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Terrorists Buying Guns?

By Doug Bandow on 6.21.09 @ 3:58AM

Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg is concerned. Terrorists might be buying guns. They must be stopped, all one million of them!

It seems that being placed on the government's supposed terrorist list doesn't prevent you from buying guns. It worries Sen. Lautenberg. And it would worry me ... if being on a watch list with a million supposed terrorists actually meant anything.

Reports the New York Times:

The government's consolidated watch list, used to identify people suspected of links to terrorists, has grown to more than one million names since the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It also has drawn widespread criticism over the prevalence of mistaken identities and unclear links to terrorism.

A report in May from the Justice Department inspector general found that the list kept by the Federal Bureau of Investigation carried the names of 24,000 people included on the basis of outdated or sometimes irrelevant information.

Gun rights advocates said showing up on a terrorist watch list should not be grounds for being denied a gun.

"We're concerned about the quality and the integrity of the list," said Andrew Arulanandam, a spokesman for the National Rifle Association. "There have been numerous studies and reports questioning the integrity, and we believe law-abiding people who are on the list by error should not be arbitrarily denied their civil rights" under the Second Amendment.

The government can't take away people's constitutional rights by simply putting their name on a list. It certainly can't do so when there's no evidence the list is accurate. Sen. Lautenberg should start by insisting that the government clean up its watch list and stop categorizing innocent people as terrorists.

View all comments (20) | Leave a comment

Ned| 6.21.09 @ 9:59AM

"The government can't take away people's constitutional rights by simply putting their name on a list."

Yes it can, and it will if we stand by with our thumbs in our asses and a grin on our faces.

Old Texican| 6.21.09 @ 10:50AM

Good thought, Ned.
I assure you, I got my thumb out last summer.

I believe a bunch of Americans have since then.

We right down the center Constitutionalists are going to have to figure on "Martin Luther King" times FIVE.

Ned| 6.21.09 @ 11:44AM

I think and hope you are right, Old Texican. Even though have a great interest in these things my children never really have until recently. They are good kids who work, serve in the military, and take care of their families. However until now they like many others, they fell into the trap of taking all of our freedoms for granted.
Now as many of their "freedoms to choose" how they live are being threatened for dubious reasons they, for the first time are telling me why they should vote. For now I hope the Democrats and their compliant media just keep on pushing all their bullshit. Remember it was when good old Al Qaeda messed with people's freedom to smoke that the shit really hit the fan for them.

Angel| 6.21.09 @ 1:37PM

I used to think that the government couldn't take over GM and regulate executives' salaries, too.

Just Asking...| 6.21.09 @ 2:45PM

What if they could find a way to only keep Muslims from buying guns?

Would that be worth doing?

Your Majesty| 6.21.09 @ 3:38PM

Lautenberg's idea of a terrorist is anyone who owns or might buy a gun.

Sean| 6.21.09 @ 3:54PM

"Remember it was when good old Al Qaeda messed with people's freedom to smoke that the shit really hit the fan for them. "

Yeah it really started to hit the fan for us as our government started putting over a million people on a watch list for dubious reasons. When the people are scared they will do andagree to things more easily.

Green Eagle| 6.21.09 @ 5:38PM

Keep up the good work, guys! Nothing is more important to preserving our freedom and security than making sure that terrorists can buy guns. This is just one more wonderful sign of the seriousness with which you take the issues of national security, which you champion so continuously, unlike those treasonous liberals who would endanger us all by taking guns away from terrorists.

Your defense of the right of gun manufacturers to sell their products to terrorists is a beacon of patriotism and devotion to the American way of life.

Sean| 6.21.09 @ 6:20PM

Green Eagle do you seriously think that we have one over one million terrorists in this country? If you know who these terrorist are why are they walking around the country? This is shaping up to be a political enemies list more like it.

Daisy| 6.21.09 @ 7:09PM

Yeah, Sean, Green Eagle certainly believes that there are over one million terrorists in our country--and you're one of them because you're pro-life.

Green Eagle is just espousing Janet Napolitano's fascist liberal terrorist watch-list propaganda--get used to it.

Hey, Green Eagle, are you and your democrat buddies taking mental note of Iranian Secret Police tactics?

tailgunner| 6.21.09 @ 9:36PM

Green Eagle: I believe Senator Ted 'Killer' Kennedy briefly appeared on a terrorist 'no fly' list.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A17073-2004Aug19.html

Now we all know that 'Killer' Ted has given our enemies untold amounts of aid, comfort and propaganda, and undoubtedly has the blood of US troops (and one innocent young lady) on his hands...but his inclusion on such a list was obviously an error.

'Killer' Kennedy had no trouble getting his name off the list, what with upstanding icons of Americana like Michael Moore, Cindy Sheehan and John Kerry vouching for his character, but do you think others in the same plight should be subjected to the loss of their constitutional rights because of the judgement of some armchair anti-terrorist in DC?

Richard Baker| 6.22.09 @ 12:28AM

Sean:
How many Moslems do you think there are in the US? I must have missed all those Pro-American rallies by our Islamic citizen bretheren. Maybe this 4th of July, sure. How many al-Queda do you think have walked into the US across the "open" border from Mexico? Remember, Center of Mass.

Old Texican| 6.22.09 @ 9:52AM

Mr. Baker
I don't know how many have come from Mexico. I also do not know how many have come from Canada.
I do know that Canada has a far larger population of Muslims than does Mexico.

I do know that for over 7 years, we "took it to them" on their own front porch. I also know that thy have failed to hit us again after 9-11.
...There is a logical conclusion there somewhere.

Dixie| 6.22.09 @ 12:20PM

Lautenberg is naive. His desire to ban many, if not all firearms proves his lack of patriotism and stupidity. He should realize how easily it now would be for the thousands of Iranian citizens to overthrow their dictator if they had the right to own firearms. Accordingly, in the U.S. it's all about the liberal's desire (especially Obama)for government control of the people, and gun confiscation well can insure this desire. Can it happen here as in Iran? Not now, not tomorrow, but during our children's and grandchildren's time - yes! We cannot let this happen; vote the anti-gun liberals out of office! And join the NRA!

TexasFats| 6.22.09 @ 2:19PM

Given that Homeland Security's definitions of "potential right-wing" terrorists include nearly anybody who is a member of the NRA, opposes abortion, is concerned about illegal immigration, is concerned about the increasing interference of the government in peoples' lives, etc, half of the adult population could end up on a watch list. It is just another way to try to turn us all into unarmed, helpless peasants who are totally dependent on the politicians for our very lives.

Jeff in TX| 6.22.09 @ 11:03PM

If someone is a suspected terrorist on a "watch list" then either 1) charge them or 2) watch them until you can charge them. Then when they're convicted you can take away all their rights - even the one to life. Nuff said.

Patriot| 6.22.09 @ 11:24PM

What's the crime, Jeff, that merits Capital punishment? Just being on the terrorist watch list?

You deserve Capital punishment just for being such a moron. 'Nuff said.

Bill | 6.23.09 @ 7:18AM

Any of you who ever voted the Democrat Party can share the blame.

JD| 6.23.09 @ 9:49AM

Thank you Green Eagle for some common sense sarcarsm. Listen, all of you paranoid gun nuts: YOU'RE NOT GOING TO LOSE YOUR GUNS, EVER. Next it will be terrorists have guns and are invading through Canada and Mexico so you need to buy even more guns. Oh, and where does every criminal and their mother in Mexico get their guns from. Dealers in the US... You nutjob morons.

And Bill and all you other conservative idiots, pull your head out. It's the GOP administration of the last 8 years that has put our country in the toilet...