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Guest Commentary December 19, 2001
Guns and Terrorists
The Honorable Carl Levin
I am concerned about the Attorney General's decision to deny law enforcement access to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System database.
According to a December 6 story in The New York Times, following the events of September 11, FBI officials checked the NICS database for the names of 186 suspects being detained in connection with the terrorist attacks. The search turned up two matches of detained individuals approved to buy guns.
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According to the Attorney General, existing law does not give him the authority to approve law enforcement's review of these records.
But despite knowledge of this gap, the Attorney General did not request this authority in the comprehensive USA PATRIOT Act signed into law by the President on October 26.
Since September 11, over 500 individuals have been detained, but law enforcement has not been able to audit the NICS database for gun purchases by detained individuals.
I believe the Attorney General's actions are at odds with his own priorities. That is why I was pleased to cosponsor the Use NICS in Terrorist Investigations Act introduced by Senators Kennedy and Schumer.
This bill would establish a 90-day period for law enforcement to retain NICS data. It would also give the FBI the authority they need to review the NICS database.
I urge the Attorney General to endorse this legislation and give law enforcement the comprehensive tools they need.
Carl Levin is a U.S. Senator (D-Michigan). The above column has been adapted from a speech Sen. Levin delivered on the floor of the Senate, December 14, 2001. To contact him, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
