On House Floor, McGovern Outraged at House GOP Refusal to Debate Bipartisan Bill to Close Terrorist Gun Loophole

Washington, DC, December 9, 2015

On the House floor today, Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) expressed outrage at House Republicans’ continued refusal to allow a debate and vote on H.R. 1076, the Denying Firearms and Explosives to Dangerous Terrorists Act of 2015, Republican Congressman Peter King’s bipartisan bill to close the dangerous loophole that allows terrorist suspects to legally buy deadly weapons.

“Only in this Republican-controlled House of Representatives would this idea of prohibiting terrorist suspects from getting weapons be considered controversial. These people we are talking about are on our no-fly list. They can’t fly on airplanes and I’m glad. And I’m glad they can’t fly with me when I go back and forth from Washington to Boston every week. I think the majority of Americans, Democrats and Republicans, are glad that terrorist suspects are not on their plane, flying around the country when they’re on these planes.

“Why, then, would it somehow be a good idea to say that these people who cannot fly on our airplanes because we suspect them of links to terrorism could somehow go buy a weapon, a weapon of war that could potentially be used against our citizens? There are a lot of things we need to do. This is one of them.

“I get it that there’s a particular special interest out there that is putting a lot of pressure on the leadership and some members of the other side to not be able to bring this bill to the floor, but I would say that the majority of the members of the National Rifle Association actually agree with us on this issue. And by the way, this idea that we’re putting forward here today is not a Democratic idea, it’s introduced by a Republican member of Congress, Congressman Peter King of New York.

“It’s an idea that has been endorsed by a Republican president and his administration, the Bush Administration. Their Justice Department thought it was a good idea. Former New Jersey Governor Tom Kean, Co-Chair of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission, said this is a good idea.

“Reasonable people, rational people think this is a good idea. Yet, in this House of Representatives, we can’t even get it on the floor for a vote. If you don’t want to vote for it, then have the courage to vote ‘no,’ allow it to come to the floor, and let your constituents know where you stand on this issue.”

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