Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, left, and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., speak to reporters after working with a bipartisan group of moderate senators to find a way to reopen the government on the third day the federal shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, Jan. 22, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

When H. P. Lovecraft was doing his novels about reanimated corpses, he had to have had truly bad ideas in mind. This one comes from Susan Collins, aided and abetted by Jeff Flake and Pat Toomey. Stop me if you heard this one before:

Bipartisan Group of Senators Introduce Proposal to Keep Guns from Terrorists
The “No Fly, No Buy” legislation would prohibit known or suspected terrorists from purchasing firearms

U.S. Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) led a bipartisan group of 9 Senators—3 Republicans, 5 Democrats, and 1 Independent—in introducing the Terrorist Firearms Prevention Act, a proposal to prevent individuals who are on the No Fly List from purchasing firearms. The legislation was cosponsored by Senators Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Pat Toomey (R-PA), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Angus King (I-ME), Bill Nelson (D-FL), and Joe Manchin (D-WV).

…

“Our bipartisan bill is based on one simple principle: if you are considered to be too dangerous to fly on an airplane, you should not be able to buy a firearm,” said Senator Collins. “This bill is a sensible step we can take right now to reform our nation’s gun laws while protecting the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. I will continue to work with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to advance this legislation and close the loophole that allows known and suspected terrorists to legally purchase firearms.”

…

“It just makes sense — if someone is too dangerous to board an airplane, they’re too dangerous to buy a gun,” said Senator Heitkamp. “Our bipartisan bill is a needed compromise that balances supporting Second Amendment rights with keeping guns out of the hands of potential terrorists so we can protect American families. And the bill includes important due process rights for those on the lists to appeal. Congress should pass our commonsense bill, which has strong support from Republicans and Democrats, to help keep our communities strong and safe from terrorism.”

“Terrorists shouldn’t have access to guns, and this legislation has the teeth to make sure they don’t,” said Senator Flake. “This bill ensures robust due process protections, and should be passed. Restricting those who appear on the ‘No Fly’ list from purchasing firearms is a logical step that is long overdue.”

“It is clear that we have an epidemic of gun violence in this country that has touched far too many lives. It’s time to start putting progress in front of politics,” said Senator Heinrich. “If our government has determined that an individual is on a terrorist watch list and is too dangerous to fly on an airplane, that person should not be able to purchase a gun. This is commonsense step that Congress can take right now to keep firearms out of the hands of those that would turn them against our communities. I’m proud to join my colleagues in taking bipartisan action to close this glaring loophole.”

…

“If you have been deemed too dangerous to board an airplane, you should not be able to purchase firearms,” said Senator Toomey. “This important bipartisan legislation advances our shared goal of keeping guns out of the hands of people who should not have them while safeguarding the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens. I hope the Senate will pass this bill soon.”

Fortunately, they warn us in the subhead that this is a stupid idea. The tip-off is the word “bipartisan.”

One is the evil party, and the other is the stupid party. Occasionally, the two parties get together to do something that’s both evil and stupid. That’s called bipartisanship

The other tip-off was that Susan Collins and Jeff Flake were leading the charge.

If this seems like something you’ve heard before, it is not because of the LSD you dropped back in the 80s or the Tide Pods you ate this morning. Shortly after Omar Mateen massacred 49 club-goers at the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, FL, there was a demand that anyone on a no-fly list also be prohibited from buying a weapon. Not that Mateen was on a no-fly list but we have to DO SOMETHING. I addressed this in a post at the time. Caleb Howe also explained why this is a very dumb idea.

If you're a "known" terrorist you should be in jail.

Being "suspected" by the government is not a legitimate standard on which to deprive someone of their constitutional rights. https://t.co/shUHwY0Qo4

— Drew McCoy (@_Drew_McCoy_) February 28, 2018

We need to be prepared for a lot more silliness and stupidity like this.

I really can’t be too hard on Collins for allowing American citizens to deprived of a constitutional right by unelected, unaccountable bureaucrats and to be done so with no showing of probable cause and no way to effectively challenge your inclusion upon the list. Stephen Hayes, of the Weekly Standard and Fox News, ended up on a no-fly list because he went on a suspect cruise. Back in 2016, 72 employees of the Department of Homeland Security were on a no-fly list. Why? Because President Trump seems to have endorsed letting police kick in doors and take your sh** based on a hunch.