McCain's Man, Scheunemann, Lobbied AGAINST Bill to Keep Guns From TERRORISTS

[FrenchieCat]

Scheunemann Lobbied Against Bill to Keep Guns From Terrorists
By Zachary Roth - August 26, 2008,

We knew Randy Scheunemann, John McCain's top foreign policy adviser, was into guns. After all, in 1997 he was arrested for having a shotgun and several rounds of ammunition in his car on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol. And in addition to his extensive lobbying work on behalf of former Soviet bloc countries, he's also a longtime lobbyist for gun-rights groups. But it now looks like, for Scheunemann, doing the bidding of the gun lobby takes precedence over efforts to combat terrorism.

Newsweek reports that, according to registration documents filed by Scheuenemann's lobbying firm, Orion Strategies, Scheunemann lobbied on behalf of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) against a bill that aims to close a gun-control loophole that inhibits the government from stopping people on terrorist watch-lists from buying guns. According to Newsweek, "the bill was inspired by an official audit covering a five-month period in 2004 which found that, because of the loophole, the Feds had to greenlight 35 out of 44 cases where a gun buyer was on a terrorist watch list."

The bill, which is backed by the Bush Justice Department, was introduced last year by Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), but has been held up in committee. It has since faced stiff opposition from the gun lobby, an aide to Lautenberg told TPMmuckraker, and has yet to come to a vote.

According to lobby disclosure reports, Scheunemann's firm was paid $120,000 by NSSF in 2007, and another $60,000 so far this year. Scheunemann himself took a leave of absence from the firm earlier this year to work on McCain's campaign.

Sen. McCain has not taken a position on the bill. His campaign would not tell Newsweek whether he supports it, or whether Scheunemann had ever lobbied McCain on gun-control issues.
http://tpmmuckraker.talkingpointsmemo.com/john_mccain/

[FrenchieCat]

1. No one gives a shit, I presume.

Now, if that was Obama's man, the convention wouldn't even matter anymore. :(

[City Lights]

2. We need to keep this kicked. Everyone should read it.

:kick:

[FrenchieCat]

4. Yes we do. These people are a threat to us.......

and I don't want to wait until too late for us to figure that out.

I had a premonition about Bush before he was elected, and he turned out
exactly as I had felt that he would.

I feel worse about John McCain.
That ain't good. :(

[City Lights]

6. Completely agree.

And I didn't think it was possible for me to feel worse about a candidate than I did about Bush. McMansions :scared: the crap out of me.

[tekisui]

3. KNR!

[calimary]

5. Kick!

I'm glad to see this in TPM - it's looked at a whole lot! Josh Marshall now has the kind of status as Kos and has been portrayed that way in other media. This is GOOD!

[Sugarcoated]

7. kick

[Mojorabbit]

8. Until they straighten out the

problems with the "terrorist" list I am in total agreement.

[Vapor Trails]

9. K&R n/t

[hootinholler]

10. I'm torn!

On the one hand the terrorist watch lists are bogus. On the other hand we don't really want terrorists buying guns here.

:shrug:

-Hoot

[benEzra]

11. Ummm, so DU'ers support the administration's Secret Terrah Watch List now?

This was a BUSH ADMINISTRATION proposal.

Alberto "No Habeus Corpus" Gonzales PERSONALLY requested the power to revoke the gun rights of people he blacklists.

The secret watchlist, of course, contains the name of anyone the administration wishes to blacklist. Environmental activists, war protesters, and people who convert to Islam are all on the list. Senator Edward Kennedy was on the blacklist at one point.

Actual terrorism suspects, of course, are NOT on the list, because suddenly being barred from airplanes would tip them off that they are under government surveillance.

This administration, or any other, should NOT have the power to summarily revoke people's civil rights with zero due process, based on secret evidence, hearsay, and quotas.