"Instant background checks are essential to keeping guns out of the wrong hands, while still protecting the privacy of our citizens. But as we learned in the tragedy at Virginia Tech, the checks must be accurate and complete to be effective." Attorney General Michael Mukasey WHAT IT MEANS
In his first policy speech since taking over as attorney general, Mukasey said Thursday that a federal list of mentally ill people barred from buying guns has doubled in size to about 393,957 since the Virginia Tech shootings. Mukasey said it's the result of stepped up reporting by states and encouraged more states to add information to the database. He made his comments before the National Association of Attorneys General.
People are included in the federal database only after courts or other authorities have found them to have mental health problems. Currently, only 32 states submit names to the mental health database. Minnesota and 17 other states do not.
In April, Virginia Tech student Seung-Hui Cho killed 32 people and himself in the deadliest campus shooting in U.S. history. He bought two guns despite a court order to get outpatient treatment for being a danger to himself. Had his court order been submitted to the federal database, Cho likely would have been unable to buy the guns.
"Right now, I think the dust is settling down and everything is under control. ... This is a milestone in the transition of Pakistan to the complete essence of democracy." President Pervez Musharraf of Pakistan WHAT IT MEANS
Musharraf, newly sworn in to a five-year term as Pakistan's civilian president Thursday, promised to lift the state of emergency by Dec. 16 and restore Pakistan's constitution ahead of parliamentary elections.
If he does, it could be an important step in Pakistan's recent tumultuous politics.
But it remains unclear whether Musharraf will release all of the political opponents that remain in detention and what his response will be if protesters take to the streets after the emergency is lifted.
"Anyone who is talking of any boycotts should hear this out: Come hell or high water, elections will be held on January 8. Nobody derails it," he said, returning to his usually forceful persona after blinking back tears Wednesday when he resigned as commander of Pakistan's military.
Washington and London quickly welcomed the announcement.