Obama’s Attorney General nomination demands immediate and unequivocal response from gun owners

By Jeff Knox

Barack Obama’s nomination of Eric Holder to be the Attorney General demands an immediate and unequivocal response from gunowners and rights advocates and that response should be “Absolutely Not!”

Holder’s appointment to be AG must be approved by the Senate. While it is highly unlikely that opponents could muster the 51 votes needed to reject Holder’s appointment, a single Senator can place a “hold” on the confirmation and effectively lock up the system just as Democrats did with a number of President Bush’s judicial appointments and the appointment of John Bolton to be Ambassador to the UN. Once a “Hold” has been placed, a supermajority of 60 votes is required to break the hold. With enough vocal opposition to Holder’s confirmation, Obama could be forced to withdraw the nomination and select someone else to be his AG. Even if opponents cannot successfully block Holder’s appointment, a strong and concerted effort to do so will go far toward warning the Obama administration and the new Congress against trying to interfere with the rights of Americans to own guns.

As Attorney General, Holder would command the massive and powerful Justice Department which now includes BATFE, and has the expanded powers bestowed by the poorly named “Patriot Act.” Holder could make minor modifications in the way certain laws and regulations are interpreted and broadly expand restrictions on importation, transfer, and possession of a variety of firearms, ammunition, and gun parts. He would be in charge of the records of NICS checks and could be expected to attempt to create a de facto registration system by circumventing the law mandating the destruction of those records upon completion of a legal transaction. Holder would be responsible for interpretation and enforcement of the Gun Control Act of 1968 and would also set official policy as to what the government believes the Second Amendment actually means and how it is to be enforced or prosecuted. Since Holder has long been an outspoken advocate for more restrictive and intrusive gun laws and was a cosigner of an amicus brief endorsing the “collective right” theory of the Second Amendment – a theory rejected by all 9 Supreme Court Justices – it can be expected that his official interpretation of the amendment would not be a favorable one.

Eric Holder should not be Attorney General of the US. His radical views are inconsistent with the Constitution and the spirit of the Founders. The gun rights community should make every effort to see to it that Holder’s nomination is withdrawn or rejected. Much more information about Holder’s history and views is available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org and readers are encouraged to learn as much as they can.

Meanwhile here is what some others in the rights community are saying about Barack Obama’s choice for Attorney General:

“Eric Holder’s flagrant record of opposition to the Second Amendment means gun owners would face a die-hard commitment to the undermining of their rights or to an outright evisceration of them from a Department of Justice under a Holder Attorney Generalship. Gun owners across the country should regard President-elect Barack Obama’s nomination of Eric Holder with deep concern and should strongly oppose it. I join Brian Darling of the Heritage Foundation in calling upon Senators with concern for individual liberties to put a hold on the confirmation and oppose it in committee or on the floor of the Senate.”
- John M. Snyder, the senior rights activist in Washington, DC

“We are deeply concerned that Eric Holder has a selective enforcement view of the Bill of Rights which is anathema to the freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution. His past and recent history leads us to believe that his moral and ethical compass regarding the responsibilities of the Attorney General in relationship to protecting all of the freedoms of all Americans is broken, disqualifying him from this position.”
- Kim Stolfer, Chairman, Firearms Owners Against Crime

“I urge all gun owners and defenders of the Second Amendment to vigorously oppose the nomination of Eric Holder as U.S. Attorney General.”
- Jim Tomes, Director, 2nd Amendment Patriots

“With an anti-gun zealot like Eric Holder as Attorney General, no citizen's right to self defense will be safe from extreme infringement. Anyone who loves gun freedoms should be strongly opposed to his appointment.”
- Daniel White, Secretary/Treasurer, Ohioans for Concealed Carry

“Holder's record on gun rights is dismal. We need an Attorney General who would work to defend our rights, not weaken them.”
- Philip Van Cleave, President, Virginia Citizens Defense League

Oppose the confirmation of Eric Holder. Write to your Senators calling on them to block and reject the nomination. Contact pro-rights organizations calling on them to join the fight against Holder. Together we can make it clear that rights advocates are not going to be walked on by the new administration and Congress.

Permission to reprint or post this article in its entirety for non-commercial purposes is hereby granted provided this credit is included. Text is available at www.FirearmsCoalition.org. To receive The Firearms Coalition’s bi-monthly newsletter, The Hard Corps Report, write to PO Box 3313, Manassas, VA 20108.