As we told you, Hillary Clinton and the Democrats (and maybe Donald Trump) are attempting to pass a new law to keep people on the terror watch list or the no-fly list from buying a gun, despite the pesky fact that these American citizens have never been charged with a crime.
It’s a good talking point for Dems, but will it actually make us safer?
The NRA doesn’t think so, and now they’re pointing to testimony from FBI Director James Comey in 2015 where he said that this proposal could actually alert a potential terrorist and “blow” the investigation:
FBI Dir. James Comey: Democrat bill to block gun purchases by people on terror watch lists could harm terror investigations Via @CQnow
— NRA (@NRA) June 15, 2016
FBI Dir. James Comey: "It's somebody we're investigating, so we don't want to, obviously, blow our investigation." #2A Via @CQnow
— NRA (@NRA) June 15, 2016
FBI Director: Gun Measure Could 'Blow' Terror Probes $ https://t.co/P11xVx6uip via @ToddRuger
— CQ Now (@CQnow) June 15, 2016
It’s behind a paywall, but here’s the relevant excerpt:
FBI Director told lawmakers in 2015 that gun measure could 'blow' terror probes (from @ToddRuger CQ story): pic.twitter.com/M2OM6BxfJ0
— Ryan Lucas (@relucasz) June 15, 2016
Here’s more from the hearing where Comey talks about what the FBI does do when someone on the terror watch list tries to buy a gun. In summary, the FBI is alerted to the potential sale but not the suspected terrorist, which makes sense:
The NRA went on to reiterate its stance that the FBI should be able to keep a terrorist from buying guns, but a court has to be involved:
The official #NRA statement on Terror Watch Lists –> https://t.co/av4vvPRgbq #2A
— NRA (@NRA) June 15, 2016
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From the NRA:
Fairfax, Va.— The executive director of the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action, Chris W. Cox, released the following statement regarding terror watchlists:
We are happy to meet with Donald Trump. The NRA’s position on this issue has not changed. The NRA believes that terrorists should not be allowed to purchase or possess firearms, period. Anyone on a terror watchlist who tries to buy a gun should be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the sale delayed while the investigation is ongoing. If an investigation uncovers evidence of terrorist activity or involvement, the government should be allowed to immediately go to court, block the sale, and arrest the terrorist. At the same time, due process protections should be put in place that allow law-abiding Americans who are wrongly put on a watchlist to be removed. That has been the position of Sen. John Cornyn (R.-Tex.) and a majority of the U.S. Senate. Sadly, President Obama and his allies would prefer to play politics with this issue.
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