William Anderson’s excellent column reminds us that John Ashcroft caused quite a stir when he said the Second Amendment protected the rights of individuals, not militias. However, Ashcroft also said that the right was subject to regulation by the government and thus the various infringements on the right (e.g. the Brady bill, the assault weapons ban, etc.) were Constitutional, and would be enforced and defended by Aschcroft’s Justice Department.

In fact, we can add gun rights to the list of issues where this administration has betrayed the conservative base of the GOP. Bush endorsed reauthorizing Clinton’s assault weapons ban (even though opposition to the ban was a major factor in the GOP takeover of Congress in 1994). Meanwhile, federal bureaucrats continue to defy Congress, and endanger air travelers, by refusing to implement the policy most likely to prevent another 9-11.