Received a response to my email to Scott Rigell that I sent on 26 June. Since he took the time to send a response I will share it. While I appreciate the response and the assurance that the proposed legislation "while also ensuring there’s a sufficient legal mechanism in place that would guarantee due process." nothing in his lengthy letter outlined or even hinted at what those mechanism's would be, and therefore I can not support his position without knowing more details.
(on congressional letterhead):
August 3, 2016
Dear Mr. Rearick,
Thank you very much for contacting me to express your concern regarding firearm legislation. I value and give careful consideration to the good counsel that I receive, and refer to that good counsel as the “wisdom of the district.”
As you may know, on June 12, 2016, Omar Mir Seddique Mateen, an American who pledged allegiance to ISIS, stormed a LGBT nightclub in Orlando, FL with a rifle and semiautomatic firearm, killing 49 people and wounding over 50 others.
This attack is more tragic evidence that the cancer of radical Islam is here in the homeland. Three ideals must guide us in the days ahead; the first being a willingness to confront the threat of radical Islam with clarity and courage, followed by a commitment to being guided by the facts, wherever they lead, and lastly, a resilient, and indeed immovable, determination to defeat the threat. We must take wise steps to reduce terrorist attacks, mass shootings, and firearm violence. Doing nothing is not an option.
A national debate on what those next steps should be continues to create tension between the moral imperative to protect our citizens and the rights guaranteed in the Second Amendment. However, it cannot be a question that we are under attack from multiple sources, but particularly from those here in the homeland who are inspired by radical Islam.
On June 24, 2016, I joined my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in introducing H.R. 5576, the Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act. This legislation would prohibit an individual on the ‘No-Fly’ or Selectee Lists from purchasing a firearm, while also ensuring there’s a sufficient legal mechanism in place that would guarantee due process. The two lists addressed in our legislation are very narrow – the ‘No-Fly’ List and the Selectee List would impact less than 3,000 Americans or 0.00001% of all Americans. It is very narrowly defined.
As you may know, the FBI maintains the Terrorist Screening Center (TSC) which manages the Terrorist Screening Database (TSDB). The TSDB contains sensitive but not classified information on about 1 million people including less than 5,000 Americans. Various frontline screening agencies receive subsets of this database for use in combating terrorism. The Transportation Security Administration, being one of these aforementioned agencies, uses this information in the form of two different lists: the ‘No-Fly’ List and the Selectee List for the purposes of monitoring flights.
The ‘No-Fly’ and Selectee Lists have their own requirements for inclusion, which are more stringent than the reasonable suspicion to be placed on the TSDB. Those on the ‘No-Fly’ List are prohibited from boarding an American airline or any flight that comes in contact with a U.S. territory while those found on the Selectee List are subject to enhanced screening procedures when attempting to board a flight. The ‘No-Fly’ List contains approximately 81,000 records of which about 1,000 are Americans and the Selectee List contains names of 28,000 people with only 1,700 of those names being American.
Simply put, a terrorist should not be able to fly on a plane or buy a gun. This common-sense legislation does just that and ensures due process for all U.S. citizens. We can implement reasonable measures that ensure guns are obtained legally and do not find themselves in the hands of unwarranted individuals. At the same time, I believe we must uphold the intent of the Second Amendment and remain committed to protecting it for law-abiding citizens. H.R. 5576 has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary. Rest assured, I will support this bill if it comes to the House floor for a full vote.
It is important to me that I keep you fully informed regarding how I am representing you in Congress, so please visit my website Rigell.house.gov and sign up for my e-newsletter, "The Rigell Report." I also encourage you to join me on Facebook at facebook.com/RepScottRigell. Both sites feature timely updates on the votes I am taking on the House floor.
In closing, please know that I consider it a high honor to serve and represent you and your family in Congress.
Mindful that I work for you, I remain
Yours in Freedom,
Scott Rigell
Member of Congress
