In the week after the Dec. 2 terrorist attack in San Bernardino that left 14 dead, both the House and Senate voted on legislation to ban the sale of guns and explosives to people on the F.B.I.’s consolidated terrorist watch list.

In case you’re wondering if such sales are a bogus issue, the Government Accountability Office reported last March that individuals named on the F.B.I. list had sought to buy guns or explosives 2,233 times during nearly 11 years between 2004 and 2014. Federal officials approved 2,043 of these sales, or 91 percent. The accompanying table illustrates the G.A.O. data.

In the report, David C. Maurer, the director of homeland security and justice issues at the G.A.O., wrote:

Under federal law, there is no basis to automatically prohibit a person from possessing firearms or explosives because they appear on the terrorist watch list. Rather, there must be a disqualifying factor (i.e., prohibiting information) pursuant to federal or state law, such as a felony conviction or illegal immigration status.

Who could be against a bill to keep pistols, rifles, assault weapons and such commercially available explosives as Tannerite, ammonium nitrate and aluminum powder, and potassium chlorate out of the hands of those on the terrorist list?

The answer is 53 of 54 Senate Republicans and every one of the 241 House Republicans, who voted on Dec. 2 and Dec. 10, respectively, against taking up legislation to ban those on the F.B.I. list from buying explosives or guns.