trial. He’s a real evil bastard.

[modhom]

If the goal is to disarm potential terrorists why is Iran allowed to go nuclear?

[ridesthemiles]

There will be blood.”

The worst terrorists the citizens have to fear in the USA are in the Congress & this administration.

[Oldpuppymax]

YES!! That’s the whole point!

[Thank You Rush]

“”What planet are these people on?””

And why do we have to live amongst them? Can’t they just crawl back in their holes and leave us to heck alone!!!! Of what use are they to anyone?

I’m the freeper in the family and usually print stuff out for my husband but I won’t be giving him this. It’s hard enough to keep him peeled off the ceiling at it is.

[Touch Not the Cat]

.
Frank Lautenberg — author of the egregious legislation that has caused so much grief for American GIs accused of domestic violence.

[OneWingedShark]

>Lots of ways to strip people of their Gun Rights, Watch Lists, domestic violence (even the accusation is enough) and so forth.

I’m going to laugh my ass off at the retards that think even an accusation of domestic violence should result in the abridgment of gun-rights when Civil War 2 happens... then they’ll see some REAL domestic violence.

[/disgust]