People On Terror Watch List Not Blocked From Buying Guns
Even al-Qaida gloats about what's possible under U.S. gun laws. In June 2011, a senior al-Qaida operative named Adam Gadahn released a video message rallying people to take advantage of opportunities those laws provide.
"America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms," Gadahn said, explaining "you can go down to a gun show at the local convention center" and buy a gun without a background check.
Then a faint smile crosses Gadahn's face. "So what are you waiting for?" he asks.
Under current laws, if a background check reveals your name is on the national terror watch list, you're still free to walk out of a gun dealership with a firearm in your hands — as long as you don't have a criminal or mental health record.
Data from the Government Accountability Office show between 2004 and 2010, people on terror watch lists tried to buy guns and explosives more than 1,400 times. They succeeded in more than 90 percent of those cases, or 1,321 times.
"It's absurd that we allow people to buy unlimited AK-47s, AR-15s and Uzis, even if we feel they are too dangerous to be allowed on a plane, even after they've gone through a security check," said Jon Lowy, a lawyer for the Brady Campaign, a gun control group.
But Michael James Barton, a former White House counterterrorism official during the Bush administration, points out there's a lot more leeway to limit someone's right to get on a plane.
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