“I want to confirm that Bill Barr — one of the most respected jurists in the country — highly respected lawyer, former Attorney General under the Bush administration — a terrific man, a terrific person, a brilliant man,” President Donald Trump told reporters from the White House South Lawn as he prepared to depart on Marine One December 7. “I did not know him for — until recently, when I went through the process of looking at people. And he was my first choice from day one. Respected by Republicans and respected by Democrats. He will be nominated for the United States Attorney General.”
If confirmed, Barr will become “the head of the Department of Justice and chief law enforcement officer of the Federal Government.” And since Donald Trump unquestionably owes his 2016 victory to gun owner support, it’s fair to ask what his pick is likely to mean for them.
Because rights enforcement, original intent and “shall not be infringed” all too often take a back seat to law enforcement due to the prevailing stare decisis doctrine, expect “Enforce existing gun law” infringements to be enthusiastically prosecuted. Were that position stated honestly, those who spread the mantra would urge “Enforce existing Intolerable Acts.”
In any case, Barr, simply by his tenure in the cabinet of George H.W. Bush, is a creature of the so-called “Deep State.” We know that Bush, who very publicly resigned from NRA and sided with ATF, had a history of infringing on gun owner rights, having voted for the Gun Control Act of 1968, backed banning affordable handguns, imposed an import ban on semiautomatic firearms demonized as “assault weapons,” wished for authority to ban domestic models, proposed “high capacity” magazine registration, offered a deal on the Brady Bill and then turned his back on the people who helped elect him by closing the White House off to gun advocates.
by David Codrea
