Gun control

It would be nice if, in the wake of the Virginia Tech killings, Congress would consider a ban on sale and possession of semi-automatic weapons. But perhaps Congress isn't quite ready for such a bold move. It'll be hard enough to establish the principle that the government should prevent terrorism suspects from buying firearms! The New York Times reports:

The Justice Department proposed legislation on Thursday that would give the attorney general discretion to bar terrorism suspects from buying firearms, seeking to close a gap in federal gun laws.

The measure, which was introduced by Senator Frank R. Lautenberg, Democrat of New Jersey, would give the attorney general authority to deny a firearm purchase if the buyer was found “to be or have been engaged in conduct constituting, in preparation for, in aid of, or related to terrorism.”
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John Ashcroft, the former attorney general and a staunch supporter of gun rights, blocked the Federal Bureau of Investigation from comparing federal gun-buying records against a list of suspects detained as part of the investigation into the Sept. 11 attacks. Mr. Ashcroft cited the Brady gun law, which sets out the federal system for background checks, arguing that it prohibited sharing such information for other law enforcement purposes.
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At the request of Mr. Lautenberg, who has long been vocal on the issue, the Government Accountability Office looked into the matter in 2005. It found that federal law enforcement officials approved 47 of 58 gun applications from terrorism suspects over a nine-month period.
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Mr. Lautenberg introduced legislation to address the issue, but it stalled in the Republican-controlled Congress. His aides said Thursday that they believed things would turn out differently with backing from the Bush administration and with a Democratic majority in Congress.

But gun control is a touchy issue for Democrats, with many new lawmakers elected on pro-gun stances.

47 terrorism suspects were allowed to buy guns in the U.S. over a nine month period in 2005?! Did they have any problems buying large quantities of fertilizer and C4 as well?