Schumer/Kennedy Introduce Registration Bill For Law-Abiding Gun Purchasers In the Face of Overwhelming Defeat in House

U.S. Senators Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)—two of the most shameless hucksters of the gun-ban movement in Congress—have taken up where anti-gun extremists failed miserably last week in the House of Representatives. Kennedy and Schumer announced yesterday the introduction of S. 1253, a bill that seeks to give the FBI authority to use the National Instant Check System (NICS) to retain the records of law-abiding gun purchasers for at least 90 days—a policy the lame-duck Clinton/Reno Department of Justice (DOJ) had attempted to make permanent with a last-minute regulation. The Kennedy-Schumer bill was introduced as part of a coordinated anti-gun attack on Attorney General John Ashcroft`s recent proposal to reform and improve the operation of NICS—which included a call to slash the amount of time allowed to keep records on law-abiding citizens that are generated by NICS to less than one day. The introduction of S. 1253 also follows closely on the heels of last week`s overwhelming, bi-partisan rejection in the House of Representatives of similar legislation introduced by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.).

The Kennedy-Schumer bill is supported by the usual anti-gun suspects, including the gun-ban lobby formerly known as HCI, and a who`s-who list of anti-gun Senators such as Boxer, Clinton, Corzine, Feinstein, Reed, and Torricelli. And joining the list of extremists who support this registration scheme for law-abiding gun purchasers is Internet billionaire Andrew McKelvey`s Americans for Gun Safety (AGS). AGS, of course, is the fledgling anti-gun organization that claims it is a "centrist, non-partisan group," but consistently demonstrates it is nothing more than an anti-gun lobbying group cut from the same cloth as Sarah Brady. AGS President Jon Cowan (former chief of staff to Clinton`s anti-gun HUD Secretary Cuomo) stated, "We support the efforts [of Kennedy/Schumer]," then went on to say, "It`s a shame it had to come to this." The "shame" to which Cowan refers is not exactly clear, but perhaps he means it is a "shame" that AGS has been forced to acknowledge its support for the licensing and/or registration of all gun owners—its "top national priority," according to the group`s own internal documents. Or maybe the "shame" is that McKelvey`s millions are being squandered on ineffective lobbying for the same types of anti-gun proposals that other anti-gun organizations promote, thus shattering the thin facade of AGS as a self-proclaimed "centrist" group.

Whatever the case, make sure to contact your U.S. Senators to urge them to support Attorney General Ashcroft and the privacy of law-abiding gun purchasers by opposing S. 1253, the Kennedy-Schumer registration bill. You can contact your U.S. Senators at 202/224-3121, or use the "Write Your Reps" tool at NRAILA.org to find additional contact information.