From Free Republic.com.
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a5a15d00b82.htm
Handgun Control Opposes the Nomination of John Ashcroft
Constitution/Conservatism Front Page News Keywords: GUN CONTROL, SECOND AMENDMENT, HCI
Source: Handgun Control, Inc, Press Release
Published: January 5, 2001 Author: HCI
Posted on 01/08/2001 11:32:32 PST by annie oakley
Serious Doubts Raised About Ashcroft's Commitment to Defending Our Gun Laws
Handgun Control, the nation's leading gun violence prevention group, announced today that it strongly opposes the nomination of former Senator John Ashcroft for Attorney General of the United States. Ashcroft's record on the gun issue and his close ties to the gun lobby raise critical doubts about his willingness to defend and enforce federal gun laws.
Ashcroft is joined at the hip with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other extreme pro-gun groups. In 1999, he supported an NRA-sponsored ballot initiative that would have allowed almost anyone -- including convicted child molesters and stalkers -- to carry concealed guns in public in Missouri. Ashcroft even recorded radio ads endorsing the proposal, which was rejected by Missouri voters.
During the 2000 election campaign, Ashcroft called former Reagan Press Secretary James Brady, "the leading enemy of responsible gun owners" in a fundraising letter. The NRA and other gun groups reportedly spent close to $400,000 on his unsuccessful bid for a second Senate term.
"John Ashcroft as Attorney General would be a case of the fox guarding the henhouse," said Michael Barnes, President of Handgun Control. "The Attorney General is this country's chief law enforcement officer, the primary person responsible for defending and enforcing our nation's gun laws in the courts. The NRA fought the Brady Law, it fought the Assault Weapons Ban and it continues to challenge sensible gun laws in the courts at every opportunity. How can we expect this man to safeguard these laws from attacks by groups to which he is so beholden?"
While in the Senate, Ashcroft voted against common-sense gun safety legislation 13 out of 13 times, including votes against closing the gun show loophole (a loophole that allows criminals and juveniles easy access to guns), against child safety locks, and against the ban on importation and sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines. In a June 1998 letter to Handgun Control Chair Sarah Brady, Ashcroft expressed his opposition to the federal assault weapons ban, calling the law "wrong-headed." In this same letter, he rejected the effectiveness of all gun laws -- a statement that calls into question his commitment to enforcing those laws as Attorney General.
The protection of the nation's gun laws against legal attack is of urgent concern. Despite the NRA's support of lawsuits against the Brady Law for three years, the statute remains on the books and has blocked gun sales to over 500,000 convicted felons and other prohibited buyers. Would John Ashcroft have fought the gun lobby for three years to protect the Brady Law?
Currently, sensible federal gun laws are at risk in several cases. In each case, the Justice Department has the primary responsibility to defend those laws. For example, · In United States v. Emerson, the NRA has filed a legal brief supporting the defense of a Texas doctor who threatened his estranged wife and daughter with a 9mm pistol. The NRA is fighting the doctor's indictment for possessing a gun while under a domestic violence restraining order, arguing that the federal law barring such possession violates the Second Amendment. The Justice Department is defending that statute in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Will it continue to do so under Attorney General Ashcroft?
· The NRA launched a constitutional attack on the federal assault weapon ban, arguing that Congress did not have the power to enact it. The NRA's suit was dismissed by a Michigan federal judge and the case is now on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Can an Ashcroft Justice Department be counted on to vigorously defend this public safety law, which has stopped the gun industry from flooding our nation's streets with high-capacity military weapons?
· In Springfield Armory v. Buckles, the gun industry is challenging the Clinton Administration's decision to halt the importation of assault weapons that use high-capacity ammunition magazines because they are not used for sporting purposes. A federal judge upheld the import ban and the Justice Department is defending that ruling in the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Will Attorney General Ashcroft be vigilant in protecting the public from foreign-made assault rifles?
Perhaps most disturbing about Ashcroft's record is his extremist view of the Second Amendment. In a 1998 Senate Subcommittee hearing on the Second Amendment called by Ashcroft, the Senator said, "A citizenry armed with the right both to possess firearms and to speak freely is less likely to fall victim to a tyrannical central government than a citizenry that is disarmed from criticizing government or defending themselves."
This and other statements by Ashcroft indicate that he believes in the "insurrectionist" theory of the Second Amendment -- a view championed by convicted mass-murderer Timothy McVeigh and the militia movement. This theory holds that the Constitution protects the rights of individuals to possess and use firearms so that the people can take up arms against the government if it becomes -- in the gun owner's view -- "tyrannical" or "despotic." The idea that the Founding Fathers would have included within the Second Amendment a "suicide" provision -- one that empowers citizens to overthrow the very government the Constitution seeks to create and protect -- is ludicrous and has been widely discredited. The idea that the chief law enforcement officer of the nation would subscribe to such a belief is alarming.(Emphasis mine)
"How can we expect someone who has shown such contempt for our gun laws to defend those same laws?" asked Barnes. "How can we expect someone who is so closely tied to special interest groups like the NRA to stand up to those same groups in court? John Ashcroft is the wrong man for the job. On behalf of all those who want to ensure our nation's gun laws are fully and rigorously protected and enforced, I urge the Senate to reject him."
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3a5a15d00b82.htm
Handgun Control Opposes the Nomination of John Ashcroft
Constitution/Conservatism Front Page News Keywords: GUN CONTROL, SECOND AMENDMENT, HCI
Source: Handgun Control, Inc, Press Release
Published: January 5, 2001 Author: HCI
Posted on 01/08/2001 11:32:32 PST by annie oakley
Serious Doubts Raised About Ashcroft's Commitment to Defending Our Gun Laws
Handgun Control, the nation's leading gun violence prevention group, announced today that it strongly opposes the nomination of former Senator John Ashcroft for Attorney General of the United States. Ashcroft's record on the gun issue and his close ties to the gun lobby raise critical doubts about his willingness to defend and enforce federal gun laws.
Ashcroft is joined at the hip with the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other extreme pro-gun groups. In 1999, he supported an NRA-sponsored ballot initiative that would have allowed almost anyone -- including convicted child molesters and stalkers -- to carry concealed guns in public in Missouri. Ashcroft even recorded radio ads endorsing the proposal, which was rejected by Missouri voters.
During the 2000 election campaign, Ashcroft called former Reagan Press Secretary James Brady, "the leading enemy of responsible gun owners" in a fundraising letter. The NRA and other gun groups reportedly spent close to $400,000 on his unsuccessful bid for a second Senate term.
"John Ashcroft as Attorney General would be a case of the fox guarding the henhouse," said Michael Barnes, President of Handgun Control. "The Attorney General is this country's chief law enforcement officer, the primary person responsible for defending and enforcing our nation's gun laws in the courts. The NRA fought the Brady Law, it fought the Assault Weapons Ban and it continues to challenge sensible gun laws in the courts at every opportunity. How can we expect this man to safeguard these laws from attacks by groups to which he is so beholden?"
While in the Senate, Ashcroft voted against common-sense gun safety legislation 13 out of 13 times, including votes against closing the gun show loophole (a loophole that allows criminals and juveniles easy access to guns), against child safety locks, and against the ban on importation and sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines. In a June 1998 letter to Handgun Control Chair Sarah Brady, Ashcroft expressed his opposition to the federal assault weapons ban, calling the law "wrong-headed." In this same letter, he rejected the effectiveness of all gun laws -- a statement that calls into question his commitment to enforcing those laws as Attorney General.
The protection of the nation's gun laws against legal attack is of urgent concern. Despite the NRA's support of lawsuits against the Brady Law for three years, the statute remains on the books and has blocked gun sales to over 500,000 convicted felons and other prohibited buyers. Would John Ashcroft have fought the gun lobby for three years to protect the Brady Law?
Currently, sensible federal gun laws are at risk in several cases. In each case, the Justice Department has the primary responsibility to defend those laws. For example, · In United States v. Emerson, the NRA has filed a legal brief supporting the defense of a Texas doctor who threatened his estranged wife and daughter with a 9mm pistol. The NRA is fighting the doctor's indictment for possessing a gun while under a domestic violence restraining order, arguing that the federal law barring such possession violates the Second Amendment. The Justice Department is defending that statute in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Will it continue to do so under Attorney General Ashcroft?
· The NRA launched a constitutional attack on the federal assault weapon ban, arguing that Congress did not have the power to enact it. The NRA's suit was dismissed by a Michigan federal judge and the case is now on appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. Can an Ashcroft Justice Department be counted on to vigorously defend this public safety law, which has stopped the gun industry from flooding our nation's streets with high-capacity military weapons?
· In Springfield Armory v. Buckles, the gun industry is challenging the Clinton Administration's decision to halt the importation of assault weapons that use high-capacity ammunition magazines because they are not used for sporting purposes. A federal judge upheld the import ban and the Justice Department is defending that ruling in the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. Will Attorney General Ashcroft be vigilant in protecting the public from foreign-made assault rifles?
Perhaps most disturbing about Ashcroft's record is his extremist view of the Second Amendment. In a 1998 Senate Subcommittee hearing on the Second Amendment called by Ashcroft, the Senator said, "A citizenry armed with the right both to possess firearms and to speak freely is less likely to fall victim to a tyrannical central government than a citizenry that is disarmed from criticizing government or defending themselves."
This and other statements by Ashcroft indicate that he believes in the "insurrectionist" theory of the Second Amendment -- a view championed by convicted mass-murderer Timothy McVeigh and the militia movement. This theory holds that the Constitution protects the rights of individuals to possess and use firearms so that the people can take up arms against the government if it becomes -- in the gun owner's view -- "tyrannical" or "despotic." The idea that the Founding Fathers would have included within the Second Amendment a "suicide" provision -- one that empowers citizens to overthrow the very government the Constitution seeks to create and protect -- is ludicrous and has been widely discredited. The idea that the chief law enforcement officer of the nation would subscribe to such a belief is alarming.(Emphasis mine)
"How can we expect someone who has shown such contempt for our gun laws to defend those same laws?" asked Barnes. "How can we expect someone who is so closely tied to special interest groups like the NRA to stand up to those same groups in court? John Ashcroft is the wrong man for the job. On behalf of all those who want to ensure our nation's gun laws are fully and rigorously protected and enforced, I urge the Senate to reject him."
