Have gun, will terrorize.

Byline: The Register-Guard

It's a safe bet that if the Bush administration learned a foreign government was selling arms to suspected terrorists in the United States, it would take whatever steps were necessary to halt the sales.

Yet last year, dozens of terrorism suspects on federal watch lists strolled into U.S. gun shops and purchased firearms, and the administration has done nothing to fix the laws and policies that allowed this to happen.

That's both inexcusable and dangerous. It's also craven, given the reluctance of the administration and its supporters in Congress to stand up to the politically powerful National Rifle Association, which opposes such reforms.

In a study released this week, the Government Accountability Office documented firearms purchases by more than 40 suspected terrorists on federal watch lists. The reason these purchases could occur: Current federal law does not automatically bar people suspected of belonging to terrorist groups from buying guns. Meanwhile, the Bush administration and gun-rights supporters in Congress have consistently blocked efforts to use the FBI's national gun-purchasing database as a tool for law enforcement investigators.

The original villain of this piece was former Attorney General John Ashcroft. After the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he ordered the FBI to stop matching gun-purchasing records against suspects who were detained as part of the investigation of the attacks. Ashcroft insisted that allowing criminal investigators to access the gun database violated federal law - even though Justice Department lawyers disputed his interpretation.

Of course, Ashcroft had no qualms whatsoever about doing jumping jacks on the constitutional rights of Americans when he pushed the USA Patriot Act through Congress. Legislation promoted by the attorney general gave federal investigators the green light to root through the financial, medical and library records of ordinary Americans. But gun-purchasing records? Hands off, buddy.

If Ashcroft's successor, Alberto Gonzales, wants to show that he's no Ashcroft clone and that he takes his job as America's chief law enforcement officer seriously, he should lead the way in fixing the problems cited in the GAO report.

Gonzales should start by giving the FBI more leeway in cross-checking between gun-purchasing records and its terrorist watch lists. The Justice Department revised its policy last year to allow additional review, but Gonzales should make whatever additional changes are necessary to make certain that no weapons are sold to known or suspected terrorists.

Meanwhile, Gonzales should embrace legislation proposed by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., that would require federal officials to keep records of gun purchases by terrorism suspects for a minimum of 10 years. Under current law, such records must be destroyed within 24 hours, a ludicrous provision that actually helps provide cover for terrorists.

Defending the United States from terrorists requires political courage and a willingness to make common sense changes to flawed federal laws - before it's too late.