Ayotte Helps Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Stop Terrorists from Getting Firearms, Keep Americans Safe

Press Release

Today, U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte joined Senators Susan Collins (R-ME), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Angus King (I-ME) and Bill Nelson (D-FL) to introduce their bipartisan legislation, the Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act of 2016, to help prevent terrorists from getting firearms and to protect Americans.

"I'm proud to work with this bipartisan group of Senators on this reasonable and common sense proposal to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists while ensuring Americans' Constitutional rights are protected," said Senator Ayotte. "It's time to put politics aside and come together on a solution that can actually pass. Our bill would prevent individuals on the No Fly and Selectee Lists - smaller subsets of the terrorist watchlist that include individuals who are heightened security risks - from purchasing firearms, while also ensuring they have the ability to challenge a denial and recover attorney's fees if that denial was made in error. It's a measured and targeted approach that we believe is a real solution, and I urge my colleagues to support it."

The bipartisan proposal would give the give the Attorney General the authority to block the sale of firearms to individuals on the No Fly List or the Selectee List-subsets of the terrorist watchlist consisting of individuals who pose heightened security threats-while ensuring that Americans have the ability to challenge such a denial. The legislation requires the government to pay a successful petitioner's attorney's fees and provides for the petitioner to submit such result to the Department of Homeland Security for expedited review for purposes of removal from the list. The bill also includes a "look-back" provision that ensures that federal, state and local law enforcement will be notified if an individual who is or has been on the terrorist watchlist within the past five years attempts to purchase a gun.

Ayotte has been urging her colleagues to come together and support this bipartisan proposal, and last night voted to advance debate on preventing terrorists from purchasing firearms.