Here’s an issue that President Obama has been begging Congress to fix,
along with pretty much all sane law enforcement: Known terrorists can
buy guns legally here in the United States of “freedom”. Yes, we can’t
have nice things like refusing to sell handguns or assault weapons to
suspected terrorists, because the NRA is too worried about the profits
of the gun manufacturers they represent.
Christopher Ingraham writing in the
Washington Post
reported, “Between 2004 and 2014, suspected terrorists attempted to
purchase guns from American dealers at least 2,233 times. And in 2,043
of those cases — 91 percent of the time — they succeeded.”
There you go, the NRA arming terrorists. In a rational political
discussion about the alleged risks posed by refugees, we would be pretty
focused on keeping assault weapons out of the hands of any terrorists
who we are told will come in with the refugees. But notice, Republicans
don’t address this, even as Christie tells us that he would deny
even a 3-year-old orphaned refugee. Demonstrating his failure to
understand how we vet incoming refugees.
Yes, we can’t be too careful. Unless of course, it comes to guns.
When it comes to guns, we should give them to EVERYONE, no questions
asked. To ask a question is to infringe on second amendment rights,
which are sacred, unlike your first amendment rights, according to
Republicans.
“But people on the FBI’s consolidated terrorist watchlist — typically
placed there when there is “reasonable suspicion” that they are a known
or suspected terrorist — can freely purchase handguns or assault-style
rifles,” the Post explained.
A majority of gun owners agree on these basic background checks. The
Post pointed out that even King (R-NY) worked with Sen.
Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to bring forth the “Denying Firearms and
Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015”, which would have kept
us from legally selling guns to terrorists.
But the NRA was not pleased with this notion of not selling guns to
terrorists, after all, a terrorists’ money is as good as anyone’s. Or,
as the NRA put it, the bill was taking aim at law-abiding citizens and
terrorists will buy guns anyway (just not from gun manufacturers if in
fact it were illegal, so yeah, it’s all about the profit). Per the
Washington Post again:
“But these bills have rarely made it out of committee, in
part due to vehement opposition from the National Rifle Association and
its allies in Congress. The NRA objected to earlier versions of the
bill, saying they were “aimed primarily at law-abiding American gun
owners,” that “prohibiting the possession of firearms doesn’t stop
criminals from illegally acquiring them,” and that the bills were
“sponsored by gun control extremists.”
The NRA will
do and say anything to keep even the most reasonable gun law from being
enacted. They have in fact accused President Obama of planning to
confiscate law-abiding citizens’ guns.
In the wake of another mass murder, when the American public is really
fed up with the gun laws, the NRA doubles down on the crazy, like this:
“What Obama is really proposing, despite some platitudes to the
contrary, is the end of private firearm ownership for self-defense…”
In fact, President Obama has been more than reasonable, calling for
closing a loophole to keep the most dangerous guns off of the streets
and keeping military weapons off of the streets. Huh. That’s almost like
coming for private guns but not. Not at all. Sadly, Obama can’t make
laws from the Executive Branch, he can only get behind policy or change
things for federal contractors or change the implementation of a law
(e.g., immigration). Congress makes actual laws.
And Congress is run by Republicans right now, and they aren’t alone in their NRA servitude.
So when Congressional Republicans are talking tough on terror, someone ought to ask them
just when they’re going to address the terror they’ve allowed the NRA to
inflict on this country.
Making sure terrorists can get guns legally is kind of an incentive
to make sure they come here. Why not? We have everything they need and
they don’t even have to hide. Thanks, NRA.
