A proposal that would ban people on the US terror watch list the ability to buy guns has been rejected by the US Senate.
Just a week after the gun massacre in Orlando, Florida, which killed 49 people in a gay night club, a proposal which would see people on the terror watch list in America banned from buying a gun has been rejected by the US senate.
The US senate blocked a number of proposals which would have strengthened gun control across America. Senators rejected proposals including those which would see extremists unable to buy guns. The proposals also strengthened background checks.
Yesterday the FBI released transcripts from the Orlando shooting where the gunman told police that he was an “Islamic solider” and allegedly declared his allegiance to ISIS.
Omar Mateen was able to legally buy his guns despite being included on a federal terrorism watch list for 10 months prior to the shootings in Florida.
The Senate voted largely along party lines. The Democratic party, which proposed a ban on gun sales to suspected terrorists failed by 13 votes of required 60.
The Republicans put forward a similar proposal and it was rejected by the same margin.
There are currently around one million people on the Terror watch list in the US.
The BBC reports other bills which were rejected by the Senate included:
- A bill to ban suspects on terrorism watch lists from buying guns
- A bill (backed by the NRA) that would allow the US attorney general to delay a gun purchase by a known or suspected terrorist, but prosecutors would need to convince a judge of the would-be-buyer’s connection to terrorism within three days
- A bill that would alert the FBI to terrorism suspects who have purchased a gun, without blocking the purchase outright
