(The image above is from newsjunkiepost.com.)After the 9/11 tragedy, the United States government created a "no fly" list. The list is of people suspected to be terrorists, and thought to be too dangerous to be allowed to fly in and out of this country on commercial airliners. The list was created by a Republican administration and supported by congressional Republicans. As of 2012, that list had about 21,000 names on it.
But this list is not checked when a background check is made on gun purchases. That's because the Republicans in Congress think that while these people are too dangerous to fly on a commercial airplane, they should be able to buy guns in this country -- even military-style assault rifles. Back in 2011, the House Republicans killed a measure that would have prevented those on the terrorist "no fly" list, and this week they did it again.
Rep. Nita Lowey (D-New York) and Rep. David Price (D-North Carolina) don't think it makes sense to sell guns to people deemed to dangerous to fly commercially, so they introduced an amendment in the House Appropriations Committee to block those on the "no fly" list from purchasing guns (or explosives) in this country. But that was a step too far for Republicans.
The Republicans on that committee killed the amendment on a 19 to 29 vote. They evidently think a terrorist with an airplane ticket is more dangerous than a terrorist with a military-style assault rifle (or a box of explosives). I am at a loss to understand how there could be any justification for this vote. An assault rifle or some explosives can kill a lot of innocent people in a very short time (remember Aurora, Newtown, or Boston?).
It should bother all Americans that people considered to dangerous to fly on an airplane can still legally purchase any kind of gun in this country. It was bad enough that the Republicans killed the bill that would close the gaping loopholes in the background check law, but allowing people believed to be terrorists to legally purchase guns borders on insanity. It shows that the Republicans will not vote for any restriction on gun purchases -- no matter how much sense the proposal makes or how many American people support it.
This is just one more reason why the congressional Republicans must be voted out of office in 2014.
