White House: 'Self-Evident' We Need to Ban Guns for Those on No-Fly List, Despite Incidents of Americans Wrongly Included

White House press secretary Josh Earnest insisted that banning anyone on the no-fly list from buying a gun was “common-sense and self-evident” when asked about constitutional and due process concerns.

“There is a view that if the government is determined that it’s too dangerous for you to get on an airplane, it’s the view of the administration that you should not be able to purchase a firearm,” Earnest said. “There have been well-documented incidents where people have suggested that their inclusion on the no fly list was not appropriate and they had a venue for addressing that and in some cases getting that fixed.”

White House press secretary Josh Earnest (Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images)

The reporter followed up, asking, “Shouldn’t there be a higher bar for depriving someone of a constitutional right than curbing their travel?”

“The principle we are operating under here is common-sense and self-evident and one that we obviously stand firmly behind,” Earnest said. “If the government determines it is too dangerous for you to board an airplane, you should not be able to legally purchase a firearm.”

Asked if Obama believes in the individual right to bear arms, Earnest said, “The direct answer is yes.”

“That’s why every time you hear me talk about common-sense gun legislation, it is in the context of, yes, there are changes we can make that don’t undermine the constitutionally protected rights of law abiding citizens,” Earnest said. “That is a principle the president has long advocated. “