Congress Guns

House Democrats Seek to Force a Vote On Terrorist Watch List Gun Control Bill

Written by SK Ashby

House Democrats have filed a discharge petition to bypass House Republican leadership and force a vote on a bill to prohibit persons on the terrorist watch list from buying guns.

I'd call it a common sense proposal but, given their relatively small numbers, House Democrats may not have enough votes for common sense.

Democrats will need 30 Republican signatures for a successful petition, but so far only three have signed it.

"If you agree that terrorists shouldn’t be able to have guns, then put your name down in writing and let’s have a vote," said [Democratic Rep.] Mike Thompson, who chairs the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. [...]

Rep. Pete King (R-N.Y.) authored the underlying bill, which would prevent people on the "no fly" list from buying weapons. But so far, King and fellow centrist Reps. Dan Donovan (N.Y.) and Robert Dold (Ill.) are the only Republicans who have signed on to the measure.

Even if House Democrats successfully force a vote and pass the bill, which is a long shot, it has virtually no chance of passing the Senate and reaching the president's desk. Senate Republicans have already rejected a similar bill.

With that said, I think it's politically advantageous to continue forcing the issue. Republican reluctance to take even meager measures to curb the threat of gun violence perpetrated by potential terrorists exposes the asinine principles that prevent them from getting a leg up on national security.

It's not as if Congress has any other big plans. Congressional Democrats might as well spend their time forcing Republicans to show their cards by rejecting the most basic of national security proposals.