Campaign Action
Here's what you're going to be hearing a lot of from Republicans this afternoon, when the Senate debates and votes on several gun measures, including universal background checks and the "no fly-no buy" amendment from Sen. Dianne Feinstein that would keep people on the terrorist watch list from buying guns: "Of course no one wants terrorists to be able to buy a gun."
That's direct from Mitch McConnell, an approved talking point from the NRA, which is always followed by something like this: "But as we look at how to proceed, we also want to make sure that we’re not infringing upon people’s legitimate constitutional rights. That's important." That comes from House Speaker Paul Ryan, and is also an NRA-approved sentiment. Sen. John Cornyn is going to be offering an NRA-approved bill, and he says "we're not going to presume somebody's guilty and deny them due process of law, we're going to require the government to show some evidence and to provide for a constitutional process, that's where we differ." They'll all point out how flawed the no-fly and terrorist watch lists are. They'll all bemoan the loss of a Second Amendment right under the Feinstein amendment.
So where the hell have they been when innocent people's constitutional right to travel—which has indeed been upheld by federal courts—have been infringed upon? Where's the Republican senate when it comes time to protect other innocents swept up in the war on terrorism dragnet? Nowhere. Sure, you'll hear them talk about how Sen. Ted Kennedy found himself on the no-fly list back in 2004 and how that means the watch-list is deeply flawed and useless.
Then riddle me this—why hasn't this party that's so obsessed with national security (it's "radical Islam" don't you know, not the guns) done anything to fix the damned watch list so it's effective? Because they don't really care if it's effective or not, and they sure as hell don't care if anyone's other constitutional rights might be infringed upon here. The Second Amendment is the only one that counts.
So, Republicans, you don't want terrorists to be able to buy guns, but don't want innocent people losing their rights? Fix the damned watch list, make it constitutional and accurate and appropriate, and don't let people on it buy guns? It's not like you're powerless to do that, you know.