ISIS member urges allies to exploit lax American gun laws
Nicholas Rasmussen
It didnât generate much attention  but  National Counterterrorism Center Director Nicholas Rasmussen   wrapping up a five-year stint at the NCTC  offered a provocative assessment of what  he  sees as a security threat: U.S. policies on guns.
âWe find ourselves in a more dangerous situation because our population of violent extremists has no difficulty gaining access to weapons that are quite lethal â  Rasmussen  said. âI wish that werenât so.â
While itâs true that  Rasmussen  was appointed to lead the National Counterterrorism Center during the Obama administration  the Washington Post noted that  he âs held âsenior positions at NCTC and the White House in both Republican and Democratic administrations during a 27-year career in government.â
And while we donât often hear talk connecting gun laws to national security threats   Rasmussen âs comments didnât come out of nowhere. In 2011  for example  an al Qaeda spokesperson  speaking English  released a video that said  âAmerica is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle  without a background check  and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?â
It didnât generate much attention  but  National Counterterrorism Center Director  [TGT]    wrapping up a five-year stint at the NCTC  offered a provocative assessment of what  he  sees as a security threat: U.S. policies on guns.
âWe find ourselves in a more dangerous situation because our population of violent extremists has no difficulty gaining access to weapons that are quite lethal â  Rasmussen  said. âI wish that werenât so.â
While itâs true that  Rasmussen  was appointed to lead the National Counterterrorism Center during the Obama administration  the Washington Post noted that  he âs held âsenior positions at NCTC and the White House in both Republican and Democratic administrations during a 27-year career in government.â
And while we donât often hear talk connecting gun laws to national security threats   Rasmussen âs comments didnât come out of nowhere. In 2011  for example  an al Qaeda spokesperson  speaking English  released a video that said  âAmerica is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms. You can go down to a gun show at the local convention center and come away with a fully automatic assault rifle  without a background check  and most likely without having to show an identification card. So what are you waiting for?â