Everytown for Gun Safety, the gun-control organization funded by billionaire media mogul Michael Bloomberg, released a new television ad that calls on Congress to close the so-called “Terror Gap.” Everytown aired the ad during Tuesday’s Republican debate on CNN.
“The day after the San Bernardino shooting – the deadliest mass shooting since Sandy Hook – the U.S. Senate blocked a bipartisan bill to close the Terror Gap that makes it easy and legal for suspected terrorists to buy guns,” said Everytown for Gun Safety President John Feinblatt. “It’s time for Congress to put the safety of Americans ahead of gun lobby interests and support common-sense measures that will save lives.”
Here is Everytown’s bullet points on the “Terror Gap”:
- The U.S. Senate blocked a bipartisan bill first recommended by President George W. Bush to close the Terror Gap on the day after the San Bernardino mass shooting. A bipartisan House version of the bill has also been introduced.
- Between February 2004 and December 2014, individuals on the terror watch lists attempted to buy guns and explosives through licensed dealers 2,233 times, and succeeded in doing so on 2,043 occasions (91 percent).
- Since 2007, the NRA has actively blocked efforts to keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists by opposing legislation that would close the Terror Gap.
- A 2012 survey by Republican pollster Frank Luntz found that 76 percent of gun owners, including 71 percent of NRA members, support closing the Terror Gap.
- Last week Connecticut Governor Dannel Malloy announced that he would take executive action, pending federal government approval, to keep suspected terrorists from buying guns in his state.
As noted in a previous GunsAmerica article, the “Terror Gap” is really just another scare-and-grab tactic meant to gin up fear so that we do not question the government when it drops the hammer on our civil liberties. Yes, in theory, actual terror suspects should not have access to firearms. But in reality, since it’s not quite clear who the government labels “suspected terrorist” and who they don’t, allowing it to unilaterally deny individuals a fundamental right without due process is unconstitutional.
Plus, it’s not like the government doesn’t already have the ability to track and monitor high-risk suspects carefully. As the National Rifle Association noted in its opposition to the legislation, law enforcement is notified every time one of these individuals purchases a firearm.
“The NRA does not want terrorists or dangerous people to have firearms, any suggestion otherwise is offensive and wrong,” said Jennifer Baker, director of public affairs. “Under the current system, law enforcement is notified every time a person on the list attempts to purchase a firearm. Law Enforcement then makes a case by case decision on the appropriate follow-up for each circumstance.
“The NRA’s only objective is to ensure that Americans who are wrongly on the list are afforded their constitutional right to due process. It is appalling that anti-gun politicians are exploiting the Paris terrorist attacks to push their gun-control agenda and distract from President Obama’s failed foreign policy.”
So, the call for “Terror Gap” legislation, like all calls for gun control, totally misses the mark.
The discussion of the “lists” is what we were getting to when the obozo thing started. We were examining just who or what dept makes, owns, manages and updates these lists. There wasn’t any answer. There still isn’t. So we still can’t see them if we knew who to approach about it/them. For once, this type of tyranny existed before obozo.
You know, instead of closing the ‘terrorist loophole’ we should hold our politicians responsible for acting as terrorists and trying to disarm our country through deception and and false means. I wouldn’t be surprised if some of these politicians are responsible for some of these so-called terrorist shootings. The simple fact is, first came ‘Witch Hunts’, then came ‘Communists’, then came ‘Terrorists’, next will come ‘Domestic Terrorists’, a way for these corrupt control freak politicians to start taking MORE action against our citizens as well as gun conrol. How about we work on some things that benefit us, like every citizen being taught about guns and Immigration laws that are ‘Ignored by Public Policy’ both statewide and national. The people making this public policy are people we vote for, this is such a crock of shit. I had a judge tell me in Colorado that nothing is done about ILLEGAL ALIENS because it’s public policy. Say an ILLEGAL ALIEN gets a DUI. The courts just ignore that these fuckers are ILLEGAL and treat them like a citizen because of SO-SAID PUBLIC POLICY. As far as I’m concerned, any persons of the law who ignore this type of thing are committing crimes and should be charged as accessories at least! We need to hold these lawmakers & people like Bloomberg and all of his ass monkey buddies responsible for their actions.
Try telling the big billionare bully, and the idiots that follows him, gun control worked for Paris a month ago. (At the most their citizens are allowed to own registered hunting rifles) However this no common sense administration that disarms the nation while money is being spent to arm Syrian rebel extremists and smuggle terrorist from ISIS capital of the world to the U.S while telling people a through screening process is place, even though Syrian refugees have no social security numbers or background. A HALF WAY INTELLIGENT PERSON MUST UNDERSTAND, WHO THE REAL TERRORIST SUPPORTERS ARE!! INCLUDING THOSE THAT SUPPORT SUCH A ADMINISTRATION!!
I have a question.Why aren’t the words “Gun Control” deemed unconstitutional?
Because they’re words, and therefore protected under the first amendment.
You the peaceable gun owner… are the “Terrorist” to the Libtardos!
In the United States, the odds of being killed by conventional medicine are almost 20 times (2,000%) greater than being killed in an automobile accident (23) and almost 30 times (3,000%) greater than being killed by a gun.(24) The conclusion is that the American medical system is the leading cause of death and injury in the United States.(25) So you have an almost 30 times higher chance of being killed by your doctor or by legal (approved by our government…) prescription drugs from big pharma than you have by being killed by a mass shooter or even by any gun at all. Do your own research and you will find out that this is true. Why don’t these self serving clowns do anything about THAT!? It is because they are taking bribes from big pharma…
Good information!! Look and see how many of these mass shootings are related to phychiatric drugs, if not terrorist. You won’t be suprised to see what happens to a person who becomes chemically dependent on this stuff. I also find it funny all but one mass shooting happened right after Obama ‘ s second election. I wonder want what new chemicals where added to the market around that time. Plus we can not forget the suicides related to antidepressants. At one point I heard on the news we were losing more troops to suicide than the enemy during the Iraq war. Our troops are prescribed these meds for post tramadic stress syndrome.
THE MAIN PROBLEM WITH THIS IDEA IS THAT THE DAY AFTER A BILL LIKE THIS IS PASSED THE GOVERMENT; CITY, STATE, FEDERAL WILL DECIDE THAT EVERYONE IS NOW A TERRORIST. WE HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH FIREARM LAWS BUT OUR GOVERMENT REFUSSES TO ENFORCE THE ONES THAT ARE ON THE BOOKS. THEY CAN CONTROL THIS ISSUE SO ASK YOURSELF WHY THEY KEEP ADDING MORE LAWS. I GUESS OUR GOVERMENT THINKS THAT A REAL TERRORIST WILL WALK INTO A GUN STORE AND TELL THE FFL THAT THEY ARE A TERRORIST AND WANT TO BUY A GUN. GOVERMENT MORONS…….AND WE PAY THEM FOR THIS KIND OF THINKING
What? No starving polar bear on an ice flow? Typical liberal/progressive gibberish…..appeal to emotions because facts don’t sway their ilk. Sorry, I’m getting all teary eyed.
I hate how the NRA and pro gun groups are called “THE GUN LOBBY” like it is this dark corporate nefarious secret organization intent on world domination.
Wow I just described the Democrats
my question is what keeps an eye on corrupt government ?
So, “what’s the problem with the terrorist loophole you ask?” “sounds reasonable right?”, until you understand who decides who the terrorists are. Bible thumping, gun toting right wingers! as far as the left is concerned so don’t buy their labels.
Ed ,you left out Christian , Constitutionalist ,Southern ,Law abiding as well .
Close the “Terror Gap”= disarm the law-abiding population. “Bipartisan”= Republicans paid off to do nothing to oppose, or simply go along with the Democrat Liberal agendas.
Well we don’t know what causes a person to be put on a “No Fly” list or a “Suspected Terrorist” list, but to just deny a person their rights without arresting and adjudicating them? I think that flies in the face of Constitutional law.
Look at that video. Slow-motion images of innocent children playing and learning, with soft, sad violins in background. They know what they’re doing. They have to tug at peoples’ heart strings to give their message any traction, because that’s all they have; it’s their only angle. When all available data proves them wrong and reason defeats them, they exploit the one thing that flies in the face of reason: emotion. I just pity the people who buy this crap.