Heitkamp, Collins, Bipartisan Group of Senators Unveil Compromise Legislation to Keep Guns from Terrorists, Protect Americans

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today joined Republican Senator Susan Collins from Maine and a bipartisan group of senators to introduce compromise legislation that would keep guns and explosives from terrorists and protect American families.

Heitkamp began working with Collins last Thursday on the bipartisan compromise legislation and continued making adjustments through the weekend and early this week before announcing it today.

"Congress cannot continue on the path it's on by voting on bills that don't have a chance of actually passing," said Heitkamp. "We need to reach a bipartisan compromise that truly aims to address the issue of keeping guns out of the hands of potential terrorists, while protecting Americans' constitutional rights. And it needs to be able to get enough bipartisan support to pass in the U.S. Senate. I'm proud to have worked with Senator Collins to reach a commonsense, bipartisan compromise that holds to a simple principle of "no fly, no buy'. It's our hope that with this legislation the U.S. Senate can actually get something done and we encourage more senators -- Republicans and Democrats -- to join us."

The bipartisan, targeted legislation incorporates commonsense proposals that would:

Prevent those on the government's "No-Fly' list or the so-called "selectee' list from legally purchasing guns or explosives from licensed dealers. According to news reports, Omar Mateen was on the selectee list for 10 months.

More effectively enable Americans who appear on the lists incorrectly to get off them. The legislation would provide due process by allowing individuals to appeal decisions blocking their purchases of firearms directly to a federal court of appropriate jurisdiction and challenge their names being included on one of these lists, and, if successful, have their names removed from the list and to awarded attorney's fees.

Implement a "five-year look-back' provision to raise a red flag if anyone who is, or was, entered into the broader Terrorist Screening Database attempts to or buys a gun or explosives from a licensed dealer. If an individual's name appeared in the Terrorist Screening Database within the last five years and purchases a gun or explosives through a federal firearms licensed dealer, the U.S. Attorney General, federal, state, and local law enforcement would be immediately notified.

Senators who joined Heitkamp and Collins at the press conference included U.S. Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Angus King (I-ME), Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Tim Kaine (D-VA), and Bill Nelson (D-FL).

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