Liberal Mother Jones writer Kevin Drum finds himself in a peculiar situation: in agreement with the National Rifle Association.
The National Rifle Association(NRA) logo is seen at their headquarters March 14, 2013, in Fairfax, Virginia. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
Drum said there are “plenty” of gun control measures he would support, but the bill proposed by Senate Democrats has him siding with the gun rights group.
“There are plenty of gun-control measures I'd support. Banning high-cap magazines, for one. But banning gun sales to anyone who's ever caught the FBI's attention? No thanks,” he wrote. “Senate Democrats have finally put me in the position of agreeing with the NRA. Nice work, folks.”
Here’s how the bill would actually work, according to the Washington Post’s Greg Sargent:
The crux of the proposal is that it would not automatically result in anyone being denied the right to buy a firearm based on suspicion of terror-related behavior. Rather, it would give the Attorney General thediscretion to block a sale to a given individual suspected of involvement of some kind in terrorism.
The amendment’s text specifies that the Attorney General “may deny the transfer of a firearm” if he determines that the recipient “represents a threat to public safety” on the basis of a “reasonable suspicion” that he or she has “engaged in conduct” that constitutes aiding or preparing for “terrorism,” or providing “material support” for it.
Drum argued no attorney general “would dare approve a gun sale after being notified of a purchaser's potential terrorist links” out of fear for his or her career. Due to this, the “effective result of this is to automatically ban gun purchases by anyone who's ever been investigated by the FBI.”
That’s apparently something Drum isn’t prepared to support.
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