rainbowbob
Member
The following is an excerpt from the "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" website, in which they breathlessly inform us that "...terror suspects who are barred from flying on planes can legally purchase firearms and explosives..."
The examples they provide to illustrate the "Terror Gap" includes people with scary sounding Middle Eastern names, but as far as I can discern from the text - not one of them was on a "No Fly" list - a subset of the Terrorist Screening Database.
Wouldn't you would think that if a person merits having their firearms rights suspended because of suspected terrorist activity, they should also be prevented from flying on commercial aircraft?
It doesn't appear to me that any of their examples include persons who would have been prevented from obtaining firearms under the proposed restrictions. Those that are noted to have purchased firearms from licensed dealers are not noted as having been on any list of known terrorists.
Couldn't they have at least found ONE example of how their proposed legislation would have prevented at least ONE incident?
They even include Nidal Hasan - who was a major in the U.S. Army at the time. Perhaps we should first focus on preventing terrorists from joining the U.S. "armed" services.
The examples they provide to illustrate the "Terror Gap" includes people with scary sounding Middle Eastern names, but as far as I can discern from the text - not one of them was on a "No Fly" list - a subset of the Terrorist Screening Database.
Wouldn't you would think that if a person merits having their firearms rights suspended because of suspected terrorist activity, they should also be prevented from flying on commercial aircraft?
It doesn't appear to me that any of their examples include persons who would have been prevented from obtaining firearms under the proposed restrictions. Those that are noted to have purchased firearms from licensed dealers are not noted as having been on any list of known terrorists.
Couldn't they have at least found ONE example of how their proposed legislation would have prevented at least ONE incident?
They even include Nidal Hasan - who was a major in the U.S. Army at the time. Perhaps we should first focus on preventing terrorists from joining the U.S. "armed" services.
About the Terror Gap
Under current federal law, terror suspects who are barred from flying on planes can legally purchase firearms and explosives. According to the Government Accountability Office, in the past six years, people on the terrorist watch list succeeded in purchasing guns and explosives from licensed dealers 1,119 times. Mayors Against Illegal Guns first highlighted the Terror Gap in September 2007 and has supported legislation introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Peter King (R-NY) to close the gap. The following examples of acts committed by terrorists with guns show the importance of closing the Terror Gap:
Fort Hood shooting. On November 5, 2009, 13 people were shot and killed and 30 others were wounded by Major Nidal Hasan, a man who had been under investigation by the FBI and was suspected of having ties to terrorists. Hasan purchased his gun after the FBI had investigated his suspicious activities, but the FBI agents who ran the gun background check never communicated with the FBI agents who had investigated Hasan.
Quantico plot: On July 27, 2009, the FBI arrested seven terror suspects for conspiring to murder U.S. military personnel at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia. Over several years, they had amassed an arsenal of assault rifles and more than 26,000 rounds of ammunition. The ringleader, Daniel Patrick Boyd, was under investigation by the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force, and in recent years, Boyd had traveled to the Middle East to meet with militants.
Little Rock shooting. On June 1, 2009, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad opened fire at a military recruiting station in Little Rock, killing one private and wounding another. At the time of the shooting, the FBI was investigating Muhammad after his arrest in Yemen with a fake Somali passport. He was charged with murder and 16 counts of terrorist acts.
Fort Dix plot. In 2007, six terror suspects were arrested for plotting to attack Fort Dix after trying to buy M-16s, AK-47s, and handguns from an FBI informant. One suspect pled guilty to providing firearms to illegal aliens. The other five were convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. military personnel.
Empire State Building murders. On February 23, 1997, Ali Abu Kamal opened fire on the observation deck of the Empire State Building with a handgun purchased from a licensed dealer in Florida, killing one tourist and wounding six before killing himself. A note in his pocket expressed hatred for the United States, Great Britain, Israel, and France.
Halberstam murder. On March 1, 1994, Rashid Baz shot and killed 16-year old Ari Halberstam on the Brooklyn Bridge. Baz had a machine gun, a 9 mm pistol, and a “street sweeper” shotgun.
CIA Headquarters attack. On January 25, 1993, Mir Aimal Kasi stopped at a red light near CIA Headquarters in Langley, Virginia. Shooting with an assault rifle he bought that month from a Chantilly, VA gun dealer, Kasi killed two CIA employees and wounded three others.
Last edited: