Politics

Justice Department Backs Feinstein Gun Control Amendment

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Kevin Daley Supreme Court correspondent
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The Department of Justice announced its support for Democrat Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s gun control amendment Thursday.

“The Justice Department supports Senator Feinstein’s amendment to help keep guns out of the hands of individuals believed to be engaged in terrorism,” the statement reads. “The amendment gives the Justice Department an important additional tool to prevent the sale of guns to suspected terrorists by licensed firearms dealers while ensuring protection of the department’s operational and investigative sensitivities.”

The statement endorses universal background checks.

The Feinstein amendment would give the attorney general the authority to block the sale of firearms to suspected terrorists, including individuals named on the no-fly list. Many Republicans have raised due-process concerns about the list, saying individuals are capriciously added to the list by overzealous federal bureaucrats without the benefit of a hearing, meaningful review or real mechanisms for appeal.

The no-fly list’s appeals procedure has also been denounced by the American Civil Liberties Union, calling the process “grossly insufficient and violates the U.S. Constitution’s due process guarantee.”

The amendment previously failed in a 45-54 vote last September. Democrat Sen. Heidi Heitkamp joined Republicans in opposing the measure, and Republican Sen. Mark Kirk voted for it.

The Justice Department statement comes one day after Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson called gun control “critical to homeland security as well as public safety.” (VIDEO: DHS Secretary: Gun Control Should Be Handled By Homeland Security)

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