Looks like the AP is playing along with Lautenberg’s game, trying to get some fervor whipped up over his terror watch list bill that was recently introduced in the Senate:
WASHINGTON – More than 800 gun purchases were approved after background checks in the last five years even though the buyers’ names were on the government’s terrorist watch list, investigators said Monday.
The first thing that goes through my mind is, if NICS records are indeed being destroyed, how do they know this? Or are they already cross referencing NICS with the terrorist watch list, and making a new list. Which law authorizes the FBI to do this? Inquiring minds want to know, because I could swear there’s a law that says NICS records must be destroyed.
Good point about the NICS records.
“Inquiring minds want to know, because I could swear there’s a law that says NICS records must be destroyed.”
There is, but the penalty for breaking it is…. one hard slap on the wrist. Delaware’s state police got caught illegally keeping years of records. They “fixed the database glitch” that caused it and suffered no consequences.
Well, it’s possible that a record of the purchase being made by someone on the list is generated at the time, with the NICS info being destroyed afterward. If personal info is redacted in this record, or at least compartmentalized, this may stand up.
If the government can take away constitutional rights by placing someone on a watch list, then the watch list becomes an act of attainder.
Since when has the government cared about “laws”? Aren’t those just for, you know, REGULAR people?
The other part I find interesting is the names on the list are supposed to be secret. But you can apparently coax specific information about the list out of the government who says the secrecy of the list is absolutely needed for national security.
I say we start asking for more specific information about this list. For instance how many people on the list are of specific religions, how many are from specific cities, etc. Given enough information you an start to make a likely guess about who’s on that list.
So much for the NICS system and the super secrecy of the top ultra mega secret list.
Sebastian: Well, they aren’t allowed to keep a record that “So and so was approved”, but I believe they can keep records that are anonymous, like “N approvals happened today”, or “Someone was approved and was on this list”.
I see no particular threat to liberty as long as the data retained was, in fact, anonymous.
(“Someone whose name matched on of those on the list was approved” rather than “This Person Named Here, who matched This Name on the List, was approved”.
The former is not abusable in any way I can think of, unlike the latter.)
The problem is anyone can get put on a list. Soon all you’ll have to do is criticise the goverment, and now your on the list. and then you, and you. Heck by the end of my opinion I’ll probably get put on it. The Bill of Rights should not be messed with, I hear some say these ideals were created in a time alout difirent from now. That the Second Amendment does not apply to the present times. I disagree they were written for just these time. To any true American the Bill of Rights should only be second to the Ten Comandments. (If you belive)These people are on a list. They have not been found guilty of terrorisim in a court of law. So I presume they are inocent. Im willing to bet dollar to doughnuts that at least half of them are not terrorist. Its just list. Thanks for the ear.