CrimePoliticsTerrorism

Should refugees be subject to same scrutiny as gun buyers?

President Barack Obama speaks at the G-20 meeting in Turkey.
President Barack Obama speaks at the G-20 meeting in Turkey.

Something of a revolt is occurring across the political landscape as more than half of the nation’s governors are reportedly resisting plans to bring Syrian refugees to their states, citing security and safety concerns.

The lines seem politically drawn, but the lines may shift as the public clamors for security over hospitality. And the question has been raised about how these refugees are being vetted.

But there’s a possible solution, according to some in the gun rights community. Simply subject all refugees to the same scrutiny that honest American citizens face when they want to exercise their Second Amendment rights.

That may not wash, of course, with President Barack Obama, who seems to have finally decided who poses the greatest danger to the United States. In an interview published by GQ, the president revealed that during his final year in office, his focus remains largely on gun control, and in the interview he discussed taking executive action to further his agenda, which he wants to make sure is “as defensible as possible legally.”

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For a president who can’t bring himself to utter the term “Radical Islam,” Obama hasn’t minced words when talking about gun control. He asserts that Americans have “rage” and deadly weapons.

“In the absence of a movement politically in which people say, ‘Enough is enough’,” the president told GQ,  “we’re going to continue to see, unfortunately, these tragedies take place. The main thing that I’ve been trying to communicate over the last several of these horrific episodes is that, contrary to popular belief, Americans are not more violent than people in other developed countries. But they have more deadly weapons to act out their rage, and that’s the only main variable that you see between the U.S. and these other countries.”

So, while he appears willing to open America’s doors to thousands of refugees that many citizens are, at the very least, wary of, he still seems to have less faith in law-abiding citizens exercising their Second Amendment rights.

The Trumpet, a news magazine publication in Philadelphia, reported that October saw a record number of background checks conducted by the FBI’s National Instant Check System. There were more than 1.9 million NICS checks last month, the highest number for any October in the 17-year NICS history.

On Tuesday, John Urquhart, sheriff of King County, Washington – which encompasses the liberal bastion of Seattle – revealed that on the first two business days following the Paris massacre of 129 civilians, applications for concealed pistol licenses virtually doubled. The most populous county in the Evergreen State, King already has more than 92,000 active CPLs in circulation. Of those, more than 18,000 are held by women.

All of those citizens are subjected to government scrutiny. But it’s really not possible to do background checks on refugees, especially from Syria.

H/T Seattle Gun Rights Examiner here and here.

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