More than 800 gun buyers on terrorist list - NRA counters some suspects might be innocent

No Fly? Then, No Buy

Today, it is easier to purchase a gun than to board an airplane. Today, any person whose name appears on the no fly list can purchase any type of firearm, including military-style assault weapons, provided that he is not a felon, drug addict, or a domestic abuser.


Since 9-11, we have passed many laws to improve homeland security. Yet, this loophole remains open. If you are denied the chance to board an airplane because of suspected ties to terrorists, then you also should be denied the opportunity to purchase a gun.


HR 2401, the “No Fly, No Buy” Act. This bill would add people who are listed on the no fly list to the current groups of people who cannot purchase or obtain a gun.


Congresswoman McCarthy realizes that not every person on the no fly list is a terrorist. However, the no fly list is the only list of potential terrorists with a clearly stated policy for correcting erroneous information. If the only reason for denying a gun purchase is the appearance of the name on the no fly list, the denied gun purchaser could provide correct information. Once his or her name is removed from the no fly list, that individual could make a legal gun purchase. An otherwise law-abiding American would want his or her name off the no fly list. A terrorist in our midst would not draw attention to him or herself.

Backlash against the Patriot legislation has created a fantasyland of political concord: Gun Owners of America nodding in agreement with the American Library Association and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), with the Green Party happily concurring. Organizations across the political spectrum, from village councils to national advocacy groups, are going on record opposing this newest potential assault on Americans’ civil liberties.

While this particular article is grossly disingenuous in pigeonholing the NRA into some kind of gun toting, nutjob outfit, at least they are on the correct side of the issue. Some people need to remember the NRA exists almost exclusively as an organization to protect the second amendment. As such, you probably won’t find the NRA involved in other civil rights issues. The very title of the story, suggesting the NRA and ACLU are “opposite” organizations, doesn’t make any sense. The NRA aims at protecting the right to bear arms. The ACLU aims to defend all civil rights. There is no contradiction here. Anyway, I have completely veered off topic. Rant over.