A proposal by Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) would have given investigators 72 hours to prove that someone on a watch or no-fly list has ties to terrorism. If not, the suspect would be allowed to purchase a gun.
In the most closely watched measure, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) proposed an amendment that would bar any individual on a terrorism watch list from purchasing a firearm. That failed 47 to 53.
A separate measure Monday to tighten background checks also failed -- similar to what happened after a gunman killed 20 elementary school children and six adults in December 2012 in Newtown.
The House has shown even less urgency in considering gun control measures in the aftermath of the Orlando shooting.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) has suggested taking a slower approach and studying the best legislative response.
"We've got to get it right," Ryan said Sunday on "Meet the Press." "We're going to take a deep breath and make sure that this is done correctly."
The Senate votes came the same day that the Supreme Court turned away another challenge to state laws banning the sale of rapid-fire assault weapons, a victory for gun control supporters.
This is when the Democrats dared to suggest that people might want to check if someone was on a terrorist watch list or no fly list before buying semi automatic guns
But, at least superficially, the NRA appears to have taken a sensible position on the issue. While prohibiting suspected terrorists from accessing firearms might seem like a no-brainer, such legislation would ostensibly give the Executive branch the unilateral authority to revoke the constitutional rights of American citizens without due process. Remember, we are not talking about individuals who have been convicted of terrorism, but those merely identified as suspects, often on the basis of limited evidence. Last year, the Intercept published a 2013 document outlining the Obama administration’s criteria for labeling an individual a suspected terrorist. Those official guidelines stipulated that “concrete facts” weren’t required to make that designation. While one might trust President Obama to exercise that authority responsibly, the fact that Donald Trump has a better-than-zero chance of becoming our next president should alert progressives to the hazards of unchecked executive power
Apparently though Donald Trump is 'coming for your guns'
Donald Trump is coming for your guns — if you’re a suspected terrorist, anyway. On Wednesday, the GOP nominee announced that he would push the NRA to support a ban on firearm sales to anyone on the terror watch list.