Deborah Labeled "Biggest Riser in the Rankings" of Senate Seats, and Calls for Action to Stop Terrorists From Buying Guns

Press Release

This week, Politico labeled Deborah and #NCSen "the biggest riser in the rankings" of Senate seats most likely to flip this November making it clear that incumbent Senator Richard Burr's reelection chances are becoming increasing vulnerable as voters learn about his history of putting big money and special interests ahead of the people who elected him.

Deborah, this week, called for immediate action from Congress after an American-born terrorist shot and killed 49 people and injured dozens more in an Orlando nightclub. She said, "the right time is now" to protect our communities and prevent suspected terrorists and violent criminals from buying guns.

Richard Burr, instead of working to keep guns out of the hands of terrorists, actually defended Donald Trump's widely criticized ban --or pause-- on Muslims entering the United States. The proposal was widely condemned by national security experts and leaders in the Republican party who labeled it not "in our country's interest," "downright dangerous," and "damaging."

Meanwhile, The INDY Week reported that Richard Burr voted against a bill that would block people on the terrorist watch list from purchasing guns and against a bill to expand criminal background check for guns purchased online or at gun shows -- all while taking over $760,000 from the gun lobby.

Politico Pro: Senate race ranking: Trump tilting the map

Donald Trump's hostile takeover of the Republican Party is boosting Democratic hopes of retaking the Senate in the fall -- and giving the competitive map a slight scramble. Strategists wonder whether lily-white states like New Hampshire and Missouri might now look a bit safer for the GOP, while Republicans running in regions with significant shares of Latino and other minority voters may have more electoral backlash to fear." The biggest riser in the new rankings? GOP Sen. Richard Burr's seat in North Carolina, which goes from 10th to 8th-most likely to flip.

8. North Carolina

North Carolina was a Senate afterthought earlier this year, but its diversity is prompting Democrats to give Burr's seat a fresh look as they figure out their fall priorities. Priorities USA's $9 million buy in the state is evidence of that, and Burr has low name identification. Democrats believe the Senate race is within the margin of error.

Roll Call: Burr Challenger Pushes for Background Checks

In the wake of the shooting at an gay nightclub in Florida, North Carolina Senate candidate Deborah Ross, a Democrat running against incumbent Republican Sen. Richard M. Burr, called for "commonsense" gun control measures, the Salisbury Post reported.

"The right time is now" to talk about how to prevent more violence like Sunday's massacre in Orlando, Ross said Monday at an event in Kannapolis, North Carolina, adding that background checks could be a way to prevent terrorists and people who have a history of violence from getting guns.

A High Point University poll in March found some support in the state for certain gun control measures, with 89 percent of those polled saying they supported requiring background checks for gun buyers, including at gun shows and at private sales.

It also found that 56 percent supported banning high-capacity ammunition clips while 52 percent supported banning assault-style weapons.

But the same poll showed that 57 percent of North Carolinians said that protecting the constitutional right to own guns was more important than protecting citizens from gun violence.

"The Second Amendment is very important, but we have to have commonsense gun safety," Ross said.

Gun control was one of a flurry of issues that former Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan faced in her failed re-election campaign against North Carolina House Speaker Thom Tillis in 2014. Hagan voted to support background checks the previous year and ended up losing to Tillis 49 to 47 percent.

McClatchy: Burr Actually Defends Trump Muslim Ban

WASHINGTON -- North Carolina's U.S. Sen. Richard Burr, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, on Tuesday defended Donald Trump's comments about Muslims following the nightclub terror attack in Orlando.

Trump on Monday expanded his earlier call for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States. Now, he said, he wants to "suspend immigration from areas of the world where there is a proven history of terrorism against the United States, Europe or our allies, until we fully understand how to end these threats."

"The ban will be lifted when we as a nation are in a position to properly and perfectly screen those people coming into our country," Trump said, according to a transcript provided by his campaign.

Afterward, he tweeted, "In my speech on protecting America I spoke about a temporary ban, which includes suspending immigration from nations tied to Islamic terror."

To Burr, that meant a pause in such immigration, not a ban -- even though Trump used both words.

"The speech said "pause' -- it did not say "ban,' " Burr said in talking with a handful of reporters Tuesday. "There's a big difference in that."

His defense of Trump came as other top Republicans disavowed Trump's call for a Muslim ban. House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said Tuesday: "It's not reflective of our principles, not just as a party but as a country."

Trump insists he could pursue his Muslim entry policy with an executive action -- the sort of presidential tool that Burr and others have sharply criticized President Barack Obama for over the course of his two terms in office.

Trump said Monday the U.S. president has "the power to suspend entry into the country of any class of persons that the president deems detrimental to the interests or security of the United States, as he deems appropriate."

Burr on Tuesday didn't say whether he agreed with this approach.

In North Carolina, the Democratic challenger Burr will face in November's U.S. Senate race, Deborah Ross, said in a statement: "Instead of supporting an effort to prevent suspected terrorists from buying guns, Senator Burr is behind an unenforceable ban on people coming into the country based on their stated religious beliefs."

In her statement to McClatchy, she called national security a "top priority."

Burr's comments about a potential Muslim ban or pause are likely more political statements influenced by Trump's presence on the top of the Republican ticket this fall, rather than an indication of intelligence information shaping a specific policy view, says Joseph Wippl, a former CIA officer and current university professor with expertise in national security and terrorism.

INDY Week: Which N.C. Pols Take the NRA's Cash, Do Its Bidding?

Richard Burr, North Carolina's senior senator, voted the same way on both measures. Indeed, he's been a reliable Senate vote for the NRA for over a decade now. In 2004, the NRA spent $540,000 to get him elected. It chipped in another $100,000 to secure his reelection in 2010. And so far this election cycle--Burr will face Democrat Deborah Ross in what is expected to be a tight contest this fall--the NRA has already spent $120,000. Not quite Tillis money, but it's only June.

Burr has given much in return. Beyond those 2015 votes, Burr has supported legislation to exempt the gun lobby from campaign-finance laws (2002); opposed a United Nations tax on firearms (2003); supported prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers (2005); opposed banning high-capacity magazines (2013); and opposed banning "straw purchases"--i.e., people buying firearms on behalf of those legally barred from owning them (2013).

In exchange for Thom and Richard's obedience, the organization has formally awarded both with its top grade: A+.

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