It's amazing but true: we can prevent terror suspects from boarding an airplane, but the FBI doesn't have the power to block them from buying dynamite or an AK-47.
I believe strongly that they should. And so do the 500 mayors who are members of our bi-partisan coalition of Mayor Against Illegal Guns.
It is time to close the "Terror Gap" in our gun laws.
This morning I will be testifying at a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Committee about the easy access that terror suspects have to guns and explosives. I wanted to share with lawmakers the hard-earned perspective New Yorkers have on this national security risk.
The car bomb the New York City Police Department found in Times Square on Saturday night was not the only attempted terrorist attack on our city since 9/11 -- far from it. And sadly, it won't be the last.
Since 1990, there have been more than 20 terrorists plots -- or actual attacks -- against our city.
In the last year alone, the NYPD -- working closely with federal authorities -- prevented two major planned attacks on our City. The first was last May, when the terrorists purchased guns and explosives as part of a planned attack on a Temple and Jewish Center in the Bronx.
The second was in September, when the City and federal authorities broke up a plot to detonate explosives in the New York City subway system.
And, of course, attacks and planned attacks have not been limited to New York.
Last June in Little Rock, Arkansas, a man opened fire at a military recruiting station, killing one private and wounding another. At the time of the shooting, the FBI was already investigating the man after his arrest in Yemen with a fake Somali passport. He was charged with murder and 16 counts of terrorist acts.
And on November 5, 2009, Major Nidal Hasan shot 43 people at Fort Hood -- killing 13. We know Hasan was able to buy a handgun despite having been under investigation by the FBI for links to terrorism.
The Bush Administration first proposed closing the Terror Gap in 2007. But because Congress has failed to act on that proposal, people who may want to do our country harm have been able to buy guns and explosives.
Today, the Government Accountability Office has released new data showing that suspects on the terrorism watch lists were able to buy guns and explosives from licensed US dealers 1,119 times between 2004 and 2010.
That is a serious and dangerous breach of national security.
That's why the more than 500 mayors in Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a coalition that I co-chair with Mayor Tom Menino of Boston, support legislation to close the Terror Gap. This issue is a centerpiece of the coalition's fight to strengthen the federal background check system. Today, we have launched a new website -- www.TerrorGap.org -- to help educate Congress and the public about the Terror Gap and its consequences.
This legislation would give FBI agents the authority to block terror suspects from buying guns and explosives. It would also give them the ability to make exceptions when they determine that blocking a sale might tip off a suspect who is under investigation.
And the bill also allows those on the list to appeal their status to the Justice Department -- and challenge the determination in court.
Attorney General Eric Holder supported closing the Terror Gap in testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee last year. And so does the vast majority of Americans.
A December poll by Republican pollster Frank Luntz found that 82% of NRA members, and 86% of other gun owners, support closing the Terror Gap.
To learn more and take action, please visit: www.TerrorGap.org.
In New York City, we are doing everything humanly possible to prevent another terrorist attack. Under Commissioner Kelly's leadership, the NYPD has developed one of the world's most advanced counter-terrorism programs. One thousand of our best officers work on counter-terrorism and intelligence efforts every day.
A key element of any smart counter-terrorism strategy is to make it harder for terrorists to strike.
That's why air passengers walk through metal detectors.
That's why our police officers randomly check bags in the subway.
That's why our police officers patrol sensitive locations.
And that's why it's just common sense to give the FBI the authority to keep terror suspects from buying guns and explosives.
Now, finally, it's time for Congress to act and fix the Terror Gap. Visit: www.TerrorGap.org.
Follow Michael R. Bloomberg on Twitter: www.twitter.com/NYCMayorsOffice
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In short, their jihad is against the whole sane world.
are all buying guns....ho
What they can't buy, they manage to steal....s
Maybe the first thing to do would be to stop the manufactur
from making assault weapons and selling them to anyone except the Military.
Or maybe the second thing would be to start the draft and keep those soldiers in the U.S. Give the guns to the military to protect America and maybe that would be better than taking guns away
from everybody.
As far as I am concerned.
Give me Liberty or give me Death doesn't sound too appealing.
While I've got you here, though, a brief suggestion
Or, you know, we could all pretend while visiting that New York City is a sovereign micronatio
Heh heh. "Pretend".
You don't read much then. http://www
The problem with what you are saying is this: If the US government has enough evidence to put these people on trial or in jail then they would not be on a 'No Fly List'. As they are not in jail, that makes them no different than you or me. If they have no previous (criminal) record and are legal residents in this country, they can buy guns.
The term 'person of interest' is another lesser word for suspect, used when you don't actually have any way to legitimize that latter term but want to put a person through the media ringer. Saying someone is on the No Fly List is equally meaningles
It has been proven repeatedly that a STATISTICA
So you propose to prohibit their Second amendment rights? Now it's suddenly OK for you and a bunch of 'under-int
I have a solution. Actually do the police work that proves someone is involved in illegal activity and arrest them, otherwise you are turning our country into a second rate banana dictatorsh
http://caf
New York State policies are abhorrent and barbarous. This yields theft of service. But Gov. Paterson would rather do budget cuts. Mr.Mayor, Honorable Mayor Bloomberg, please stop him.
What is the criteria to be labeled a "TERROR SUSPECT"? Just suspicion? If the government sees you as a threat, PRESTO you are a terror suspect. No need to be proven a criminal by a court of law to have your rights taken away.
The Time Square terror idiot, was not on any watch list. So would this "Gap Closure" have helped? NO. He had propane tanks in the Nissan. I can but that at the home depot.
This is a B.S. attempt to give the government the authority to violate your rights when it feels like.
Any type of weapon in a potential †errorsit'
Who is to say that someone on a watch list is indeed a †errorist? What is the criteria to get on such list? Mere suspicion? It happened more than once under Bush that journalist
We already have the Patriot Act, that allows the President to lead troops against US citizens, detain people on mere suspicion, and seize their property. Someone protesting can be seen as a domestic †errorist, if the government "feels" intimidate
A secret "list" created in the secrecy of a government office, without any oversight, cannot be a legal basis to revoke any right, whether it is gun ownership or any other citizen's right.
Take the hard/hones
Think again, Mayor Bloomberg.
For political reasons that are uniquely American we now have the opportunit
So instead of, "I can't believe the NRA would oppose this" or "oh so NOW the conservati
What is a watch-list
Now you want to use this list and start taking people's rights away, simply because they are on that list? Come on.
Incorrect statement. It should be "90% of the guns SUBMITTED FOR TRACING". This number is a small subset of the total number of guns, most of which were not submitted because it was obvious that they couldn't the traced to US markets (e.g., foreign manufactur
The founding fathers created the second amendment for very sound reasons, it allows a person to provide food, and protection
How exactly is the idea of denying people their protected rights , by being arbitraril
I can't understand why there are so many petitions for all this "stuff" but no reaction from the government
Annette Thiry, a HuffPost reader
WASHINGTON – Federal law enforcemen
WASHINGTON - The name of the Justice Department
Meet Mikey Hicks, 8: U.S. has him on watch list
Since he was 2, he has been frisked, his family delayed every time they fly
As of Nov. 2009, there are well over 1.3 million names on the list covering an alleged 400,000 unique individual
There are 1,600 names suggested to it daily with over 20,000 added per month.
The qualificat
An audit by the DoJ found a 35% error rate based on spot checks of names on the list.
A check on 216 known terrorists found 35 who were NOT on the lists.
http://day
Why?...for looks.
My husband, children and I were always 'randomly' selected although both of us worked for the airlines. One time it was my family and a pilot in uniform going through the secondary check while 5 Middle Eastern (no offense) ranging 20-30yrs old boarded all together - this was a few months after 9/11. We were furious, and the pilot was outraged - he almost was refused boarding for making a comment that they had 3 airline employees and two very small children being frisked while people of a "higher suspicion" should have been there instead of us.