May 13, 2007

Mayor Bloomberg accused the nation's chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, last week of "criminalizing good police work." It was a well-deserved shot because Gonzales has become an obstacle to getting illegal guns off city streets.

Bloomberg let loose because of Gonzales' disgraceful actions regarding the Tiahrt Amendment, legislation that shields irresponsible gun dealers from discovery. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traces the origin of every weapon used in a crime, but the amendment, a favorite of the National Rifle Association, limits who can get the data.

Police can request trace information in connection with a particular crime, but they are barred from seeking aggregate data that might follow the trail of illegal firearms used in multiple crimes in multiple jurisdictions. Nor can they identify the small percentage of dealers whose weapons turn up at crimes over and over.

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The Justice Department is pushing to require cops to certify that they're seeking information in compliance with Tiahrt - potentially exposing them to prosecution if they somehow broke the rules.

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Bloomberg has vowed to continue his campaign against illegal firearms - which would be unnecessary if the feds and gun dealers' home states enforced the law. He and his posse, which includes 225 members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and 30 police organizations, are protecting the public...