Op-Ed: Assault Weapons and the Truth

The Obama administration has nominated an anti-gun zealot as the U.S.'s top gun cop.

The Obama administration is moving into high gear in putting gun-control advocates into important government positions. The administration's nominee to head the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE), Andrew Traver, should be of particular concern. His attacks on the civilian use of so-called assault weapons raise real questions about his willingness to distort the truth for political purposes. The person nominated to be the nation's top gun cop shouldn't use inaccurate descriptions to scare people into supporting gun control.

Mr. Traver is the special agent in charge of the BATFE's Chicago field division. Therefore, he knows what was covered by the federal assault-weapons ban that sunset in 2004. But in November 2009, NBC interviewed Traver and reported: "Traver says the power and randomness of the heavy caliber, military-style weapons make them so dangerous not only to people, but to police. They're so powerful, body armor can't withstand a hit, and they're so difficult to control, their bullets often get sprayed beyond the intended targets, striking innocent victims even when they're in their own homes."

The list of problems with Mr. Traver’s claims is very long. If he really believes that these weapons fire unacceptably "heavy caliber" bullets, he is going to have to ban virtually all rifles.

...The fact that Mr. Traver uses the same misleading claims as groups such as the Brady Campaign shouldn't make it too surprising that gun-control groups are applauding his nomination. Nor is Traver's nomination very surprising after President Obama appointed two strong anti-self-defense members to the Supreme Court. But Mr. Traver's nomination is quite troubling. Making up claims about guns to demonize them is beyond what is acceptable for someone who wants a position in which he will be regulating American gun ownership.

Click here to read the entire op-ed at NationalReview.com.