Jack Reed: “I recognize there are different legal interpretations. I recognize also the Senator from Idaho has introduced an…”

“I recognize there are different legal interpretations. I recognize also the Senator from Idaho has introduced an interpretation of the Congressional Research Service. I have one, too. Theirs is dated November 3, 2003. Mine is dated October 20, 2003. We made a request. They looked at the amendment, the perfecting amendment offered by Senators Craig, Daschle, and Baucus. In the context of that correcting amendment, they opined in October: Again, you have specifically inquired as to whether the Amendment would alter the bill to such a degree as to allow the pursuit of a civil action against the gun dealer from whom the weapon used in the D.C.-area sniper shootings was stolen. A review of federal and Washington State law indicates that there are no statutory requirements regarding the storage and security of firearms by licensed firearm dealers. Accordingly, it seems evident that there would be no basis for the application for this exception in the case at hand, irrespective of the presence of the 'knowing and willfully' requirement, given that there appears to be no violation of a relevant underlying federal or state statute. That is an October CRS. Obviously a second opinion was sought. That is the nature of legal opinions many times. This opinion was premised on certain facts that are not yet obvious and perhaps never to be obvious.”