Democrats' "No Fly No Buy" bill is all about NY politics

By Jim Irvine

Newsday reported recently that New York Representatives Carolyn McCarthy, Steve Israel, and Carolyn Maloney, all Democrats, called a press conference to promote a new bill aimed at law-abiding gun owners. McCarthy's "No fly no buy Act" would prohibit anyone who is on the "no fly" list from purchasing firearms.

The bill seems to be a political tool, rather than a serious attempt to fix any problem. Sadly that seems to be the normal mode of operation in D.C. these days.

McCarthy has stated she will run against Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D) who was appointed to fill Hillary Clinton's vacant Senate seat. Gillibrand is at least relatively pro-gun and has been praised by the NRA, while McCarthy's number one issue is gun control.

Can you imagine the reaction to a candidate whose number one issue was speech control, or control of what religion you can practice, or control over who will be quartered in your house? It should strike every American as flat out wrong that we have politicians whose number one agenda is to negate the very Constitution they have sworn to uphold and defend.

Gillibrand aid Matt Canter says her position on guns, "has always opposed gun violence and supported measures that keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people." Amazing! And for that McCarthy has said she will run against Gillibrand in the primary if no one else does. Because the U.S. Senate has long been a problem for gun owners, and with the Democrats holding a near total control of that body, it is crucial to everyone that we keep every friend we have there.

As for the bill, it is terrible. There are pilots on the "no fly" list as well as Federal Law Enforcement officers, and military persons with control of nuclear weapons. McCarthy failed to explain how prohibiting these law abiding people from buying a gun would prevent a single crime. Of course felons are already prohibited from owning guns, so this law would only affect people who are not criminals.

McCarthy did note that people who are denied purchase of guns could "apply" to be removed from the "no fly" list. She did not explain that the process is so difficult that many travelers have gone through the trouble of changing their name because the process is so convoluted.

While the citizens in Ohio and many other states enjoy relatively pro-Second Amendment Democrats, the Democratic National Committee remains steadfast anti-gun and anti-law-abiding gun owner. It will be interesting to watch how the power brokers stack up in this dispute. It's never too early to let party leaders know you are watching which side of an issue they are on.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman, and the host of Firearms Forum, Ohio's first talk radio show about guns and gun rights.