Cuomo joins Schumer: Stop terrorists from buying guns

Chuck Schumer called Sunday for a push to prevent known or suspected terrorists from buying guns in NY. Cuomo said that, if the federal government won’t use the terrorist watch list in conducting background checks to restrict guns to known or suspected terrorists, Congress must develop a mechanism to grant states ‎access to the list and allow them to keep their residents safe. Schumer & Cuomo urged the feds to return up with a protocol as shortly as attainable in that might permit states to cross reference gun consumers’ names with the secret watch lists.

“This loophole does nothing more than help radical people kill innocent Americans, and it must be closed”, said Cuomo.

The terror watch list is restricted by the federal government.

But the measure failed in the U.S. Senate last week.

The governor pointed out that Monday is the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Conn., and “that should be a reminder to all of us how much damage and pain one person can cause with an assault rifle”.

“I paid a political price”, he said.

“It is sheer madness what we are doing now”, Cuomo said at a press conference with his fellow New York Democrat in Battery Park City.

Cuomo dismissed arguments from pro-gun advocates as well as civil rights groups that there are people on the no-fly list who should not be. “I believe we’re seeing an increase in frequency in terrorism”.

“I don’t know, frankly, that a state-by-state response is going to work”, he said. “I am a gun owner”. “There is a list of people who have criminal background histories. You can be a suspected terrorist and it is not illegal to possess a firearm or explosives”, said Governor Andrew Cuomo. “How many San Bernadinos, how many Sandy Hooks do you need before you have basic sanity that says safety still matters?”