http://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2001/11/27/guns.htm
McCain: Terrorists bypass laws by using gun shows
By Susan Page
WASHINGTON — Sen. John McCain says he will force Senate consideration of a controversial gun control measure early next year bolstered by a newly powerful argument: Foreign terrorists have exploited a loophole to buy weapons at gun shows while bypassing federal background checks.
“Clearly, alleged members of terrorist organizations have been able to secure guns and weapons using the gun show loophole,” McCain, R-Ariz., said in a telephone interview with USA TODAY. “I think that lends some urgency” to tightening the law.
McCain and Sen. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, notified GOP colleagues this week that they would attach the legislation to the first appropriate bill, probably a homeland security measure, after the Senate convenes in January.
The parliamentary move is likely to force debate on one of the most divisive issues in American politics, one that has been largely sidelined for the past year.
The proposal, also sponsored by Democratic senators Joe Lieberman of Connecticut and Charles Schumer of New York, would mandate checks on buyers at weekend gun shows similar to those now in effect for customers of federally licensed gun dealers. The National Rifle Association and other critics call the proposal unworkable and intrusive.