I'm generally not in the habit of referring readers to propaganda from terrorists, but this video, flagged yesterday by Andrew Kaczynski, is more politically salient than most al Qaeda videos.
As Kaczynski explained, this 2011 video features Adam Gadahn an American-born spokesperson for al Qaeda, encouraging those sympathetic to the terrorists' cause to do "major damage" by taking up arms against "the Zionists and crusaders."
For those who can't watch clips online, the al Qaeda spokesperson said in the video:
"America 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?"
Remember, for conservatives, the NRA, and nearly every Republican in Congress, the policies touted by this madman must not be changed in any way.
Indeed, let's also note a detail Rachel mentioned on the show last night: "Under the NRA's leadership, after all, we have built a national policy system in this area in which if you are on the terrorist watch list, you can't fly on a plane, but you can buy an AR-15 assault rifle and 100-round drum magazine while you're on the terrorist watch list."
I should note, by the way, that al Qaeda's description of American laws was not entirely accurate. Would-be terrorists cannot buy a fully automatic assault rifle without a background check at a gun show, but they can buy a semi-automatic assault rifle without a background check at a gun show. The detail matters, but the larger point remains the same.
Indeed, as Timothy Johnson noted, the ATF identified gun shows as "a major venue for illegal trafficking" of firearms, and has specifically linked private sales at gun shows to trafficking operations -- some involving Mexican drug cartels. A member of Hezbollah also bought weapons at gun shows in Michigan.