Rep. Tom Reed (R-Corning)
WASHINGTON – Congressman Tom Reed (R-Corning, NY-23) says he doesn’t support legislation that would ban people on the federal no-fly list from purchasing fire arms, but he does support legislation aimed at increasing security requirements for international travelers.
During his weekly conference call with regional media on Tuesday, Reed said he’s supporting The Visa waiver Improvement Act – a bill introduced in the wake of the terror attacks in San Bernardino and Paris that closes a security loophole in the United States’ Visa waiver program.
Reed said the proposed bill also encourages international governments to share security information across the globe to help stop terrorism from spreading to the United States.
“What the improvement act will do is modernize the visa waiver program and make sure those individuals who have traveled to Syria or other areas that are identified as being part of this unrest in the world, that they would be put on a requirement to get a visa in order to come to America if they traveled to that area within the past five years,” Reed said.
Currently, the Visa Waiver program allows residents from over 38 nations, including France and Germany, to travel to the United States by using enhanced background checks but does not require that individuals to go to a U. S. Consulate to obtain a visa prior to traveling to the U.S. In turn, United States citizens are also allowed to travel to these countries under an easier process, ultimately reducing the amount of preparation time needed for international travel.
The bill comes as a new report that indicates over 5,000 European citizens, many of which reside in countries that participate in the Visa Waiver program with the United States, traveled to Syria and Iraq to fight with terrorists groups like ISIS.
NOT SUPPORTING PROPOSAL TO BAN GUN SALES TO PEOPLE ON NO-FLY LIST
Meanwhile, Reed said that he is not in favor of legislation that would infringe on a U.S. citizen’s Second Amendment rights, even if that person was on a federal no-fly list or similar terror watch list.
“I believe this conversation about gun control and the no fly list really misses the point,” Reed said, adding, “The point is that this is related to terrorists and we need a plan that is going to make America secure. That’s going to mitigate the opportunity for terrorist to come to the homeland.”
“Rather than take on the issue and engage in the politics of the issue, I’m interested in taking on the big problem,” Reed Continued. “The big problem is the threat that ISIS and related extreme Islamic radical jihadist groups represent when they engage in the acts that we saw right here in the homeland in California.”
The Visa wavier legislation now goes onto the Senate for additional consideration. A bill calling for a ban of firearms sales to people on the federal no-fly list was defeated last week in the GOP controlled Senate.
Here’s the problem with tightening Visa loopholes, we, as a nation already have on of the strictest vetting processes in the world; during all the “cuts” that Rep. Reed has approved already has slashed the budget to Immigration services, thus creating an overworked staff, where obviously mistakes can be made.
When Tom Reed tells you “we want smaller government ” it means to cut middle-class workers payroll from the government, not their pay or cronies, but your job.
He sucks on the teat of his big donors and gladly does their bidding. Reed and the GOP doesn’t care about the tragedy, he is in the NRA’s pocket and his votes and actions show this. The people who committed this atrocity knew what they were doing and we didn’t drop the ball on vetting the woman, she was married to an American citizen, thus receiving special discompensations to allow her easier access to keep the sanctity of a married couple together.
The actions of the NY23 district Representative isn’t a big surprise considering who’s really pulling his puppet strings.
How can anyone support selling weapons to people on the no fly, terrorist watch list? Rep Reed cites 2nd amendment right. Are you kidding me? Selling weapons to those we refuse to allow to fly is INSANITY.
If he has issues with how the no fly list is created, who is on it, how they can appeal, etc those are the issues he should address. Not advocate sales of weapons to people we suspect as terrorists so they can use those weapons against innocent civilians.
Sounds like NRA has louder voice than we the people it seems.