continued..............
And when the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms checked its list of guns used in crimes, it turned out that 34 of those guns[b](where did 34 come from?) [/b] had been owned by people on the detainee list — an indication[b]?[/b] that some of these detainees may be trafficking in guns to criminals or terrorists.
Yet in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last week, Ashcroft said the FBI is barred by statute from using the background check system in criminal investigations.
That view is not only wrong, it's dangerous.
[b]this is really starting to piss me off!![/b]
The FBI clearly has the authority to use the database to check whether a suspect has purchased a gun illegally. In fact, federal regulations state that the background check system may be used "for the purposes of investigating, prosecuting and/or enforcing violations of criminal or civil law or regulation[s] that may come to light during the [background check system] operations."[b] OK - but only during the OPERATIONS - meaning while applying. This is not to be used after the fact.[/b]
And just in case there's any ambiguity, Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and I introduced legislation last week that explicitly states that the background check system can be used in terrorism investigations. Considering the monumental task the FBI faces, it was the least we could do.[b]What criteria constitutes a terrorist? is it anyone who voices opposition to the controlling party?[/b]
Fighting the war on terrorism is difficult enough as it is. With terrorists still residing on American soil, making the FBI's job even harder by taking away a key weapon in its arsenal is simply criminal.[b]NICs has never been a key weapon in its arseanl against terrorist. They never had it, so how can it be taken away?[/b]
Ashcroft wants the tools to fight terrorists, but he could do a much better job if he used all of them.
Schumer, a Democrat, is the senior senator from New York [b] and a major A$$hole[/b]