Daesh urges followers to purchase firearms at US gun shows

Rasa - The Daesh terrorist group (ISIL) has urged its sympathizers to purchase and stockpile weapons in the United States, by taking advantage of the country’s lax gun laws.

News ID: 429486

Date: 06 May 2017 - 22:03

RNA - “With approximately 5,000 gun shows taking place annually within the United States, the acquisition of firearms becomes a very easy matter," the group’s propaganda magazine Rumiyah said in an article on Friday.

“In most US states, anything from a single-shot shotgun all the way up to a semi-automatic AR-15 rifle can be purchased at showrooms or through online sales — by way of private dealers — with no background checks, and without requiring either an ID or a gun license,” it said.

“If one does not possess any direct or informal contact with any gun dealers, he should abstain from randomly asking people whom they consider ‘trustworthy’ for help in acquiring them,” it added.

The article also called on adherents of the Takfiri group to take and kill hostages in enclosed locations and cites, referring to the 2016 massacre in an Orlando nightclub in which 49 people were killed.

The US federal rules inhibit the sale of firearms by licensed dealers by requiring background check on buyers. However, private sellers, often attending conventions, are not subject to that law and can sell to other individuals within their state without proper documentations.

In 2011, an al-Qaeda spokesman made a video talking about the accessibility of guns in the United States.

"In the West, you’ve got a lot at your disposal," Adam Gadahn said. "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?"

US citizens are almost becoming habituated to gun violence with an average 87 deaths and 183 injuries each day, often attributed to the country’s lax gun laws and the presence of strong gun lobbies, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Republican-controlled Congress had repeatedly snubbed efforts of the administration of former President Barack Obama to tighten gun laws.

An estimated 283 million guns are owned by US citizens. 2012 saw the highest number of shooting victims in American history, with the worst tragedy in that year being the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.

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