The National Rifle Association (NRA) says it’s willing to meet with Donald Trump but it’s not changing its position on “due process & right to self-defense for law-abiding Americans.”
Trump on Wednesday floated a potential ban on buying guns for people on the terrorist watch or no-fly lists, saying he wanted to meet with the NRA to discuss it.
The pro-gun organization responded in a tweet that its position has long been “no guns for terrorists — period.”
{mosads}The NRA expanded on its view in a statement Wednesday.
“Anyone on a terror watchlist who tries to buy a gun should be thoroughly investigated by the FBI and the sale delayed while the investigation is ongoing,” the statement said.
“If an investigation uncovers evidence of terrorist activity or involvement, the government should be allowed to immediately go to court, block the sale, and arrest the terrorist. At the same time, due process protections should be put in place that allow law-abiding Americans who are wrongly put on a watchlist to be removed.”
The NRA said Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and a majority of the Senate agrees, accusing President Obama of playing politics.
Trump tweeted earlier Wednesday he plans to meet with the NRA.
The ban on buying guns would apply to anyone on the FBI’s watchlist, even if they have not been charged with a crime. The gun lobby says this could unfairly prevent innocent people from owning firearms.
Trump’s push comes after a gunman killed 49 people and injured dozens more this Sunday at a nightclub in Orlando. It is the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.