I just saw this tweet from presumptive GOP nominee for president Donald J. Trump.
I will be meeting with the NRA, who has endorsed me, about not allowing people on the terrorist watch list, or the no fly list, to buy guns.— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 15, 2016
You will need the gun culture if you want to be elected. You have been tough on other stuff so now is no time to go wobbly.
As I've written in the past, the Terrorist Screening Database, the TSA's "no-fly" list, and the FBI's terrorist watch list should not be used to deny an otherwise non-prohibited person from making a firearms purchase. Secret lists, even if created with the best of intentions, have no place in a free society and definitely no place in the United States.
The possibly gay Islamofascist who pledged his allegiance to ISIS during the middle of killing 49 good people had been interviewed by the FBI multiple times yet was not on any so-called watch list. Saying the addition of people on these secret lists to the NICS banned list would prevent further attacks is nonsense.
UPDATE: The NRA-ILA released this statement about meeting with Trump regarding no-fly and terrorist watch lists.
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:If the Democrats really believe that a no-fly list and/or the terrorist watch list will stop them from obtaining the means to kill Americans, they are sadly mistaken. Gangs use straw purchasers all the time. Am I to think that ISIS terrorists are so mentally disabled that they won't emulate this? No!
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.
As to the efficacy of no-fly lists, this CNN story details some of the people who have been prevented from flying due to the list including Democratic icon Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA).
This is not necessarily a bad thing. If the NRA people he meets with are good guys, and not some buckaroos, this might work.
ReplyDelete"After meeting with representatives of the NRA, my team has begun developing plans to dump the no-fly list and make the terror watch list effective and yet conform to Constitutional requirements."
Hell, a guy can dream, can't he?
Do NOT forget that this is truly about DUE PROCESS... as of now... anyone can be placed on this list with NO REASON... as a matter of fact and record, they have already placed people with the same last name and names that are similar, to those they are investigating. Hell, one of their beloved leaders, Ted Kennedy, was on the list. DUE PROCESS!!! If this is suspended, then the free civil society and liberty is replaced by the oligarchy's capricious bidding and all is lost.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI know the NRA is the 800-lb gorilla in the room, but I can see them weasel-wording their way around the "terror watch list" by claiming "single-issue":
ReplyDelete"We support and defend the 2nd Amendment rights of all Americans. The 'terror watch list' prohibition on firearm purchases is strictly a 5th Amendment issue, and so we are not taking a position on it."
I mean, hey, background checks before purchasing a firearm are OK, right? So why not undergo a FBI investigation if you want to exercise your 2nd Amendment rights and your name bears a passing resemblance to someone on the "terror watch list" (which is different from -- and an order of magnitude larger than -- the infamous "No-Fly List")? We're already preemptively proving our innocence; this is just the next progression of that theme!