U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Joins Bipartisan Group to Introduce Proposal to Keep Guns from Terrorists

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin joined a bipartisan group of Senators, led by Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), in introducing the Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act, a proposal to prevent individuals who are on the No Fly List from purchasing firearms. 

“Now is the time for Congress to work together to advance commonsense gun safety solutions that will save lives,” said Senator Baldwin. “The bipartisan ‘No Fly, No Buy’ legislation is a critical step forward in keeping Americans safe by closing the terror gap and keeping deadly weapons out of the hands of dangerous individuals. I’m urging my Congressional colleagues to support this commonsense reform and to come together to find consensus on additional gun safety reforms to protect our communities and our children.” 

Specifically, the Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act would:

• Give the Attorney General the authority to deny firearms sales to individuals who appear on the No Fly List or the Selectee List.

• Alert the FBI and local law enforcement of any attempted gun purchase by an individual who has been on the watch lists in the last five years.

• Provide robust, due process procedures to protect the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. Any American denied a purchase under this bill would have the opportunity to have his or her case heard before a federal district court judge within 14 days.

Senator Baldwin co-sponsored the “No Fly, No Buy” legislation last Congress in response to the shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, at which time it received the support of a majority of the U.S. Senate.  It was also endorsed by a group of distinguished military and intelligence leaders, including former CIA Directors General Petraeus and General Michael Hayden, along with former special operations commanders General Stanley McChrystal and Admiral Eric Olson. 

The No Fly List and Selectee List are the narrowest subsets of all of the government’s terrorism watch lists.  These lists include the names of individuals who pose the greatest threat of committing an act of terrorism against aviation, the homeland, or U.S. interests overseas.  There are fewer than 3,000 Americans on both lists combined.

The bipartisan legislation was also cosponsored by Senators Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Angus King (I-ME), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Joe Manchin (D-WV).