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“CREDIT CARD ARMIES--FIREARMS AND TRAINING FOR TERROR IN THE UNITED STATES” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S11561-S11562 on Nov. 19, 2002.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
CREDIT CARD ARMIES--FIREARMS AND TRAINING FOR TERROR IN THE UNITED
STATES
Mr. LEVIN. Mr. President, I want to bring the attention of my colleagues to a report released in October by the Violence Policy Center, VPC, entitled Credit Card Armies--Firearms and Training for Terror in the United States. This report analyzes the ease with which members of terrorist organizations and criminals gain access to powerful firearms and ammunition. According to the VPC report, terrorist groups with little more than a credit card and a driver's license, can easily obtain military grade firepower, including 50 caliber sniper rifles, assault weapons, and extraordinarily powerful ammunition.
In response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the Federal Bureau of Investigation searched the National Instant Criminal Background Check System for information on individuals detained. However, according to a New York Times article, the Department of Justice ordered the FBI to stop using NICS records for investigating suspected terrorists even after the FBI found that at least two individuals detained in relation to the terrorist investigation had been cleared to buy firearms. Further evidence gathered by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms and reported by the New York Times determined that 34 firearms used in crimes had at some point been purchased by an individual on the same list of people detained after 9/
11.
The VPC report provides several examples of terrorist groups, from al-Qaida to the Irish Republican Army, using our loopholes in our gun laws to purchase 50 caliber sniper rifles and other military style firearms. We need to pass the Schumer-Kennedy Use NICS in Terrorist Investigations Act and also Senator Reed's ``Gun Show Background Check Act. These bills would assist law enforcement in identifying prohibited gun buyers and recognizing patterns of illegal purchases and misuse.
In January 2001, regulations issued by the Department of Justice directed the FBI to retain NICS information for a 90-day period. This 90-day period allows local law enforcement and the FBI to check NICS for illegal gun sales to criminals, terrorists and other prohibited buyers, identify purchasers using fake identification, and screen for gun dealers misusing the system. However, in June 2001, the Attorney General proposed reducing the length of time that law enforcement agencies can retain NICS data to 24 hours. This is simply an insufficient amount of time for law enforcement to review the NICS database.
The Attorney General's action concerns me greatly. I was pleased to cosponsor the Use NICS in Terrorist Investigations Act introduced by Senators Kennedy and Schumer. This legislation would codify the 90-day period for law enforcement to retain and review NICS data. The need for this legislation was highlighted late last year when the Attorney General denied the Federal Bureau of Investigation access to the NICS database to review for gun sales to individuals they had detained in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks and refused to take a position on an amendment which would authorize that access.
Senator Reed's Gun Show Background Check Act, which is supported by the International Association of Chiefs of Police, would extend the Brady Bill background check requirement to all sellers of firearms at gun shows. I cosponsored it because it is vital that we do all we can to prevent guns from getting into the hands of criminals and terrorists.
I urge my colleagues to consider these important pieces of gun safety legislation not only to protect our children from gun accidents and criminal use, but also to limit easy access to dangerous weapons by people who would seek to threaten our Nation's security.
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