For reasons unknown, a U.S. senator has secretly blocked legislation that would authorize federal law enforcement agents to immediately respond to shootings, such as last week’s in Newtown, Connecticut.

The Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act was first introduced last year by supporters who contend federal law does not allow the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) or other U.S. agencies to quickly provide help whenever a mass killing is taking place.

But the proposed legislation is currently bottled up in the Senate, after a senator used the upper chamber’s rules to place a “hold” on it. The same rules allow the senator to keep his or her identity from being revealed.

An organization of federal agents objected to the actions of the anonymous senator, especially in light of recent shootings in Connecticut and Oregon.

“It is an absolute outrage that one senator cowering behind the curtain has placed an anonymous hold on the mass killings legislation,” Jon Adler, president of Federal Law Enforcement Officers Association, which advocates on behalf of federal agents, told The Wall Street Journal.

As it was, the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives did lend their support to local police in Newtown, even before it was clear whether a federal crime had been committed.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

To Learn More:

Federal Agents Group Blasts Senator (by Devlin Barrett, Wall Street Journal)

HR.2076 Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2011 (Votetocracy)

S. 1793: Investigative Assistance for Violent Crimes Act of 2011 (GovTrack.us)

Who is the Mysterious Senator who is Fighting against Whistleblowers? (by Noel Brinkerhoff and David Wallechinsky, AllGov)