Op-Ed: Put a Hold on Holder's Nomination

By Brian Darling

A conservative senator would be a true American hero if he or she would put a hold on -- i.e., threaten to filibuster -- the nomination of Eric Holder to be the next attorney general.

Let me be clear: I don’t believe that conservatives should use the filibuster to block Holder. But I do think the filibuster is an excellent procedural tool to force a needed debate. Senators should explore Holder’s views on the right to bear arms and the Elian Gonzales raid before they consent to his appointment.

The Second Amendment is sacrosanct to all freedom-loving Americans. Yet Holder, in his capacity as former deputy attorney general from 1997 to 2001 and acting attorney general in 2001, signed a brief to the Supreme Court last year arguing that “the Second Amendment does not protect firearms possession or use that is unrelated to participation in a well-regulated militia.” This strongly suggests that Holder is hostile to private gun ownership and will work to restrict gun rights.

There’s more. According to the Cato Institute’s David Koppel, Holder has “advocated federal licensing of handgun owners, a three-day waiting period on handgun sales, rationing handguns sales to no more than one per month, banning possession of handguns” and supported numerous other gun control initiatives.

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