http://inq.philly.com/content/inquirer/2001/08/10/national/GUNS10.htm

For the NRA, it's a warmer White House
Recent moves by the Bush administration suggest strong sympathy for gun owners - and gun-control groups are worried.

Friday, August 10, 2001

By Chris Mondics
INQUIRER WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - Now that Republicans control the White House, the nation's capital
is a much friendlier place for the National Rifle Association.
Since President Bush took office, the administration has canceled a Clinton-era
gun-buyback program opposed by the NRA, forced the weakening of an international
treaty aimed at stopping the flow of small arms, and endorsed an expansive
reading of the Constitution's Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to
bear arms.
And last month, the NRA put a picture of Attorney General John Ashcroft on the
cover of one of its magazines, heralding his endorsement of the idea that
individual gun ownership is a constitutional right.
The close links between the Bush administration and gun owners come as no
surprise, given the NRA's intensive efforts for Bush and other Republicans in
last year's election.
But after years of acrimony between gun owners and the administration of Bill
Clinton - who pushed for tighter gun laws, including a ban on assault weapons -
the cordial relations between gun groups and the White House mark a dramatic
turnabout.
The Bush White House has "acted in marked contrast to the previous
administration," said James Baker, chief lobbyist and legislative strategist for
the NRA. "That is exactly what they said they would do during the campaign,
which is a refreshing change for a politician."
The NRA is also gaining ground on Capitol Hill, where Democrats have
increasingly questioned whether their party's advocacy of gun control cost Al
Gore the presidency. As if to underscore the gun lobby's congressional
influence, the Democratic-controlled Senate last week voted down a proposal to
reverse the administration's cancellation of the gun-buyback program.
It is unclear whether the administration's initiatives will have a significant
impact, because its actions so far affect issues on the margins of the gun
debate or because the issues are still in the courts.
But groups that favor gun control say the Bush administration is sending strong
signals that it supports the NRA's agenda and wants to weaken gun restrictions
where it can.
"This is not going to change anything overnight, but it is the first step toward
radical changes," said Kristen Rand, a legislative director for the Violence
Policy Center, a nonprofit that pushes for tighter gun laws.
The administration delivered on a longtime NRA objective in June by ordering the
FBI to destroy records of firearms background checks within 24 hours of
obtaining them. The FBI collected the records through the National Instant
Criminal Background Check System, instituted several years ago to prevent felons
and other disqualified people from obtaining guns.
Over objections by the NRA, which contended that retaining the records could
lead to a national gun registry, the FBI said it needed to keep them for up to
six months to trace gun traffickers and detect gun dealers who were abusing the
system.

"the FBI said it needed to keep them for up to
six months to trace gun traffickers and detect gun dealers who were abusing the
system."

The FBI needs to work on getting all the spies out of it's ranks, finding all those guns IT lost, and work on it's record keeping.

That would be a full time job, not worrying over a non issue.