Andrew McCabe writing at CNN.
As a leader in the FBI, I had the opportunity to work closely with the folks who run the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, or NICS. I have tremendous respect for them, the demands of their work, and the professional way they do it. As a gun owner and former FBI firearms instructor, I also respect the Second Amendment and appreciate the importance of doing background checks in a way that does not unduly burden law-abiding citizens. From this experience I know there are two simple changes Congress could make to the existing law that would make NICS more effective and the country safer.
First, Congress needs to make clear what it means to be a fugitive.
The Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act of 1993, which required a background check before any person can purchase a firearm from a federally licensed firearms dealer, prohibits the purchase of a firearm by anyone who is a “fugitive from justice.” For almost two decades, the FBI interpreted this to mean that if a NICS check revealed that the purchaser had an outstanding warrant, the sale would be denied.
But in 2017 the Department of Justice issued new guidance limiting the fugitive prohibitor to apply only to people NICS could prove had crossed state lines to avoid prosecution or testifying in a criminal trial.
This new standard levied a burden the FBI could not possibly carry. The minimal information provided by prospective gun purchasers does not give the NICS examiners any insight as to why that person might be running from the law. The FBI lacks the legal authority, resources, or time to fully investigate every gun purchaser with a warrant. This new DOJ guidance ultimately led to the purging of 500,000 records from the NICS database — essentially greenlighting firearms purchases for half a million fugitives.
Congress could change this gap with a stroke of the legislative pen by simply making clear that anyone with an outstanding warrant — for anything — qualifies as a fugitive and is therefore prohibited from purchasing a firearm.
So first of all, he recommends that if you have an outstanding warrant issued by your county Sheriff for failing to show up as a juror, you cannot purchase a firearm. Let’s continue.
Simply giving NICS additional time to conduct this research would be an easy, inexpensive way to eliminate an obvious vulnerability.
In many cases, it is simply not possible to answer these questions in three business days. Additionally, the compressed time deadline adds unnecessary pressure and stress to the work of examiners who are already challenged by enormous volume.
Well isn’t this just rich. Andrew McCabe is recommending more manpower for the FedGov, greater delays, and a larger volume of names on the NICS who cannot legally purchase weapons.
Andrew McCabe. The Andrew McCabe who was part of the deep state with Brennan, Clapper, Comey and Rosenstein. The same Andrew McCabe who issued the stand-down order on the Clinton email investigation, the same Andrew McCabe who conspired to hide Russian bribes in Uranium One, the same Andrew McCabe who didn’t identify his wife’s financial ties to Clinton on financial disclosure forms, the same Andrew McCabe who conspired to cover up Hillary Clinton crimes, the same Andrew McCabe who tried to pin “excessive use of force” on the American military contractors in Benghazi … that Andrew McCabe.
He’s feeling all lovey now about cracking down on crime.
How rich. He and CNN are perfect for each other. What a pit of vipers.
