Senator Rosendale: Blame terrorists, not U.S. firearms laws

In the wake of yet another terrorist attack against the innocent people of our nation, all of the facts have not yet been disclosed or discovered. Yet the president and other Democrats use this as a tool to attack our rights as provided by the Second Amendment. They immediately take to the air and state that the guns and ammunition were purchased legally and obviously that must be the problem.

Tashfeen Malik, the female assailant, was granted a K-1 Visa to enter the United States after “rigorous scrutiny” by not only the Department of Homeland Security but by the FBI as well. It is also alleged that her husband Farook, the other assailant, was fine until “radicalized” by his wife Malik.

Malik was born in Pakistan and moved to Saudi Arabia with her family at a young age. She returned to Pakistan for college. Residents from the Layyah district in Pakistan where she is from said her family is known to have connections to militant Islam. It has now been discovered that she provided false information on her visa application.

Democrats divisive

This is the same rigorous scrutiny that Gov. Steve Bullock and Democrats in the Montana Legislature have accepted as adequate to protect the citizens of our great state. In their letter dated Nov. 27, legislators try to demonize Republicans and claim our only motivation in requesting more vigorous screening prior to allowing vast numbers of unknown refugees to enter our state or country must be “divisive politics.” I blatantly disagree! When the two agencies charged with providing security to our citizens fail so miserably, it would be negligent for any elected official to do otherwise.

Even the president finally recognized in his speech to the nation Sunday night that our current screening process is inadequate and must be improved. What a shame it has taken seven years and a tremendous loss of life for him to admit it. One can only hope it won’t take a similar incident for Bullock and the Democrats in the Montana Legislature to recognize this deficiency.

It is divisive politics to demonize Republicans for trying to protect our citizens. It is divisive politics to infringe upon the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens after a national tragedy. On the other hand, it is prudent to know who is entering our country. It is prudent to be able to protect yourself and your family.

I find no comfort in the statements by FBI Director Comey that Malik and Farook are not part of a larger cell or network. The Tsarnaev brothers acted independently in Boston and three Americans were killed and 260 were injured. Maj. Nadal Malik Hasan acted independently at Fort Hood and 13 Americans were killed and 30 were injured.

Arm yourselves

Let me make one thing very clear, immigration is not our problem. Millions of people have come to the United States in pursuit of liberty and a better way of life. They contribute to this tremendous melting pot and embrace the opportunities which are presented for them and their families. We must however take every precaution to identify those who wish to do us harm.

Nationwide, 185,000 citizens had background checks to purchase firearms on the Friday after Thanksgiving; a record. I do not think our security will ever be so effective that we can catch every bad person at the border, nor do I think we can expect our local law enforcement officers to anticipate and stop every violent crime or terrorist act. That is why we all must participate in the task of providing security, whether that be in the form of providing information to local authorities about illegal activities, obtaining proper training and arming yourself with a firearm or passing legislation that actually accomplishes more than providing a false sense of security while in reality taking away the rights from law-abiding citizens.

Matt Rosendale, R-Glendive, is Montana Senate majority leader.

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