Gun violence seems to dominate much of the news these days. So much so, the issue of gun ownership and laws governing firearms has been thrust back into the limelight.
Adding to the voices calling for stricter gun laws, Florida Democratic Congressman Patrick Murphy.
Congressman Murphy, along with other members of his party, have demanded the United States House of Representatives take up a bill that would keep people on the FBI’s watch list from buying guns.
To make his point, Congressman Murphy tweeted, “91% of suspected terrorists who attempted to buy guns in America walked away with the weapon they wanted.”
PolitiFact Florida read the claim and put it to the Truth-O-Meter.
PolitiFact writer Joshua Gillin said Congressman Murphy’s claim received a MOSTLY TRUE rating.
Gillin said Congressman Murphy’s claim is on track, but there is something more to consider.
”What we need to keep in mind, the reason it’s only mostly true is that there are some problems with this list. There were a lot of duplicate names in the past. There were a bunch of people who were connected with cases that were no longer active,” Gillin said.
Gillin went on to say the way the list is measured, the fact the FBI doesn’t double check the manor in which the firearm was sold/purchased and whether or not the person bought multiple guns added to the MOSTLY TRUE rating.
SOURCES: Murphy says 91% of suspected terrorists able to buy guns in U.S.
- U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, tweet, Dec. 8, 2015
- U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, Audit Report 09-25, May 2009
- U.S. Government Accountability Office, Terrorist watchlist screening testimony, May 5, 2010
- National Counterterrorism Center, Terrorist Identities Datamart Environment FAQ , Aug. 1, 2014
- U.S. Rep. Dianne Feinstein, "Senators Introduce Bill to Stop Terrorists from Buying Firearms, Explosives," Feb. 24, 2015
- U.S. Government Accountability Office, "Update on Firearm and Explosives Background Checks Involving Terrorist Watchlist Records," March 6, 2015
- Washington Post, "From 2004 to 2014, over 2,000 terror suspects legally purchased guns in the United States," Nov. 16, 2015
- ABC News, "Individuals on FBI’s Terrorist Watchlist Allowed to Legally Purchase Firearms," Nov. 18, 2015
- Salon, "NRA fail: More than 2,000 people on terror watch list have legally purchased guns in the last 10 years," Nov. 18, 2015
- U.S. Rep. Dianne Feinstein, "Feinstein on Visa Waiver Program, No Guns for Terrorists Legislation," Nov. 19, 2015
- The Hill, "Senate blocks effort to keep guns from terrorists," Dec. 3, 2015
- Newsweek, "Terrorist watch list no bar to buying guns," Dec. 3, 2015
- MSNBC, "GOP blocks bill to stop terrorists from buying guns," Dec. 4, 2015
- Newsweek, "Republicans block two gun control measures after San Bernadino shooting," Dec. 4, 2015
- PolitiFact, "Marco Rubio: 700,000 Americans could be affected by bill tying terrorist watch list to gun purchases," Dec. 6, 2015
- U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 1076 discharge petition, Dec. 7, 2015
- Los Angeles Times, "California members stall business on House floor as Democrats try to force gun control votes," Dec. 8, 2015
- The Hill, "Dems force protest votes on gun control," Dec. 8, 2015
- U.S. Rep. Patrick Murphy, "Murphy demands Congress vote on bill to close terrorist gun loophole," Dec. 8, 2015
- Associated Press, "States Explore Blocking Gun Sales to Terror Watch Lists," Dec. 17, 2015
- PolitiFact California, "Did 2,000 suspected terrorists legally buy guns in the U.S.?," Dec. 17, 2015
- New York Daily News, "NRA, Republicans block proposed law to stop suspected terrorists from buying guns in U.S.," Dec. 18, 2015
- Congress.gov, H.R. 1076, accessed Dec. 28, 2015
- FBI, "Terrorist Screening Center," accessed Dec. 28, 2015
- Interview with Erin Moffit Hale, Murphy spokeswoman, Dec. 9, 2015
- Interview with David Joly, FBI Terrorist Screening Center spokesman, Dec. 10, 2015