|
Washington
–
Today
in
Washington,
U.S.
Senator
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
again
voted
for
amendments
introduced
by
Senator
John
Cornyn
(R-TX)
and
Senator
Charles
Grassley
(R-IA)
that
would
keep
guns
out
of
the
hands
of
terrorists
and
strengthen
considerations
regarding
mental
health
in
regards
to
firearms
background
checks.
“As
I
did
last
December,
today
I
voted
to
keep
guns
out
of
the
hands
of
terrorists,”
Senator
Scott
said.
“The
amendment
I
voted
for
would
make
our
nation
safer,
while
also
protecting
our
due
process
and
Second
Amendment
rights.”
Scott
added,
“I
also
voted
for
a
separate
amendment
that
improves
our
mental
health
screening
in
relation
to
firearm
purchases,
and
provides
more
resources
and
tools
to
improve
the
National
Instant
Criminal
Background
Check
System.
We
know
there
is
a
mental
health
component
with
many
of
these
gun
crimes,
and
we
need
to
improve
our
systems
to
account
for
that.”
The
Cornyn
Amendment
would
give
the
U.S.
Attorney
General
the
power
to
deny
firearms
to
terrorists,
while
protecting
due
process
rights
for
Americans
who
are
mistakenly
placed
on
a
terrorist
watch
list.
Since
their
creation
after
9/11,
multiple
law
abiding
people
have
been
mistakenly
placed
on
the
terror
watch
list
and
no-fly
lists,
and
it
has
taken
years
in
court
to
have
their
names
removed.
The
Grassley
Amendment
addresses
flaws
in
the
National
Criminal
Instant
Background
Check
System,
or
NCIS.
As
Senator
Grassley
notes,
it
incentivizes
and
ensures
that
relevant
records
from
federal
agencies
and
law
enforcement
are
uploaded
into
the
NCIS,
and
defines
and
clarifies
what
it
means
to
be
prohibited
from
possession
of
a
firearm
due
to
mental
incompetence
or
commission
to
a
mental
health
institution.
Senator
Scott
voted
against
two
additional
amendments,
introduced
by
Senator
Dianne
Feinstein
(D-CA)
and
Chris
Murphy
(D-CT)
which
he
believes
would
take
away
Second
Amendment
rights
from
law
abiding
Americans.
The
Feinstein
Amendment
contains
no
provisions
protecting
due
process
rights
for
Americans
incorrectly
placed
on
terror
lists,
while
the
Murphy
Amendment
attempts
to
limit
the
Second
Amendment
rights
of
Americans
to
own
firearms.
All
four
amendments
failed
to
meet
the
60-vote
threshold
for
cloture
on
the
floor
of
the
Senate.
### |