A new report from the Government Accountability Office identifies loopholes through which there have been over 800 gun buyers who are on the terrorist watch list. Read about it below and see a video.
800 Gun Buyers on Terrorist List?
The Congressional watchdog group, The Government Accountability Office (GAO), is reporting that there have been 800 gun buyers who were on the terrorist watch list. The list is maintained by the FBI and is a factor that is supposed to disqualify someone from buying a gun in the United States. The question is, of course, how did these 800 people slip through that crack and obtain guns.
The loophole in the law seems to be that being on the terrorist watch list is not one of the nine factors that used to determine someone’s eligibility to buy a gun. Factors on the list include things like having a felony conviction, a history of mental illness, etc. The GAO investigators found that background checks done on people attempting to buy guns between February 2004 and February 2009 revealed 900 people who were on the terrorist watch list. Out of those 900 people, only 98 were refused the purchase of a gun.
The current federal government is proposing to close the loophole that has allowed people whose names are on the list from buying guns.
The problem is, of course, that the terrorist watch list is assumed to be well meaning, but full of mistaken identities and has led to problems for innocent people. The National Riffle Association argues that there are names on the list that shouldn’t be there and
“Law-abiding Americans should not be treated like terrorists,” the NRA’s Chris Cox said. “To deny law-abiding people due process and their Second Amendment rights based on a secret list is not how we do things in America.”
The GAO made their report on this loophole in 2007, but Congress has not acted on it. However, recently there have been calls from some to amend the federal laws to close the loophole that does not prevent anyone whose name is on the list from buying guns.
There are obvious concerns as to how such a law would infringe on Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens and whether or not such laws would be used as a back door method for more stringent gun control laws.
What are your thoughts? Are you concerned that over a five year period of time 800 gun buyers were on the terrorist list? Does that number seem low or high to you? Do you think the terrorist watch list is accurate or effective? Who is on that list and who puts names on that list anyway?
You know, not too long ago our Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano put out a memo that combat veterans, military veterans, right-wingers and anti-abortionists were all included as ‘possible’ domestic terrorists. That leaves one to wonder just who IS on that terrorist watch list and who this Administration wants to restrict from buying guns.
Rahm Emanuel on gun buyers and terrorist list - Video
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:26 am
Constitutional rights should not be denied without due process based solely on a secretive list kept by the government.
June 23rd, 2009 at 10:27 am
What a blatant LIAR Lautenberg is. Yeah, we really put the “rights” of terrorists above “everyday” Americans! This guy couldn’t care LESS about the safety of “everyday” (an elitist term for sure) Americans as he attempts to prevent them from protecting themselves every chance he can get. And what about those 963 “known or suspected terrorists”? I suspect that probably about ONE was an actual terrorist IF that. As for “suspected” terrorists are concerned . . . virtually anyone who didn’t vote for Obama has a good chance of eventually appearing on that list anyway . . . it’s WORTHLESS !
June 24th, 2009 at 11:40 am
Since Ted Kennedy used to be on this list, has it been fixed yet to match people’s names to who is SUPPOSED to be on this list?
How do we know that those 800 gun buyers were actually the people who are supposed to be on this list?
How many John Smiths live in the U.S. again? How many times is that name on this list?
Unless and Until the people on that list get their day in Court to find out if they SHOULD be on the list, it should have NO BEARING on gun ownership OR flying on an airplane.
Without being charged with ANY wrong doing, Lautenburg would deprive too many people of their Civil Rights. Sounds to me like HE is acting in a dictatorial manner unbecoming of a U.S. Senator and should be expelled from office and placed on this list himself.
June 29th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
If this report is accurate, I am responsible for two of these firearms purchases myself.
I was apparently placed on the terrorist watch list when my firm bought me a last minute ticket to fly down to a city on the Texas/Mexican border to hand-deliver a proposal for a multi-million dollar project to meet the city’s deadline. I checked no luggage, put only 1 mile on a rental car (city hall was very close to the airport) and flew out on the next flight. On my way back to the security checkpoint, I was called by name and questioned by a Border Patrol agent, an airport security officer, and an unidentified man not in uniform regarding the purpose of my trip. I explained what I was doing and they took quite a bit of time going through my nearly empty carry bag, my size 15 shoes, and the contents of my pockets. I was allowed to fly home without further incident, but for the next two years I was on the terror watch list. And if you’re on the terror watch list, there is no way to get yourself off, there is no one to talk to about it, there is no way to clear your name. In fact, I was advised no to pursue matters because that would look “suspicious” and would likely make matters worse.
However, over those two years, I purchased a .22 target pistol (one of my hobbies is target shooting) and a 9mm Sig Sauer for target shooting and home defense. I went through the proper channels and was allowed to buy the guns. I finally decided to get an concealed handgun permit to force the federal government to do a full investigation of my background and to do a complete background check. I don’t know if that made a difference, but I’m now off the list.
I can’t tell you how much I resent the uninformed media spokespeople, the dishonest politicians (the people making the stink about gun buyers being on the terror watch list are the same people who complain that all the people on the terror watch list are innocent until proven guilty), and the anti-gun lobbies who jump on this story in order to push their agenda, knowing full well that it is dishonest. I’m not really a big fan of the NRA, but the NRA gains an enormous amount of credibility each time the anti-gun crowd makes these dishonest accusations.
Frankly, I’m surprised that there are fewer than 900 gun sales over five years to people on the terror watch list. Especially since I represent two of those sales!