Bloomberg gun control group releases national ad featuring al-Qaida figure

Remember this recent Virginian-Pilot story about gun control groups seizing on a terrorist spokesman's statements on exploiting American gun laws to acquire weapons?

While we doubt the folks at Mayors Against Illegal Guns read the article, it's evident the group co-founded by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is aware of the remarks by al-Qaida American spokesman Adam Gadahn because they're being featured in a national television ad from the group.

(The ad is part of a campaign calling on Congress to address what the groups considers "gaps" in American gun laws. Norfolk Mayor Paul Fraim and Virginia Beach Mayor Will Sessoms are listed as members of the group on its' Web site.)

In the original video, Gadahn advised followers to take advantage of domestic gun laws to arm themselves, an apparent reference to the so-called gun show loophole.

"America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms," he said in the clip. "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?"

(For the record, the automatic weapon claim isn't accurate.)

In Virginia, licensed firearm dealers are required to perform criminal background checks before selling a weapon.

Gun control advocates, including relatives of victims of the 2007 shooting massacre at Virginia Tech, want state law changed to require private vendors at gun shows to obtain checks before a sale. They also support a national background check standard.

“Criminals already know how to take advantage of gaps in our gun laws, and now Al Qaeda knows, too,” Bloomberg said in a statement about the ad.

-- Julian Walker

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