Deirdre Shesgreen

USATODAY

WASHINGTON — Sen. Rob Portman said Tuesday he was open to legislation that would ban individuals on the FBI’s terrorist watch list from purchasing guns — an issue Democrats are pushing in the wake of Sunday’s mass shooting at an Orlando nightclub.

But how far the Ohio Republican would go on this hot-button issue, in this heated election year, is far from clear.

In December 2015, Portman voted against a Democratic amendment, crafted by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif. that would have barred suspected terrorists from buying weapons. He and other Republicans instead rallied behind a GOP-crafted proposal that would have allowed federal officials to stop weapons sales if they were able to prove probable cause before a judge. Both measures failed.

Portman initially seemed to suggest that he was open to reversing his position and supporting the Feinstein amendment.

"I do believe that you should not be able to buy a weapon when you’re on the watch list,” Portman said during his weekly conference call with Ohio reporters. “I hope the entire Senate votes to say that if you’re on the terrorist watch list … that you should not be able to buy a weapon.”

Asked whether that was a reversal from his 2015 stance, Portman said no — and then he seemed confused about what the 2015 provision did and didn’t do amid further questions from reporters.

Feinstein's bill would allow the attorney general to block the sale of firearms to known or suspected terrorists if there is a “reasonable belief” the weapons may be used to carry out an attack. Currently, convicted felons and fugitives are banned from buying guns, but suspected terrorists are not.

America's terrorist watch list, explained

Portman at first said he voted against Feinstein’s proposal in 2015 because it only applied to people on the no-fly list — a narrower list of individuals who federal officials have designated as known or suspected terrorists. Those people are barred from flying to and from the United States.

After reporters pointed out that Feinstein’s bill applied to a broader segment of suspected terrorists, Portman paused and conferred with his staff. “I stand corrected if you guys are right about that,” he said. “I was told it was the no-fly list and it did not require” any investigation if someone claimed they were on the list improperly.

The Feinstein proposal included a provision allowing an individual to appeal to the Department of Justice if they felt there were mistakenly included on the list and thus barred from buying a gun.

Democrats plan to push for a new vote on Feinstein’s proposal later this week. On Tuesday, Portman said he hoped the Senate could reach some bipartisan consensus on the issue.

But asked whether he would now support Feinstein bill, Portman did not give a direct answer.

“I’d need to look at it and see what the alternatives are,” he said.