Attorney General Eric Holder in Contempt of Congress over Gun Walking Scandal
VOA News
June 28, 2012
CAPITOL HILL — The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday to cite Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for refusing to release documents relating to “Fast and Furious” – a failed government operation that put guns in the hands of Mexican drug cartels. The was vote viewed by many as a legal and political showdown between the Republican-led House and Democratic President Barack Obama and his attorney general.
With Democratic lawmakers in the mood to celebrate the Supreme Court ruling upholding President Obama’s health care law, Republican Speaker John Boehner agreed to bring the contempt votes to the floor of the House.
“Now, I don’t take this matter lightly and I would frankly hope that it would never come to this,” said Boehner. “The House’s focus is on jobs and on the economy. But no Justice Department is above the law, and no Justice Department is above the Constitution, which each of us has sworn an oath to uphold.”
While Republicans stressed that Congress deserve to hear all of the facts about the failed “Fast and Furious” operation, Democrats accused Continue reading
NRA-ILA Seeking Nominations for 2011 Volunteer Awards
Do you know a person or volunteer organization that really fights for our Second Amendment rights? Here is your opportunity to allow them to be recognized for their efforts with the NRA-ILA “Jay M. Littlefield Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award” or the “NRA-ILA Volunteer Organization of the Year Award.”
The Littlefield award is an annual honor that recognizes an NRA member who demonstrates exceptionally meritorious activism in defense of our Second Amendment rights while the Volunteer Organization award is given to a group that really shines in defending and promoting our gun rights over the past year.
If you know a person or organization who fits this bill, you can submit your nominations by mail to:
NRA-ILA Volunteer Awards
c/o Miranda Bond
NRA-ILA Grassroots Division
11250 Waples Mill Road
Fairfax, VA, 22030
by fax to Miranda at (703) 267-3918 or by email to mbond@nrahq.org.
Nominations must be submitted by current NRA members and be accompanied by a one-page description of why the nominee is deserving, based on his or her 2011 activities in defense of Second Amendment rights and must be received on or before July 13, 2012. Winners will be selected by NRA-ILA staff and will be acknowledged at this Fall’s NRA Board of Directors Meeting.
Latest Drop in U.S. Murder Rate Will Confound Critics of Self-Defense Laws
From NRA-ILA:
Giving a positive character to the old expression, “same old stuff,” this week the FBI preliminarily reported that violent crime has dropped yet again – for the 18th time in the last 20 years. According to the report, the estimated annual number of murders dropped 1.9 percent from 2010 to 2011 which, given the increase in the U.S. population during the year, would translate into a drop of between 2.5-3 percent in the per capita rate of murders.
The FBI is expected to report the final 2011 figures around the end of the summer. Assuming those figures match the current estimates, the nation’s murder rate has been cut by about 53 percent and the total violent crime rate has been cut by about 49 percent since 1991, when violent crime hit an all-time high. Stated another way, the nation’s murder rate has fallen to about a 48-year low, and the nation’s total violent crime rate has fallen to about a 41-year low. Continue reading
Firearms Industry Matches ATF Reward Ohio and Georgia Firearms Theft Cases
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), the trade association for the firearms industry, has offered a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the theft of firearms in two separate, presumably unrelated cases in Ohio and Georgia.
The first theft occurred on May 4 from NSSF member Vandalia Range and Armory in Vandalia, Ohio. According to the BATFE, a total of 31 firearms were stolen from the armory during the burglary.
The second incident, occurring on May 30 from Oz Cutlery, a federal firearms licensee, in Newnan, Georgia involved the theft of 11 pistols and revolvers.
In both cases, the reward offer matches a $5,000 reward offer by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). ATF and local law enforcement are investigating the theft and are seeking information from the public that would lead to the resolution of these investigations.
Steve Sanetti, president of the NSSF, said, “Our matching reward Continue reading
Barreling Toward Contempt? Issa to DOJ: Make Us an Offer
From oversight.house.gov. View the original letter here.
Issa to DOJ: Make Us an Offer
June 13, 2012
Comittee on Oversight & Government Reform
WASHINGTON – Today, Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Darrell Issa sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking him to submit a proposal for how he intends to comply with the Committee’s subpoena in an effort to facilitate an agreement rendering the process of contempt unnecessary. The letter notes that the Oversight Committee, in order to accommodate a solution, has twice significantly narrowed the focus of documents it requires, but the Justice Department has neither accepted this offer nor made a counterproposal.
The text of the letter is below: Continue reading
Oversight Committee to Consider Fast and Furious Contempt Report
From oversight.house.gov:
Advisory: Oversight Committee to Consider Operation Fast and Furious Contempt Report on June 20
June 11, 2012
Comittee on Oversight & Government Reform
WASHINGTON — On Wednesday, June 20, 2012, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee will convene to consider a report holding Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress for his failure to produce documents specified in the Committee’s October 12, 2011, subpoena. Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa issued the following statement on the scheduling of a Committee vote on contempt:
“For over a year and a half, the House Oversight Committee, with Senator Chuck Grassley, has conducted a joint investigation of reckless conduct in Operation Fast and Furious. With the support of House leadership, the Republican Conference, and even some Democratic Members who have expressed concern to the White House over the Justice Department’s failure to cooperate, this investigation has yielded significant results. The Attorney General has acknowledged that the operation was fundamentally flawed and he has committed to take steps to ensure that it does not occur again. Evidence found in applications for wiretaps shows that although senior officials were given information about reckless tactics, they still signed affirmations that they had reviewed the investigation and determined that electronic surveillance of phones was necessary. Continue reading
