"Under current law, there is no basis to automatically prohibit a person from possessing firearms or explosives because they appear on the terrorist watch list," wrote the GAO's director of homeland security and justice issues, Eileen R. Larence.What's terrifying is that there's no way to know if this is a good or a bad thing, because the terrorist watch list is filled with people who don't belong on it…and people who do.
"Rather, there must be a disqualifying factor (i.e., prohibiting information) pursuant to federal or state law, such as a felony conviction or illegal immigration status."
Of the 963 background checks, 865 were allowed to proceed, and 98 were denied, the report said.
Number of the Day
865. The number of people who, despite being matched during a background check on the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System with a terrorist watch list record, were nonetheless allowed to purchase guns or explosives, between February 2004 and February 2009, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office.
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