Saturday, November 22, 2008

Owning a gun a disqualification in Obama administration

If a job application included a question about religion, especially for a government position, First Amendment advocates would rightly go ballistic. The ire of Second Amendment activists is easily understood, then, arising from the questionnaire prospective Obama administration employees must complete. The 59th question demands to know whether the applicant or anyone in his/her family owns a firearm, a sign of the hostility we expected to see towards gun owners from Barack Obama:
But even some Democrats and transition experts are baffled by the inclusion of the question.

Tucked in at the end of the questionnaire and listed under “Miscellaneous,” it reads: “Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage.” …

It’s just one question on a lengthy personnel form — No. 59 on a 63-question list — but the furor over the query is a vivid reminder of the intensity of support for Second Amendment rights and signals the scrutiny Obama is likely to receive from the ever-vigilant gun lobby.

Obama’s transition team declined to go into detail on why they included the question, suggesting only that it was done to ensure potential appointees were in line with gun laws.
Oh, I get it. Rather than just ask the traditional question about prior convictions, Team Obama wants to proactively ensure that their applicants don’t break laws. Will we see questions like this?
Do you have children? Please list proof that you haven’t beat or molested them.
Do you have pets? Please list proof that you have them spayed or neutered.
Do you have alcoholic beverages in your house? Please list proof that you’re not an alcoholic.
Do you have satellite television service? Please list proof that you don’t buy pay-per-view porno or professional wrestling.
No, of course not, nor should we … well, perhaps except for the professional wrestling question, but we’ll work on that later. Team Obama isn’t interested in enforcing gun laws through job applications. They don’t want gun owners working in the administration, and they’re screening for that right up front.
Gun ownership is a constitutional right. Employment discrimination on that basis should be illegal. It certainly should be exposed so that we can get a sense of how the man who will swear to protect and defend the Constitution plans on doing either for the entire Constitution.

Will a religious test come next in the Obama vetting process?

Hot Air

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