In an awkward interview with Fox 61’s Al Terzi, Congressional candidate Clay Cope showed once again that he is woefully unprepared to serve in Congress by disputing U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty’s assertion that Al Qaeda is using the internet loophole to recruit potential terrorists. “I don’t know if that was based in any kind of fact,” Cope said.

In fact, it is well-documented that Al Qaeda does indeed use the internet loophole and the United States’ weak background check laws to recruit lone-wolf terrorists.

As Business Insider reported in 2011:

“America is absolutely awash with easily obtainable firearms,” American-born Al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn said in a video. “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?”
 

This is a incredible lack of knowledge from a Congressional candidate who claims to be tough on security. Just as frightening, however, is Cope’s utter refusal to accept even the most commonsense proposals like universal background checks and closing the internet loophole and claims that the United States should not take up new gun safety laws because “[g]un control in Connecticut has been resolved.”

“Clay Cope’s ignorance is astounding. It has been well known and well documented for years that Al Qaeda is using our weak gun laws for recruitment, yet Cope appeared to learn about it for the first time on a television show. This is unacceptable for anyone who wants to serve in Congress, particularly someone who has positioned himself as tough on security issues. Cope has made it crystal clear that he would put the NRA’s interests over the well-being of his constituents.” – Connecticut Democratic Party spokesman Leigh Appleby