Gun Control Loopholes Please Terrorists
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al qaeda Azzam al-Amriki Congress Gun control Homeland Security Committee lone wolf loophole Michael R. Bloomberg National Security NRA Peter king terror watch list Terrorists
A Gun seller. Photo: Pål Joakim Olsen.
In 30 seconds, any American tuned to national cable TV, will become aware of the extraordinary and extreme danger in which society is placed because of the ease with which guns can be obtained by terrorists. “What are you waiting for?” says the American born Azzam al-Amriki, aka Adam Gadahn, the soft faced Al Qaeda spokesman. “Buy guns! Specifically pointing out gun shows – where no background check is done – it’s the easy way to obtain weapons of near military capability. Would be terrorists are encouraged to take advantage of this “golden opportunity.”
Who will act first – Congress or the terrorists? al Amriki is inciting followers, specifically “lone wolf” terrorists to do “major damage to the enemies of Islam, waging war on their religion, sacred places, things, and brethren.”
Is this not an open exhortation to target Jews and Jewish institutions?’
Over 600 mayors of cities of every size have launched a national cable TV campaign to urge the passage of Fix Gun Checks Act of 2011 and the Denying Firearms to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2011 to close the gun show loophole. “Criminals already know how to take advantage of gaps in our gun laws, and now Al Qaeda knows, too,” said New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. The Mayor noted that “Americans, including NRA members, overwhelmingly support stronger laws to keep guns away from terrorists and other dangerous people…Weak gun laws aren’t just a crime problem, they’re a national security threat.”
The advertising campaign is intended to encourage voters to alert their Congressional representatives about the need to tighten lax gun control laws “a critical national security issue” and close the loopholes.
The Al Qaeda video exhorts terrorists to buy firearms at gun shows where there are often no background checks. (Private sellers are exempt.)
Legislation now before Congress would eliminate “this weakness in the law. The Fix Gun Checks Act (S.436/H.R.1781) would close the private sale loophole by improving the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) and requiring instant background checks for all gun sales. Guns and explosives can be legally bought – even by those on a national terror watch list.
The Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act (S.34/H.R.1506) would “give the Attorney General the discretion to block terror suspects from buying guns or explosives on a case-by-case basis.” New York Representative Peter King, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee has introduced this bill. The bills have garnered bi partisan support from more than 80% of Americans polled. The complete Al Qaeda video is available to Algemeiner readers.
Mayors Bloomberg and Menino have been outspoken voices in Mayors Against Illegal Guns since its inception in 2006. The organization has grown from 15 mayors to more than 600, and “has united the nation’s mayors around these common goals: protecting their communities by holding gun offenders and irresponsible gun dealers accountable; providing access to trace data that is critical to law enforcement efforts to combat illegal gun trafficking; and working with legislators to fix gaps, weaknesses and loopholes in the law that make it far too easy for criminals and other prohibited purchasers to get guns.”
The organization has had to work in the shadow of the 2008 US Supreme Court ruling that struck down Washington DC’s handgun ban. The Court cited Second Amendment rights that state “A well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.”
When Washington, DC argued its case before the court, it had the support of Baltimore, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York City, Oakland, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle and Trenton which filed an amicus brief through the US Conference of Mayors. Despite this decision, almost 40 states are examining all aspects of gun safety laws. Tougher laws will discourage or prevent Al Quada operatives from acquiring guns as freely. The Supreme Court’s decision “does not overturn all existing gun laws in the US:” gun laws with a compelling, and narrowly defined, state interest will remain intact. The Supreme Court’s decision was, however, encouraged by former Vice President Dick Cheney and a majority of Congress. This case and its expected appeals, however, are far from finished.
The Algeminer has requested information detailing any special efforts being made to protect specifically Jewish targets. As this information becomes available updates will be posted.
9:31 pm
i see hat not too many people know that a non-holder of a FFL can not access NCIS
that is for holders of FFLs only
this will not work cause a holder of a FFL will not do a background check for someone THEY are not selling a gun to
8:47 am
Madame, your hoplophobia is showing. Take heart though, for even that can be cured: With range-time and proper instruction, you too can overcome your fear of firearms. You might, once you find that you can trust YOURSELF with a firearm, even begin to trust those law-abiding citizens, always around you and perhaps unknown to you, who carry for self-defense every day. You might even change your attitude and stance from “sheep” to “sheepdog”.
Remember: The police have NO DUTY to protect you; self-defense is a personal responsibility of each individual citizen. The Second Amendment guarantees that the government may NOT prevent you from having the means to do so.
And by the way: There is NO “Gun Show Loophole”. What Hizoner is railing about is the ability of private citizens to sell their personal property without interference from the State. (And at Gun Shows in Oregon, for example, ALL firearm transactions – private or retail, must include a backround check. But, outside in the parking lot, one Oregon resident can sell to another without interference.) Private firearms sales across state lines are already illegal under Federal law.
Learn the facts before spouting, or you will look as foolish as Bloomberg, Helmke, Sugarmann, and the Bradys do!
6:45 am
if you are concerned about guns being funnelled to terrorists and paramilitaries, then call up the ATF and ask them why they’ve been running ‘Gunwalker’ for the past few years.
Or are you more interested in exploiting fear and panic to advance your pre-existing and anti-constitutional goal of a disarmed society?
8:12 pm
Both earlier comments are right on the money! Additionally the organization “Mayors Against Illegal Guns” does not have a following of 600 Mayors. They would be lucky to have 20! There may have been over time been 600 mayors that signed up, but most remove themselves from this organization once they become familiar with its radical agenda. I would strongly encourage the author of this piece to do an actual “fact check” before she quotes numbers. The author then goes on to cite the cities of DC, Baltimore, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, New York City, Oakland, Philadelphia, Sacramento, San Francisco, Seattle and Trenton as being supportive of tougher firearms restrictions; and they are. These cities all have massive crime issues and they also happen to belong to non “shall issue” states (with exception of Philadelphia. It is not a coincidence that cities that support concealed carry benefit from a lower crime rate. There is not enough space here for me to quote years of research on this topic done by John Lott in his book “more guns, less crime”; which I invite people on both sides this debate to read! In summary, terrorists – like common criminals don’t need a gun show to buy guns. This is another ploy to broaden the limitations on legal gun ownership. If gun ownership in our country drops or is discouraged because of ever-increasing restrictions on our 2nd amendment rights; it will only serve to empower the enemy. If you have any doubts on this, I suggest you examine the reasons that terrorists in Israel turned to bombs in bags first, then to suicide bombings… Yes that’s exactly right, when John Q Public is armed; the prospect of a shooting attack becomes far less attractive.
11:07 am
Azzam Al Amriki (translate: Azzam The American) is just as poorly informed about American gun laws as the majority of gun control groups. He claims you can buy a machine gun, on a cash and carry basis, without any ID, but I’m afraid that it just isn’t so. I’ve been to dozens of gun shows, and while you will find people there looking to sell their firearms, they are strongly in the minority; most sellers there are FFL dealers and have to conform to the pathetic and laughably inneffective Brady Law. The reality is that there has not been a single law gun control law in world history that has reduced gun crime. To date, I think the only law passed that has made an undeniable and marked improvement to gun crime here in the states was the repeal of alcohol prohibition.
10:09 am
Bloomberg forgot to mention the biggest loophole of all. It is called “Operation Fast and Furious”. That is the BATFE sanctioned program that allowed 1000′s of assault rifles to be sold to buyers that they knew were doing straw purchases and allowing the guns to pass across the border into Mexico. Two of these guns have been tied to the murder of Border Patrol Agent Brian Terry and others tied to hundreds of murders in Mexico.
Much of this program was intended to back up the claims that the “Gun Show Loophole” was flooding guns into Mexico, when all the while it was BATFE that was creating the problem to justify their claims. Congressman Issa and his House Panel is digging into this travesty and big heads will roll, possibly as high as Eric Holder, the mastermid of the Waco Tragedy. The Justice Dept is stonewalling Congres and refusing to provide the requested documents. Can you say Watergate?