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Gun Shows Called 'A Terrorist Ally' (1/21/2002)
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Gun shows called a terrorist ally By Toby Eckert COPLEY NEWS SERVICE January 19, 2002 WASHINGTON -- Amid the raft of antiterrorism bills passed by Congress since Sept. 11, some lawmakers have spotted what they consider a glaring omission: tougher gun control laws. Those lawmakers and gun control groups cite instances of terrorists obtaining weapons in the United States at gun shows, where they can legally avoid background checks. The lawmakers have gained little traction. Neither Congress nor the White House has embraced domestic gun control as part of the effort to bolster homeland security and combat terrorism. In fact, the Justice Department barred the FBI from combing through background check records compiled from gun purchases to see if any of the more than 1,000 people detained after the Sept. 11 attacks had obtained firearms. The department determined that the records could not be legally used for that purpose. Several lawmakers have vowed to push the issue when Congress returns next week from a monthlong recess. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., said she would propose legislation requiring background checks for all gun purchases. "It's actually been documented that terrorists are buying their weapons in this country at gun shows," she said. "I think the time has come, and I think there is very broad support for this." Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., is sponsoring a narrower bill to require background checks for all sales at gun shows. A spokesman for the National Rifle Association, the nation's largest lobbying group for gun owners, did not return phone calls seeking comment. But the NRA has accused gun control advocates of opportunism for linking their agenda to the terrorist attacks. Several Democratic lawmakers pressed Attorney General John Ashcroft on the issue during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on terrorism last month. "We have been trying to deal with this problem for many months. Potential terrorists can walk into a gun show, walk out with a gun, no questions asked," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass. The lawmakers cited a terrorist training manual found in Afghanistan that reportedly advised recruits to take advantage of U.S. gun laws to legally obtain firearms and learn how to use them. Two weeks after the hearing, the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence released a report detailing several instances in which known or suspected terrorists obtained weapons at gun shows. Among them: A thwarted attempt by Ali Boumelhem, a member of the Lebanese group Hezbollah, to ship shotguns, assault weapons parts, flash suppressors and hundreds of rounds of ammunition to Lebanon. Boumelhem was convicted of conspiracy on Sept. 10 by a jury in Detroit. A ring linked to the Irish Republican Army was exposed in Florida in 1999 after shipping more than 120 guns to Ireland. Members of the ring were arrested. Just before Congress recessed, Feinstein won Senate approval last month of a measure that would impose tougher reporting requirements on exports of small arms. Sales of small arms and light weapons that total more than $1 million would have to be reported to Congress, significantly lowering the current $14 million reporting threshold. In addition, the State and Treasury departments would have to write annual reports on arms brokers and efforts to keep the United States from being a source of weapons for terrorists. "If there ever was a time to have transparency in the shipment of arms, this is that time," Feinstein said. http://www.uniontrib.com/news/nation/terror/20020119-9999_1n19guns.html
Comments
"The 2nd Amendment is about defense, not hunting. Long live the gun shows, and reasonable access to FFLs. Join the NRA -- I'm a Life Member."
"The 2nd Amendment is about defense, not hunting. Long live the gun shows, and reasonable access to FFLs. Join the NRA -- I'm a Life Member."
Ken
Protect our Constitutional Rights[This message has been edited by Boomerang (edited 01-25-2002).]
Ken
Protect our Constitutional Rights.[This message has been edited by Boomerang (edited 01-25-2002).]