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The Terror Gap

The Terror Gap

UnknownAs the citizens of Canada mourn the murders of Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent and Cpl. Nathan Cirillo by terrorists, it’s important to note that in the U.S., a suspect on the FBI’s Terrorist Watch List is considered too dangerous to fly on an airplane, but he or she can still buy guns freely.

The Gun Control Act of 1968 prohibits certain people from possessing a firearm. The possession of any firearm by one of these “prohibited persons” is a felony offense. It is also a felony for any person, including a registered Federal Firearms Licensee to sell or otherwise transfer any firearm to a person knowing or having “reasonable cause” to believe that the person receiving the firearm is prohibited from firearm possession.

There are nine categories of persons prohibited from possessing firearms under the Gun Control Act. According to government data, however, many suspected terrorists have legally bought weapons since 2004, thanks to the “terror gap” in federal law.

Under current laws, if a background check reveals that your name is on the national terrorism 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.

The terrorist watch list of about 450,000 people includes suspected members of al Qaeda and other terrorist organizations, terror financiers, terror recruiters and people who attended training camps. People’s names are added to and removed from the watch list every day, and most people never know whether they’re on it.

Data from the Government Accountability Office show that between 2004 and 2010, people on terrorism 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.

In 2013, 247 people who were allowed to buy weapons did so after going through required background checks as required by federal law.

Anyone with a brain and an ounce of common sense could not possibly understand why those on the terrorist watch list can still legally purchase firearms. Yet, for years, our politicians have done nothing to remedy this unbelievable situation, while giving lip service to the phrase “protecting the Homeland.”