Former military leaders on Wednesday expressed their support for a compromise bill that would prevent people on the no-fly list from buying firearms.
Eleven retired military officers sent a letter to senators urging them to support a bipartisan effort lead by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M.
“The implications of the ‘terror gap’ are clear: it allows dangerous people to get their hands on guns,” the letter reads.
The compromise version of the bill would allow the attorney general to also block the sale of firearms to those who pose a threat to the country and are on the selectee list, which means they require additional screening at airports. The Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016 also includes an expedited appeal process if a gun sale is denied.
Among the retired officers who signed the letter supporting the proposal are Gen. Stanley McChrystal, a former top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan; Adm. Eric Olson, a former leader of U.S. Special Operations Command; Gen. Michael Hayden, the former director of the Central Intelligence Agency; and Gen. David Petraeus, another former CIA leader.
The officers reference a Government Accountability Office report that found that known or suspected terrorists have tried to purchase guns or explosives more than 2,000 times since 2004, and were successful more than 90 percent of the time.
The effort to prevent suspected terrorists on the no-fly list from buying guns was reinvigorated in Congress after a shooting at an Orlando nightclub left nearly 50 people dead, making it the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
“Importantly, this legislation also protects the Second Amendment rights of law abiding, responsible Americans. Had this bill been law, the FBI might have been able to detect and stop the Orlando killer,” the letter says.
