Ooooooh--Right-Wing Paranoia!!

Bill Orders FBI Gun Buyer Checks Destroyed

WASHINGTON - Background checks on gun buyers would be retained for just 24 hours, instead of the current 90 days, under a deal Republicans struck during final negotiations over an immense spending bill funding dozens of federal agencies. [...]

I have commented on this in the past, but it bears repeating that the original legislation creating the National Instant Check System expressly forbid the government from keeping records of inquiries. Under Janet Reno, the Department of Justice quietly began retaining records of searches for at least 90 days, and sometimes longer, in direct opposition to the law. When John Ashcroft became Attorney General, he announced in 2001 that this practice would stop, but apparently it has continued, for some reason.

[...] Chris Cox, the NRA's chief lobbyist, called the agreement to destroy the records after 24 hours "a big step in the right direction," adding that the government can still trace guns mistakenly sold to felons and others through records that must be kept by federally licensed firearm dealers.

"Records on law-abiding Americans should be destroyed," he said.

Peter Hamm, spokesman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, said government auditors concluded last year that the FBI would not be able to go back and trace fraudulent transactions or mistaken approvals if the records are destroyed too quickly.

"It's paranoia, frankly, right-wing paranoia that fuels this sense that these records need to be quickly destroyed," he said. "There is no sensible, sound public policy reason to destroy these records quickly." [...]

Thanks. I appreciate being labeled as a right wing paranoiac because I expect the Department of Justice to go by the law. If the Brady Campaign, et al., believes that there is a reason to keep tabs on me, they should go to Congress and have the NICS law amended to allow the government to keep records for however long they deem appropriate.

Otherwise, they should just drink a big, hot cup of shut up.
posted by Terry at 9:31:00 AM