Several Senators are teaming to close a loophole that could potentially allow suspected terrorists to buy guns or ammunition that could be used to terrorist attacks.
Democrats including Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL.) have placed pressure on House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to schedule a vote quickly that would shut down the loophole.
“There is no reason why suspected terrorists who we consider too dangerous to board airplanes should be able to walk into any gun store in the United States and purchase a firearm or an explosive for the purpose of carrying out a terrorist act,” the Senators wrote. “In light of the horrific terrorist attacks in Paris, the need to pass such legislation is more imperative than ever so that the United States can address a serious national security and public safety weakness: the terrorist background check loophole that allows suspected terrorist to swiftly pass a background check and obtain a dangerous weapon.”
The current law states that “possessing firearms or explosives” is allowed by a terrorist or a terrorist organization. Between 2004 and 2014, the Government Accountability Office reported that terrorists tried to purchase guns more than 2,233 times under this loophole. They succeeded in 91 percent of those cases, or 2,043 times.
Alerts Sign-up