\u201cThoughts and prayers are not enough. And it\u2019s time for action,\u201d said congressman Bob Dold during his address before the House on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Dold, a Republican from Illinois, was talking about enacting tougher gun laws in the wake of the mass killing in Orlando this past weekend that left 50 dead, including the gunman.<\/p>\n
Specifically, Dold wants the House to immediately vote on bills that would ban suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms, require universal background checks for gun transfers, enhance the background check system to notify law enforcement when someone fails a background check and expand the law as it relates to prohibiting domestic abusers from gaining access to guns.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn short, there are numerous commonsense proposals that will keep guns out of the hands of those that should not have them, while protecting our Second Amendment rights,\u201d Dold said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no quick and easy solution to all the problems underscored by the Orlando terrorist attack. But if we\u2019re able to set aside partisan differences and unite in the best interests of our nation, we can make serious strides in the ongoing efforts to keep Americans safe and prevent future atrocities,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n
Maybe it goes without saying, but there are legitimate concerns or objections to all of those proposals. For example, suspected<\/em> terrorists are not convicted<\/em> terrorists. Giving the government the power to slap a \u201csuspected terrorist\u201d label on any U.S. citizen with the import that it would deprive them of basic rights, i.e. the right to keep and bear arms, without due process is opening up a huge can of worms. An extra-constitutional can of worms, at that.<\/p>\n Requiring universal background checks is akin to placing a tax on the 2A, as very few, if any, gun shops will process a NICS check pro bono. Notifying law enforcement every time someone fails a background check sounds good in theory, but it may be a problem of information overload as many denials may be simple glitches within the system itself.<\/p>\n Lastly, federal law already prohibits domestic abusers from possessing firearms. Extending the reach of the existing law to accused domestic abusers as opposed to convicted domestic abusers (or those with documented cases of domestic violence) raises the same constitutional issues as the suspected terrorists measure. Can we permanently remove a basic right from someone before they had their day in court? Long story short, each new call for tougher gun laws has to be heavily scrutinized.<\/p>\n Yet, lawmakers like Dold believe that is the only way forward following a tragedy like the shooting in Orlando.<\/p>\n “The hateful terrorist attack targeting America’s (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community in Orlando is another reminder of the pressing need to come together and work across party lines to root out terrorism, prevent gun violence and put an end to bigotry of all kinds,” he said.<\/p>\n “We cannot allow partisanship to define this debate,” Dold continued. “We must take decisive action and united action to ensure nothing like the attacks on Orlando, Paris, Newtown or San Bernardino ever happen again.”<\/p>\n While Dold may be one of few Republicans to call or more gun control, he certainly has support from lawmakers on the other side of the aisle. \u00a0The usual suspects, Sens. Dianne\u00a0Feinstein and Chuck Schumer, are also aggressively making pushes to roll back the 2A rights of law-abiding citizens.<\/p>\n Both the senator from New York and the senator from California are pushing a version of Dold’s “suspected terrorist” bill, which would, as mentioned, give the government the power to remove one’s right to keep and bear arms if it believes one is an enemy of the state.<\/p>\n