DURING LAST year's presidential campaign, the National Rifle Association bragged that a Bush victory would give the NRA an office in the West Wing of the White House. It is now clear that this office is open for business, albeit located a few blocks away in the attorney general's office.
In a bout of blatant pandering to the NRA, Attorney General John Ashcroft has quickly begun to dismantle our gun safety laws.
He recently announced that records of Brady gun law background checks - which have stopped more than 600,000 felons and other unauthorized persons from obtaining guns - would be destroyed just one day after a gun is sold. The FBI has warned that it needs to retain records for at least 90 days to ensure the integrity of the background check system.
Mr. Ashcroft then said his Justice Department would change its longstanding interpretation of the Second Amendment and endorse the NRA's mythical individual right to bear arms.
He made this announcement even though there has been unanimous agreement by the U.S. Supreme Court and every federal appellate court in the past century that the Second Amendment relates only to a state's right to maintain a "well-regulated militia." The NRA immediately announced that it would use this "interpretation" to try to overturn laws such as Washington, D.C.'s gun ban.
The Bush administration's kowtowing to the most extremist elements of the gun lobby extended recently to a United Nations conference on how small arms wreak havoc around the world.
The lofty but limited goal of the conference was to encourage countries to voluntarily control the spread of small arms such as assault weapons, grenade launchers and shoulder-launched anti-aircraft missiles. The Bush administration immediately denounced the conference, arguing that any restrictions on the private ownership of even military-style assault weapons violated the supposed individual right to bear arms.
It may just be a coincidence that American firearms companies account for $1.2 billion of the global small arms trade.
This series of actions, which threaten to undermine successful gun safety laws and by promoting the proliferation of firearms, is contrary to the overwhelming will of the American public.
A poll in the spring by Opinion Research Corporation International showed strong support for common sense gun safety measures that are routinely opposed by the NRA. In the poll, 82 percent of respondents supported closing the gun show loophole that permits felons and fugitives to obtain guns from unlicensed dealers at gun shows without background checks under the 1993 Brady gun law.
Several weapons used in the April 1999 Columbine massacre were bought at a gun show. Yet Congress has still failed to close this loophole.
A similar 82 percent of respondents to the poll supported the licensing and registration of handguns, a simple measure familiar to anyone who drives a car. It would allow police to more easily track guns used in crimes in Maryland and across the country.
Exit polls from last year's presidential election also reflected strong support for gun safety measures, showing that the Bush administration clearly does not have a mandate to undo our nation's gun laws. Indeed, five incumbent senators who were favorites of the gun lobby were defeated, including Mr. Ashcroft, whose own Missouri constituents refused to send him back to Washington.
Mr. Ashcroft's recent pronouncements perhaps reflect the gun lobby's fears of a re-energized movement across the country demanding common sense gun safety laws.
Just last month, the Million Mom March and the Brady Campaign and Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence announced an unprecedented merger, forming the largest grass-roots gun safety organization in this country's history. There are two bills before Congress with options to close the gun show loophole.
With Marylanders dying every day of gun violence, it is clear that the Bush administration's recent actions to placate the gun lobby that helped elect him will have all-too-deadly consequences. We must all let our elected representatives know that we support common sense gun safety laws and that the Bush administration's attempts to undermine our gun laws are not supported by the majority of Americans.
Lois Hess is a member of the board of directors of Marylanders Against Handgun Abuse, which is based in Baltimore.
Copyright © 2001 by The Baltimore Sun
###
