Anti-Gunners Gunning for Ashcroft's Silence on Gun Policy

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Anti-Gunners Gunning for Ashcroft's Silence on Gun PolicyBy Jim BurnsCNSNews.com Senior Staff WriterFebruary 07, 2002(CNSNews.com) - Attorney General John Ashcroft removed himself from the Enron investigation because he has accepted contributions from the energy giant, and on Thursday, a gun-control group said Ashcroft should also recuse himself from all matters relating to firearms policy because he has accepted contributions from the gun industry and the National Rifle Association.In a letter to Ashcroft, The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence noted that he received more than $370,000 in campaign contributions from the gun industry and the National Rifle Association in the 2000 election cycle. That amount "far exceeds Enron's political donations" to Ashcroft, said the Brady Campaign.Michael Barnes, the president of the Brady Campaign, said, "Now, more than ever, Americans deserve to know that key policymakers like Attorney General Ashcroft, the nation's top law enforcement official, are making decisions based on the best interests of all Americans and not just those of narrow special interests with deep pockets."Barnes added, "The firearms policies that Mr. Ashcroft has implemented raise serious questions about whether the Attorney General has been unduly influenced by firearm interests at the expense of gun violence victims." The NRA scoffed at Barnes's letter."Not only are these anti-gun lobbies bankrupt of members and bankrupt of support, it appears that they are now bankrupt of ideas and logic too," NRA spokesman Andrew Arulanandam told CNSNews.com . The Justice Department had no comment.In January, Attorney General Ashcroft said he would recuse himself from decisions related to the Enron investigation because he had received campaign contributions from the energy giant. He was defeated in his Missouri senatorial campaign by Democrat Jean Carnahan. http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewPolitics.asp?Page=\Politics\archive\200202\POL20020207d.html