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| January 11, 2001 | |||
You're Concerned John Ashcroft Won't Enforce Gun Laws?? Where Have You Been??
Among the ridiculous charges leveled at Attorney General nominee Senator John Ashcroft is that he would not enforce federal gun laws. Senator Barbara Boxer claims, "Men and women of all backgrounds concerned about . . . gun law enforcement . . . have contacted me in huge numbers asking me to oppose this nomination" [Hotline, 1/11/01]. Where were these men and women - and where was Senator Boxer - when the Clinton-Reno Justice Department virtually ignored federal gun laws?
- From 1993 to 1999, gun crime prosecutions were on average 13 percent lower than in the last year of the Bush-Quayle Administration (source: Bureau of Justice Statistics).
- Worse, the Clinton-Reno Justice Department prosecuted less than one-half of one percent of the 536,000 criminals who tried to buy guns from 1994 through 1999 (source: BJS).
When did Senator Boxer - or any of the left-wing groups opposing the Ashcroft nomination - criticize the Clinton-Reno Justice Department for its sorry record of prosecuting criminals in search of guns? Where were they when, days before the election, the Justice Department suppressed data on its enforcement of federal gun laws (see RPC paper: "Watchdog Sues Clinton-Gore DOJ for Withholding Prosecutions Data," 10/20/00)?
Senator John Ashcroft has been at the forefront of trying to enforce federal gun laws. As Attorney General, he will show how effective law enforcement can make America safe from violent criminals.
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