Katko stands with House Republicans instead of majority of gun owners
While Central New York Congressman John Katko pushes his PR offensive this week on counterterrorism, he still refuses to back a commonsense and bipartisan effort to address a real threat to our homeland security: keeping guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists.
While Katko is dodging questions from press to explain his refusal to close this dangerous loophole, he is running out of excuses. Here’s why:
The threat is real. Per the Washington Post, a recent Government Accountability Office report found that, “Between 2004 and 2014, suspected terrorists attempted to purchase guns from American dealers at least 2,233 times. And in 2,043 of those cases — 91 percent of the time — they succeeded.”
Closing this dangerous loophole is widely popular among Americans, particularly gun owners. According to the Washington Post, a 2012 poll found that “even 76 percent of American gun owners, including 71 percent of NRA members, supported prohibiting people on the terror watchlist from buying guns.”
There is political cover. The bipartisan bill was introduced by fellow New York Republican, Pete King. And even Katko’s House Republican neighbor in Central New York, Richard Hanna, supports closing the loophole.
“Congressman John Katko is running out of excuses for refusing to back the popular and bipartisan effort to keep guns out of the hands of suspected terrorists,” said Bryan Lesswing at the DCCC. “Instead of standing with the majority of gun owners who want to prevent guns from falling in the hands of dangerous people, John Katko once again shows that he sides with the extremist House Republicans on the votes that count the most – just like when he voted to defund Planned Parenthood four times. Central New Yorkers deserve better.”