Have you read the law?
The law as written by Congress specifically forbids the government from keeping that gun purchase information. Good grief, you're demanding that Ashcroft disobey the law he's sworn to obey. Had he disobeyed the law, you'd probably be complaining about that! Who is the real nutcase here? Who thinks terrorists are going to buy their weapons from gun shops anyway? Criminals, by definition, don't obey the law. Goodness, you need to grow a brain or buy a clue.