Speaker Paul Ryan said Thursday the House leadership is considering how to respond to Texas Sen. John Cornyn’s gun control amendment that was added to the Commerce, Justice, State and related agencies’ appropriations bill.
But before the GOP-controlled House moves on any Senate-approved legislation to tighten gun laws, Ryan said he has three concerns that need to be addressed, the Wisconsin Republican told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd.
“The question right now is if someone is on a terror watch list — are the authorities notified as to whether a person on that list is trying to purchase a gun or not? That is the procedure right now. So the question is can we make sure that that procedure works the way it’s supposed to work?” Ryan said.
Next, Ryan warned any legislation must respect a person’s constitutional rights and maintain the due process each American has been promised despite wanting to handle national security concerns quickly.
Finally, the House leader said the FBI has warned lawmakers not to undermine or blow terrorism investigations.
“So we can’t just be very clumsy, and rush to judgment, and do something that actually harms our ability to do terrorist investigations,” Ryan said. “We’ve got to get it right. And we’re going to take a deep breath, and make sure that this is done correctly, so that the policy of making sure that the authorities know, and have time to respond to if a person who is on a terrorist watch list is trying to buy a gun, that they’re notified.”
The full interview will air Sunday on “Meet the Press.”
