The NRA’s Troubling Language On Terror Watch Lists

The NRA has signaled its support of policies that would prevent individuals on a terror watch list from purchasing firearms. Although the organization does outline stipulations intended to protect due process, their reasoning is hollow and appears to be a mask to cover their acquiescence to gun control advocates.

Related: Trump Flips On Gun Control 

Yesterday, I blasted Donald Trump’s willingness to go along with such policies, pointing out that secret lists cannot be used to strip people of their rights without due process. Trump said he intended to meet with the NRA to discuss such restrictions.

The NRA rightfully received a bunch of backlash and issued this statement:

We are happy to meet with Donald Trump.  The NRA’s position on this issue has not changed.  The NRA believes that terrorists should not be allowed to purchase or possess firearms, period.  Anyone on a terror watchlist who tries to buy a gun should be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the sale delayed while the investigation is ongoing.  If an investigation uncovers evidence of terrorist activity or involvement, the government should be allowed to immediately go to court, block the sale, and arrest the terrorist.  At the same time, due process protections should be put in place that allow law-abiding Americans who are wrongly put on a watchlist to be removed.  That has been the position of Sen. John Cornyn (R.-Tex.) and a majority of the U.S. Senate.  Sadly, President Obama and his allies would prefer to play politics with this issue.

Wait a minute — why doesn’t being on the terror watch list trigger a thorough federal investigation in the first place? If these individuals aren’t being investigated for terror ties, what exactly is the point of the list? We have to wait until they want to buy a gun and then investigate them?

Perhaps this is a stretch, but I would presume that individuals on any terror watch list have already been investigated and if there was evidence of wrong doing they would be charged. If individuals cannot be charged because evidence does not exist, how are the feds going to arrest them once they are in court over a gun sale?

This NRA statement really makes no sense. Then they ensure us there will be due process for those accidentally placed on the list — is that before or after their rights are stripped away?

Bottom line, if someone is on a terror watch list they have already been identified by the feds. If charges cannot be brought, this law will not change that. All this will do is create tons of red tape, cost lots of money, and force individuals who have been wrongly stripped of their rights to undergo a complicated process of restoration. And that’s if the law actually reflected the NRA’s petty due process service; in likelihood it will not after the D.C. critters get their hands on it.