U.S. Rep. Paul D. Tonko urged stronger gun control measures Sunday, including a “No Fly, No Buy” bill banning those on the terrorist watch list from buying weapons, after arriving in Albany days after a 26-hour sit-in by House Democrats.
The “No Fly, No Buy” bill would bar the sale of firearms to those the Attorney General determines are suspected of ties to terrorist activities, with another bill expanding background checks.
Cohoes psychiatrist Dr. Aliya Saeed, however, called the government’s watch listing system a “blunt instrument” that discriminates against people with Muslim-sounding names and would not prevent mass shootings.
Saeed, founding president of the Muslim Community Center and mother of three children, said she considers herself strongly in favor of gun control and restrictions on assault weapons.
But the “No-Fly list” is too flawed to be used to deny access to weapons, Saeed said.
“There is very little transparency on what gets you put on the list,” Saeed said. “We know, whether it was Adam Lanza, Dylann Roof, or Timothy McVeigh, none of those people would appear on a no-fly list, and not because they weren’t dangerous.”
Saeed said she suspects she herself has been placed on the Secondary Security Screening Selection. Before heading to the airport, she would plan ahead, knowing she would be searched. If a physician, a mom, a “goody two-shoes” like her can receive red flags, then the watch listing system as a whole is a “blunt instrument,” she said.
Tonko on Sunday said the “No Fly, No Buy” bill, which was introduced by Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., would keep guns from the hands of suspected terrorists.
“If you’re deemed dangerous to fly with other passengers on a plane, why then should you legally be allowed to go into a store and purchase a gun?” Tonko said.
In a statement, Tonko said nearly 2,500 suspects on the FBI’s terrorist watch list have purchased weapons in the United States since 2004.
The American Civil Liberties Union in a letter Wednesday criticized a parallel “No Fly, No Buy” bill in the Senate, calling the measure a violation of due process and freedom from unlawful searches. In a statement, ACLU said documents show an estimated 680,000 people on the government’s master “error-prone and unreliable” watch list.
The Council on American Islamic Relations Thursday also criticized “No Fly, No Buy,” saying it would rely on watch lists that “disproportionately target Muslims and offer little remedy to appeal incorrect designations.”
CAIR in its statement noted the bill would not have stopped Orlando shooter Omar Mateen, who was not on the “No Fly” list.
Tonko denied the bill violates due process.
“We want every measure of fairness,” Tonko said.
If a person is denied a firearm because they are suspected of being a terrorist, the bill gives them 60 days to challenge the denial in court, a statement by Tonko’s office said.
Tonko said he is willing to consider other options on how to ensure due process.
Tonko called the protest, which called for a vote on two gun control bills, a “dramatic expression” in response to Republican obstructionism in Congress. The goal was simply bringing the bills to a vote.
The other bill, H.R. 1217, would add background checks for gun sales made over the internet or at gun shows.
“Through various means, we were rejected, and we thought, ‘let’s move and address this with a sit-in,’” Tonko said. “Voters have every right to know where sitting members of congress and candidates are on this issue and a vote on the floor is that litmus test.”
The sit-in, led by Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., began when 40 Democrats gathered in the House area where the speaker sits. Over time, the crowd grew to an estimated 100 Democrats.
Tonko said his office received thousands of calls favorable to his cause.
Tonko said he spoke and networked throughout the sit-in. He said he didn’t sleep or nap until the night after the sit-in.
“You got so your second wind came,” Tonko said. “Your adrenaline was propping you forward.”
The protest ended on the night of June 22 when Republican leaders adjourned the House for the Fourth of July congressional recess.
Tonko rejected Speaker Paul Ryan‘s criticism that the sit-in was a “stunt.”
The sit-in highlighted Republican obstructionism, Tonko said.
“America got to see all the dysfunction and denial that is part of the House,” Tonko said. “People did not know there was such recalcitrance.”
Calls to Rep. Chris Gibson‘s office were not answered.
Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-Willsboro, in a statement Thursday afternoon said, “I am a legislator, not a protester.”
Saeed said as a supporter of gun control, she was impressed as she watched House Democrats protest for gun control during the sit-in.
“I do wish they had done that after Sandy Hook,” she said.