Those records should be destroyed right away…in fact, they shouldn't even be created…because the The GOVERNMENT can use them to track down and disarm gun owners when they try to force us all into Socialism."

feh

THE U.S. Congress has done a grave disservice to the average American and severely hindered law enforcement by sneakingly passing an amendment that requires the destruction of background records on gun sales within 24 hours.

In a belated Christmas gift to the National Rifle Association, the measure was approved as part of a catch-all appropriations bill that was originally designed as a supplemental spending plan to keep government running. The Republican-controlled Congress tucked the measure deep inside the overbloated bill.

Until now, the Department of Justice required a 90-day hold on firearm sales records to ensure the kind of background checks that have so far stymied more than a million illegal buyers.

"Congress . . . has made it easier for spousal abusers, stalkers, the mentally ill and even terrorists to get guns and keep them,'' said Sarah Brady, wife of President Reagan's former press secretary, who was wounded in a 1981 assassination attempt. She chairs the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence.

The new policy makes it nearly impossible to track and retrieve illegal weapons. It eschews public safety in favor of reckless gun dealers and street hoodlums.

For the sake of national security, it is hoped Bush will muster the courage and leadership to quickly veto this measure.