General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Republicans Allow Potential Terrorist Buy Guns Legally?!?! [View all]Dems to Win
(2,161 posts)Good article here, from the Guardian:
http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/dec/05/no-fly-list-terrorism-gun-control-democrats-debate-republicans
It's messed up for Democrats to use the no-fly list to push for gun laws
Trevor Timm
And Republicans pushing back by citing due process after years trying to squelch it is no less hypocritical
...snip
If Republicans want to vote down this largely symbolic and hypocritical gun control legislation by Democrats, thats their prerogative. But lets not pretend that they suddenly care about the due process rights that they have spent the last decade and a half attempting to destroy.
At the same time, we should all acknowledge that the no-fly list is an abomination, and its shameful that the Democratic party is not only defending its use but trying to further legitimize and intrench it into Americas laws. On the surface, Republicans are right about one thing: the list is a due-process nightmare that is riddled with mistakes and has ensnared countless innocent people over the past decade and a half.
A federal judge recently ruled the process for finding out if youre on the list and any attempt to get off it unconstitutional, given its Kafkaesque procedures and extreme secrecy, which make it impossible to challenge. The administration has supposedly been incrementally changing its procedures in response to that court order and other lawsuits brought by innocent people who have had their rights violated, but they have only doing so while kicking and screaming.
I am not arguing that Congress shouldnt pass more stringent gun control laws. Even the gun-loving US supreme court has indicated there are plenty of ways to do so without violating the Second Amendment. But we should stop pretending that this legislation will come close to stopping the mass murder problem we have in this country.