NRA and Conservative Support of Arming Terrorists Legally
Known Or Suspected Terrorists Are Buying Guns Legally
Recent reports claim that known and suspected terrorists have been legally buying guns in the United States. Under the Bush Administration, those that are found on the terror watch list that have tried to buy guns or explosives where not stopped a majority of the time. Currently, there is no law on the books to stop them from doing so. And if the National Rifle Association had its way, they would never be stopped. And conservatives in Congress are perfectly fine with this as well, regardless of who it hurts and kills.
The Current Crisis
According to the GAO, between February 2004 and February 2009, regular background checks found numerous matches on names that appeared on the terrorist watch list. Under current regulations, 90% of these people were allowed to purchase guns and explosives legally. There is no way to figure out how many terrorists purchased guns and explosives illegally.
New Legislation And The NRA
The GAO issued a new report based on the request of Senator Frank Lautenberg. Lautenberg requested the report because it had not been updated since 2005. Lautenberg is set to propose new legislation that gives the United States Attorney General the authority to stop the sale of guns and explosives to known or suspected terrorists.
The National Rifle Association, of course, opposes any new legislation that may limit anyone’s right to buy a gun, including those suspected of being terrorists. Chris W. Cox, the NRA’s chief lobbyist, stated that “problems” with the terror watch make it unreliable and nobody should be prohibited from purchasing a gun just because their name appears on the terror watch list.
However, the NRA-ILA’s website provides more background to Cox’s statement. The NRA-ILA, the NRA’s lobbying wing, likens the terror watch list to Nazi Germany and Soviet controlled Russia. The website attacks Republican Congressman Peter King from New York for proposing legislation that would give the Attorney General more authority to stop those suspected of terrorism from obtaining guns legally. The NRA calls the legislation a form of blacklist.
The NRA Is Either With Or Against Us
The Bush Administration constantly made the stand that if anyone opposed what they were doing they were supporting terrorism. The Patriot Act put limits on personal freedom by invading the privacy of phone calls and bank accounts. As Americans, we had a duty to allow these inconveniences in the name of National Security.
Doesn’t the NRA have the same duty? Shouldn’t the government prohibit those who are suspected of wanting to commit terror on the United States from getting a gun through legal means? Isn’t that the point of the background check? Of course, we should be afraid of the man who doesn’t bother with the formal requirements of a background check, but if enough information is obtained to suspect someone to be a terrorist, shouldn’t the law make it that much harder to obtain the tools of destruction. Or does the second amendment trump the all other amendments and the lives of ordinary Americans?
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