Report: Alexandria Attacker Carried List of Republicans Marked for ‘Assassination’

After police took out Alexandria attacker James Hodgkinson, they discovered an assassination list consisting of Republicans in his pocket.

Not only were the names on the list Republican, they were House members who are among the most conservative of Republicans. Life News notes that the three Representatives are pro-life.

The Daily Caller reported that the list contained the names of  Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL), Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ).  “All three representatives are members of the House Freedom Caucus” and Duncan and Brooks were at the Congressional baseball practice on Wednesday, but Duncan left before the attack occurred.

As Duncan was leaving he came upon Hodgkinson in the parking lot and said Hodgkinson asked “if the players on the field were Republicans or Democrats.” Duncan told him the baseball players were Republican.

CNN reported that Hodgkinson was a “Bernie Sanders supporter” who was “strongly anti-Trump.”

After the attack, Breitbart News noted that Hodgkinson bought all this guns legally. Roll Call reported that the Alexandria Police, the Capitol Police, the FBI, and the ATF released a joint statement, which said, “ATF has conducted traces on these weapons and has determined that both were purchased by the shooter from federal firearms licensees.”

The New York Times reported that Hodgkinson was licensed to buy guns in Illinois, his state of residence. That license–a Firearms Owners ID (FOID) card–also requires an in-depth background check.

The bottom line–Hodgkinson is yet another proof that background checks do not–and cannot–stop latent criminals; they only stop actual ones. Background checks look backward, therefore, citizens with no criminal history have no discoverable reason to prevent a gun purchase. This is why the NRA and others oppose the Democrats’ ongoing push for universal background checks. The checks will never be able to stop determined attackers who lack a criminal history, but they will make it harder for law-abiding citizens to get the guns they need for self-defense.

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins. a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.