Senate Floor Statement: Terrorists Actively Looking to Exploit Gaps in U.S. Gun Laws

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Mr. President, I have long sought to bring attention to the dangerous gaps in U.S. gun laws, hoping the exposure would lead to the passage of commonsense firearm legislation.  To those of us who feel that Congress can and should play a role in protecting American neighborhoods from the scourge of gun violence, enacting laws to ensure firearms stay out of the hands of dangerous people seems like a no-brainer.  Unfortunately, the National Rifle Association, despite broad support for sensible gun safety laws among Americans across the political spectrum, has successfully blocked much-needed legislative changes.
Recently a startling new voice joined the discussion highlighting the weaknesses in our gun laws, most notably how we administer firearm background checks.  Consider the following quote describing the so-called gun show loophole: “America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and, most likely, without having to show an identification card.”
While this quote does not break any new ground regarding the dangers of the gun show loophole, it is noteworthy because of the person who said it.  Mr. President, these were not the words of a Member of Congress, advocating for legislation, nor were they the words of a spokesperson of groups like Mayors Against Illegal Guns or the Brady Campaign.  This quote is taken from an Internet video message recorded by Adam Gadahn, an American-born, confirmed Al-Qaeda operative.
In the video, Gadahn speaks to Al-Qaeda followers and sympathizers, describing the ease with which a person can purchase a firearm from a private seller without a background check, often with no questions asked.  In fact, this video is not merely a description of the loopholes in U.S. gun laws, it is an exhortation to would-be terrorists to exploit these loopholes and kill innocent Americans.  To wit, the video ends with Gadahn asking his viewers, “What are you waiting for?”
This video is a chilling reminder that dangerous loopholes exist in U.S. gun laws, weaknesses that terrorists are actively trying to exploit.  While Gadahn is not entirely accurate—a person cannot purchase a “fully automatic assault” rifle at a gun show without government knowledge—he correctly describes just how simple it is for dangerous individuals to acquire deadly weapons in the United States, including semi-automatic assault rifles.
I urge my colleagues to take up and pass two gun safety bills introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ): the Gun Show Background Check Act (S.35), which would close the loophole that makes it easy for criminals, terrorists and other prohibited buyers to evade background checks and buy guns from private citizens at gun shows; and the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act (S.34), which would close the loophole in federal law that hinders the ability of law enforcement to keep firearms out of the hands of terrorists by authorizing the attorney general to deny the sale of a firearm when a background check reveals that the prospective purchaser is a known or suspected terrorist.
Congressional action should not require such stark evidence that Al Qaeda and like-minded criminals are trying to use weak U.S. gun laws to carry out terrorist attacks against Americans.  But the evidence—clear, explicit and terrifying—is here nonetheless.  The time to act is long overdue.

Mr. President, I have long sought to bring attention to the dangerous gaps in U.S. gun laws, hoping the exposure would lead to the passage of commonsense firearm legislation.  To those of us who feel that Congress can and should play a role in protecting American neighborhoods from the scourge of gun violence, enacting laws to ensure firearms stay out of the hands of dangerous people seems like a no-brainer.  Unfortunately, the National Rifle Association, despite broad support for sensible gun safety laws among Americans across the political spectrum, has successfully blocked much-needed legislative changes.

Recently a startling new voice joined the discussion highlighting the weaknesses in our gun laws, most notably how we administer firearm background checks.  Consider the following quote describing the so-called gun show loophole: “America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check and, most likely, without having to show an identification card.”

While this quote does not break any new ground regarding the dangers of the gun show loophole, it is noteworthy because of the person who said it.  Mr. President, these were not the words of a Member of Congress, advocating for legislation, nor were they the words of a spokesperson of groups like Mayors Against Illegal Guns or the Brady Campaign.  This quote is taken from an Internet video message recorded by Adam Gadahn, an American-born, confirmed Al-Qaeda operative.

In the video, Gadahn speaks to Al-Qaeda followers and sympathizers, describing the ease with which a person can purchase a firearm from a private seller without a background check, often with no questions asked.  In fact, this video is not merely a description of the loopholes in U.S. gun laws, it is an exhortation to would-be terrorists to exploit these loopholes and kill innocent Americans.  To wit, the video ends with Gadahn asking his viewers, “What are you waiting for?”

This video is a chilling reminder that dangerous loopholes exist in U.S. gun laws, weaknesses that terrorists are actively trying to exploit.  While Gadahn is not entirely accurate—a person cannot purchase a “fully automatic assault” rifle at a gun show without government knowledge—he correctly describes just how simple it is for dangerous individuals to acquire deadly weapons in the United States, including semi-automatic assault rifles.

I urge my colleagues to take up and pass two gun safety bills introduced by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ): the Gun Show Background Check Act (S.35), which would close the loophole that makes it easy for criminals, terrorists and other prohibited buyers to evade background checks and buy guns from private citizens at gun shows; and the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act (S.34), which would close the loophole in federal law that hinders the ability of law enforcement to keep firearms out of the hands of terrorists by authorizing the attorney general to deny the sale of a firearm when a background check reveals that the prospective purchaser is a known or suspected terrorist.

Congressional action should not require such stark evidence that Al Qaeda and like-minded criminals are trying to use weak U.S. gun laws to carry out terrorist attacks against Americans. But the evidence—clear, explicit and terrifying—is here nonetheless.  The time to act is long overdue.