Not all American citizens have "the legal and Constitutional right to have a gun," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday, calling for the nation's gun control laws to be tightened in the wake of the nation's mass shootings and recent terror attacks in San Bernardino.
"If you have a criminal background, you don't have the right to have a gun," Cuomo told
CNN's "New Day" co-host Alisyn Camerota.
"If you're mentally ill, you don't have the right to have a gun.
If the federal government has information that says you are suspected of terrorism, so much so that you can't step on a plane, then you should not be allowed to buy a gun and pull a trigger. It's that simple."
The governor pointed out that Monday is the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings in Newtown, Conn., and "that should be a reminder to all of us how much damage and pain one person can cause with an assault rifle."
New York passed within the weeks after Sandy Hook "the most comprehensive gun control law in the nation," the
SAFE Act, Cuomo said, and he's proud of that.
"Sandy Hook actually woke up people, especially in this part of the country," said Cuomo. "New York is very close to Sandy Hook. We took action. Now, one state alone is not enough because we now have guns coming in from other states. We closed the front door. The guns are coming in the back door."
He does believe the country is evolving on the issue, but he does not think the San Bernardino attacks will be the last of the terror threat the United States faces.
"I think this is the new normal," the governor said. "I think terrorism, which was in the Middle East for so long, is now spread 6,000 miles, and the Internet and social media did it. I think we're going to have to recalibrate our response."
He acknowledged that there is no "perfect list," answering concerns by Republicans that there are about 16,000 people on the no-fly list who should not be there.
"We now have lists that we check before a person can buy a gun," said Cuomo. "There is a list of people who have criminal background histories. There is a list of people who have been mentally ill. I am sure there are mistakes on those lists. I'm sure. That doesn't mean you let everybody buy a gun because maybe there was a mistake on a list."
Further, the governor said that while owning a gun is a Constitutional right, it is subject to "reasonable regulation."
"Criminal history, mental health background, and if this nation knows or has reason to believe you are a terrorist, that is a reasonable basis not to allow a person to buy a gun," Cuomo told Camerota.
"If there is a mistake on the list, have a process where the person can appeal and they can present their side of the case."
But at this time, there are terror suspects who can't step on a plane, but can buy a gun, and Cuomo said, "that is ludicrous."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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