WASHINGTON — Many Democrats and even Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is saying that a loophole needs to be closed that allows thousands of people with ties to terror groups to buy guns.
While the debate continues on what to do about Syrian refugees, Democrats in the U.S. Senate are warning there's a bigger safety threat from suspected terrorists already in the U.S.
How people from both sides of the aisle want this loophole closed on Channel 2 Action News at 6:44.
Individuals on the federal terrorist watch list are allowed to legally buy firearms and explosives.
"These are people who are either part of a terrorist group or suspected of taking part in terrorist activity," said David Maurer, with the U.S. Government Accountability Office.
Channel 2's Justin Gray obtained a memo from the GAO that contains the most up to date numbers.
Between 2004 and 2014 more than 2,200 who are on the federal terrorist watch list tried to buy a gun. Ninety-one percent of those background checks were approved by the FBI.
"Just being on the terrorist watch list does not disqualify you from getting a gun," Maurer said.
Thirty-eight Democratic senators sent a letter to Republican leaders demanding a vote on a bill that would change that.
It's a move supported by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and the White House.
"One obvious thing that Congress can do is pass a law that prevents somebody who's on the Terror Watch List from being able to buy a weapon," said White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
But critics worry about people who end up on the terror watch list by mistake.
"I am a big supporter of the Second Amendment and I don't want to deprive people unnecessarily of that there needs to be better due process," said GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson.
There's no data on how many of the terror watch list individuals actually purchased guns or explosives, because the FBI is required by law to delete the personal information from their database after the background check is complete.