Ayman al-Zawahiri Tried To Purchase Guns From American FFL
BY Herschel Smith9 years, 7 months ago
According to Newsweek:
The shooting attack on May 3 at an anti-Muslim art show in Garland, Texas, sparked debates about freedom of speech versus hate speech, the rise of lone wolf terrorists and the ability of the terrorist group ISIS to strike at the U.S. homeland.
But there is another aspect of this attack that has gone largely unaddressed: the increasing use of guns by domestic terrorists and the loopholes that allow known terror suspects to legally buy them.
Researchers at Indiana State University examining incidents of lone wolf terrorism in the U.S. found that prior to the Al-Qaeda attacks on America on September 11, 2001, domestic terrorists more often used bombs to perpetuate their attacks. However, in the last 14 years, they have increasingly turned to guns as their primary weapon of choice.
Recent domestic terror attacks bear this out: the shooting at Fort Hood in November 2009 perpetrated by Major Nidal Hasan, the 2012 shooting at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin that killed six, and the KKK leader who shot and killed three people at a Jewish community center in 2014.
Data gathered by the Government Accountability Office also supports this trend. Individuals on the consolidated terrorist watch list—including notorious terrorists such as Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri—attempted to purchase guns from licensed dealers 2,233 times between February 2004 and December 2014. In nearly 10 percent of these cases, the FBI was able to find something else in their criminal history to block the sale.
But the FBI lacked the authority to block sales in 2,043 cases because of gaps in current law.
Poor play at gun control with exaggerated rhetoric. Or outright false rhetoric. I had to do a double-take and triple-take when I read that. It doesn’t say that henchmen of Ayman al-Zawahiri attempted to purchase guns from American FFLs, or that on orders from Ayman al-Zawahiri, would-be American Islamists attempted to purchase guns from American FFLs. The article specifically says “Individuals on the consolidated terrorist watch list—including notorious terrorists such as Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri—attempted to purchase guns from licensed dealers 2,233 times between February 2004 and December 2014.”
That’s right. According to Newsweek, the bearded, robed leader of AQ himself, hopped on an airplane in Pakistan, flew to the U.S., appeared before some worker at a gun shop somewhere in the states, and attempted to go through the NICS. There are a lot of things about which I’m not sure, but I am certain of one thing. Ayman al-Zawahiri has never stood over the counter in an American gun shop and waited for the pronouncements of an FFL running his name through the NICS.
It never happened. Where do they get this crap? Do they yank it straight our of their ass?
On May 28, 2015 at 12:04 pm, robertsgunshop said:
“Do they yank it straight our of their ass?’
That’s the only place they can find such stupidity.
“But the FBI lacked the authority to block sales in 2,043 cases because of gaps in current law.”
Damn, that whole “due process” stuff just keeps getting in the way. In a nation of laws, do they really want to do away with “innocent until proven guilty”. They need to understand that like tracers, that works both ways.
On May 28, 2015 at 4:19 pm, Jack said:
There’s one very small sliver of goodness to be found. Unlike the Obama administration, at least Newsweek deigns to classify Ft. Hood as a terrorist attack, and not “workplace violence”.
On May 28, 2015 at 4:25 pm, Herschel Smith said:
Only when it suits their purposes of advocating gun control viz. terrorists.
On May 28, 2015 at 7:18 pm, Archer said:
“In nearly 10 percent of these cases, the FBI was able to find something else in their criminal history to block the sale.”
That’s 190 cases of a “prohibited person” of some variety attempting to purchase a firearm and being “stopped” by the background check. 190 paper trails with names, makes, models, times, dates, etc.
We usually call all that “evidence”. But where are the 190 federal convictions for attempted purchase of a firearm by a “prohibited person”? How many of those 190 “prohibited persons” who were “stopped” by the background check were even investigated, let alone arrested and charged?
This is why the background check will never be a “crime-fighting tool”.
(Also, 2,233 in 10 years? And this is the biggest story they could come up with?)
(BTW, David Codrea found this one, too.)