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Dear Hunter,

[ http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=6545 ]In Iraq and Afghanistan, hundreds of thousands of men and women fought for America, and over 50,000 were wounded or killed. While the war in Iraq is drawing to a close, Americans are still fighting in Afghanistan, and every day around the world, we are going after known terrorists and their compounds. As our involvement in Iraq ends today, we are begining our fight against terrorism anew.

As the first in a series of video blogs telling you about issues we'll be working on in the next year, I've prepared a short video to tell you about a very important issue we'll be involved with over the next twelve months.

*CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY VIDEO ON THE TERROR GAP* [ http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=6545 ]

Even as we leave Iraq, terrorists right here in America are buying guns and other weapons – legally, with a background check – to attack our nation and our troops. Even more frightening, the law can do almost nothing to stop it. A recent report shows that when individuals on terror watch lists tried to buy guns and explosives, in 91 percent of attempts the FBI was unable to block gun and explosive sales to suspected terrorists.

*SIGN UP HERE TO PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT FOR CLOSING THE TERROR GAP!* [ http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=6545 ]

This is called the "Terror Gap" in America's gun laws, and must be fixed. Veterans who fought for America, many of whom are proud gun owners, will not stand for letting terrorists walk into a store and purchase their weapon of choice.

Service members have disproportionately been the targets of domestic terror attacks:
* Fort Hood shooting. On November 5, 2009, 13 people were shot and killed and 30 others were wounded by Major Nidal Hasan. Hasan passed a background check and bought a handgun even though he was under investigation for links to terrorism. FBI agents investigating Hasan were never informed that he was trying to purchase a weapon.
* Little Rock shooting. On June 1, 2009, Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammad opened fire at a military recruiting station in Little Rock, killing one and wounding another. At the time of the shooting, the FBI was investigating Muhammad after his arrest in Yemen with a fake Somali passport. He was charged with murder and 16 counts of terrorist acts.
* Fort Dix plot. In 2007, six terror suspects were arrested for plotting to attack Fort Dix after trying to buy M-16s, AK-47s, and handguns from a government informant. One suspect pleaded guilty to providing firearms to illegal aliens. The other five were convicted of conspiracy to kill U.S. military personnel.


*The Solution*

We strongly support bipartisan legislation, sponsored by Senator Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) and Representative Peter King (R-NY) that would allow the Department of Justice to place terror suspects on a list, pending judicial review, that would ensure they pass background checks, before purchasing a weapon.

This is common-sense legislation that does not infringe on a gun-owner's rights, and will protect our troops and our nation. A poll of NRA members conducted by Republican pollster, Frank Luntz, found that even 82 percent of NRA members support closing the terror gap. We veterans join NRA members in supporting this measure. We believe in the preservation of the rights of Americans, particularly Veterans, to defend their homes and families, but that right should not be extended to the terrorists who would attack them.

Please, take a moment and *visit our site on the "Terror Gap" (VoteVets.org/TerrorGap [ http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/6676/p/salsa/web/common/public/signup?signup_page_KEY=6545 ]) and sign up* to help us take on the vitally important issue.

Sincerely

Richard Allen Smith
Afghanistan War Veteran
Vice Chairman, VoteVets.org


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VoteVets.org

[ http://www.facebook.com/pages/VoteVetsorg/8501031021 ] [ http://www.twitter.com/votevets ] [ http://www.youtube.com/votevets ]

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