He also supported denying gun sales to suspected or known terrorists, but only if prosecutors could prove within three days that the would-be gun buyer was involved in terrorism.
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“Surely the terrorist attacks in San Bernardino and in Orlando that took so many lives are a call for compromise [and] a plea for bipartisan action”, Collins said.
Susan Collins (R-Me.) said Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) will allow the Senate to vote on a new bipartisan gun control proposal that would bar those on the terror watchlist from purchasing firearms pending an appeals process. A measure put forward by Democrats sought to bar people on Federal Bureau of Investigation watchlists or no-fly lists from buying firearms.
Collins’ proposal won support Tuesday from a bipartisan group of senators, including Angus King, I-Maine. If successful, Collins said Americans and green card holders could get their attorney fees covered if their appeal is successful. “We need to reach a bipartisan compromise that truly aims to address the issue of keeping guns out of the hands of potential terrorists, while protecting Americans’ constitutional rights. It’s time to start putting progress in front of politics”.
Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida voiced dismay after all four bills failed to pass, blaming the failure on the NRA’s influence.
Even after the June 12 mass shooting in Orlando by a sympathizer of Islamic State extremists that left 49 people dead, neither party has seemed eager to cut a deal that might anger its most loyal voters – NRA-backing conservatives and pro-gun control liberals.
“What am I going to tell the community of Orlando that is trying to come together in the healing?” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said, “Senate Republicans ought to be embarrassed, but they’re not, because the NRA is happy”, reports The Washington Post.
Hoping to convince fellow Republicans and gun rights advocates, Graham, who noted that he owns an AR-15 semiautomatic rifle, said he wasn’t bothered by the inconvenience of “retroactive due process” for people mistakenly on the list due to the far greater interest of national security.
The Senate voted 47-53 rejecting a proposal from Sen. Another would have banned anyone on the terrorist watch list from buying guns.
Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) voted in favor of an amendment that would require law enforcement to be alerted when anyone on the terror watch list attempts to buy a weapon.
“The person who is on this list for the wrong reason, they have a way to fix the problem”, he said.
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The proposal from U.S. Sen. Of those, roughly 2,800 are US citizens, Collins said. “I’m sick of the claims that we’ll do something about it. I’m sick of the partisan rhetoric, and I’m really sick of getting to the end of all of it and not doing something about it and seeing that happen again and again and again”, Kaine said at the press conference as he explained why he supports the measure.
