Tiahrt: defender of gun toting criminals

Once again Rep. Todd Tiahrt is defending unscrupulous gun dealers against further regulations. His new amendment is meant to shield small time shading gun dealers from having to be able to trace the source of the guns they sell. His interest is once again, purely business related and as usual, public safety comes a distant last.
According to the The Wichita Eagle:

Jun. 18, 2007


SHARING OF CRIME DATA
Tiahrt, Bloomberg clash over gun data
BY DAVID GOLDSTEIN
McClatchy Newspapers
WASHINGTON - Rep. Todd Tiahrt of Kansas and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg are waging a gunfight.
It's not quite pistols at 20 paces; it's more like political sniping via long distance.
Their feud is over an amendment that Tiahrt wrote in 2003 that puts strict limits on how broadly the government can share gun-tracing data. The information identifies the original dealer and buyer of a weapon used in a crime.
Tiahrt and others say the restrictions are necessary because disclosure could reveal names of undercover officers and informants or tip off targets involved in investigations related to those weapons.
Bloomberg and more than 200 other mayors counter that the measure handcuffs their anti-crime efforts where illegal guns are involved because they cannot trace their source.
"That's why trace data is so important in the post-9/11 era," said John Feinblatt, Bloomberg's criminal justice coordinator. "Why wouldn't you let cops connect the dots?"
Once again Tiahrt’s excuses are flimsy, illogical and just plain profit motivated. Once again Tiahrt has embarrassed the state of Kansas by protecting criminals.