Obama's Pick for Attorney General is Staunch Opponent of Second Amendment

President Obama has chosen Eric Holder to be his new Attorney General (subject to Senate confirmation). Holder is no friend to gun owners, and his selection has caused grave concern among gun advocacy groups.

UPDATE: Senate Committee Approves Holder

The Gun Owners of America (GOA), a 300,000 member-strong gun rights organization, has declared: “With the selection of Eric Holder, President Barack Obama could not have picked a more anti-Second Amendment nominee for U.S. Attorney General.”

According to John Velleco, the director of Federal Affairs for the GOA: “Eric Holder has a long history of anti-Second Amendment activism, going back to the days when he was the go-to guy for gun control in the Clinton administration. Holder’s record includes his support of a three-day waiting period for handgun purchases, handgun rationing of one gun per month, renewing the semi-automatic gun ban, gun owner registration and licensing, and much more.

Perhaps most egregiously, in 2008, Mr. Holder signed on to a brief before the Supreme Court that argued that the Second Amendment does not protect an individual’s right to own a firearm. This is not the type of person who should be confirmed to a position that carries the responsibility of enforcing most of the gun control laws in this country.”

Today, the Washington Times, in its “Inside Outside” Blog, posed the question: “Should Americans want an Attorney General whose beliefs are so skewed that he thinks the Second Amendment of the Constitution, the right to keep and bear arms, does not apply to law-abiding citizens? All this after the Supreme Court only recently affirmed that basic right.”

Wyoming Senator John Barrasso is one of the few politicians openly opposing Holder’s nomination. In a letter to his constituents, Sen. Barrasso wrote:

“Given Holder’s career of attacks on the Second Amendment, his nomination continues to be of great concern to me. I am not convinced his philosophy on the Second Amendment is acceptable to the people of Wyoming and gun owners across the United States…. Our nation’s highest law enforcement officer must be committed to protecting and defending our individual rights to keep and bear arms. I intend to vote no on the nomination of Eric Holder.”

Senate Considers Holder Appointment Tomorrow
The Senate Judiciary Committee is expected to vote on Holder on Wednesday, January 28. The full Senate will take up the nomination shortly thereafter. It is likely that Holder’s appointment will be confirmed. NBC News noted that “Holder has held three jobs over his career that required U.S. Senate confirmation and he has yet to see a recorded vote against him.”