Disarming "Terrorists"

Now unless you have been hiding under a rock, you know about the recent flap over the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) recent report of potential right-wing terrorists. In the report, DHS takes a swipe at both Veterans and Gun Owners:

(U//FOUO) Proposed imposition of firearms restrictions and weapons
bans likely would attract new members into the ranks of rightwing extremist groups, as well as potentially spur some of them to begin planning and training for violence against the government. The high volume of purchases and stockpiling of weapons and ammunition by rightwing extremists in anticipation of restrictions and bans in some parts of the country continue to be a primary concern to law enforcement.

— (U//FOUO) Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to rightwing extremists. DHS/I&A is concerned that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to boost their violent capabilities.

One can only assume that veterans who own guns are probably a lethal combination. Until reading this report, which actually wasn't supposed to go public, we also didn't realize that the "stockpiling of weapons...[continues] to be a primary concern to law enforcement."

So now comes HR 2159, Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2009. Keep explosives from terrorists? Sounds like a good idea to me. Reading on:

To increase public safety by permitting the Attorney General to deny the transfer of a firearm or the issuance of firearms or explosives licenses to a known or suspected dangerous terrorist.

The bill provides that the Attorney General

`Sec. 922A. Attorney General's discretion to deny transfer of
a firearm

`The Attorney General may deny the transfer of a firearm pursuant
to section 922(t)(1)(B)(ii) if the Attorney General determines that the
transferee is known (or appropriately suspected) to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism, or providing material support thereof, and the Attorney General has a reasonable belief that the prospective transferee may use a firearm in connection with terrorism.';

So this allows the Attorney General to deny an "appropriately suspected" person to purchase a firearm. If we read again the DHS report, a Veteran can be an "appropriately suspected" person. So can anyone who already owns firearms, or anyone who is stockpiling, a term not defined.

If we read on, the Attorney General doesn't have to disclose -- in fact is prohibited from disclosing -- who is suspected of being a terrorist:

(g) Attorney General's Ability To Withhold Information in Firearms License

Denial and Revocation Suit- Section 923(f) of such title is amended--

(1) in the 1st sentence of paragraph (1), by inserting `, except that if the denial or revocation is pursuant to subsection (d)(1)(H) or (e)(3), then any information on which the Attorney General relied for this determination may be withheld from the petitioner if the Attorney General determines that disclosure of the information would likely compromise national security' before the period; and
(2) in paragraph (3), by inserting after the 3rd sentence the following:
`With respect to any information withheld from the aggrieved party under paragraph (1), the United States may submit, and the court may rely on, summaries or redacted versions of documents containing information the disclosure of which the Attorney General has determined would likely compromise
national security.'.

So there it is. Take the contents of the DHS report and the contents of this bill and anyone who owns a gun or is a Veteran might be a terrorist and, therefore, should be prohibited from owning any more.

Let us hope this blatant violation of the First and Second Amendments dies in Committee as it should.