Graham digs in to ban mentally ill from guns, as Dems focus on assault weapons

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  FILE: January 30, 2013: Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., points at a chart showing an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle and other weapons, during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.REUTERS

As Senate Democrats push ahead with a proposed ban on assault weapons and other gun-control legislation, Republicans are still trying to draw attention to what they see as the bigger issue -- keeping the mentally ill from owning firearms.

The proposal was introduced this month by South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who on Thursday again expressed his interest in getting the measure passed.

“I believe that the best way to interrupt the shooter is to have a mental health system that actually records and enters into the database people who should not be able to buy a gun,” Graham said.

He made his remark while voting against a bill passed by the committee to ban assault weapons and high-capacity gun magazines.

Graham’s proposal would require that people found mentally incompetent be added to the National Instant Criminal Background System – the database for all new gun sales.

Those added to the list would have to be found incompetent by a federal court or other official body. The proposal is based on a 2005 South Carolina case in which a women pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity for threatening to kill President George W. Bush. The woman, Alice Bolan, was later able to legally buy a gun and attempted to shoot somebody earlier this year.

 “The … case is Exhibit A of a broken background check system,” Graham said. “As astonishing as it sounds, that actually happened.”

Graham’s proposal was introduced earlier this month and has bipartisan support.  

"I’m a strong supporter of Second Amendment rights,” Arkansas Democrat Rep. Mark Pryor said in support of the bill. “That said, it’s evident that our background check system needs some improvements.”

Under the proposal, a person would be added to the database for such reasons as being an imminent danger to themselves or others, found guilty but mentally ill in a criminal case, found guilty by reason of insanity, found incompetent to stand trial, committed to a psychiatric hospital or required to have psychiatric outpatient treatment.

Meanwhile, several states are addressing the issue.

New York passed legislation that requires therapists report cases of potentially dangerous behavior to the state. And the Maryland and Florida legislatures are considering similar legislation.

The Florida proposal attempts to close a loophole that allows the mentally ill to voluntarily commit themselves to treatment to avoid getting added to a database. The bill also would require the mandatory reporting of mental illness.

The U.S. Senate committee has now voted in favor of four gun-control measures: the assault weapons ban, more school safety aid, expanding federal background checks on potential gun buyers and helping authorities prosecute illegal gun traffickers.

However, the ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines faces tough odds in passing the full Senate. The measure would need 60 votes, which would require support from Republicans and some Democrats seeking re-election in pro-gun districts.

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Sen. Graham claims Benghazi survivors 'told to be quiet' by administration

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Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, in an interview with Fox News, alleged that the injured survivors of the Benghazi terror attack have been "told to be quiet" and feel they can't come forward to tell their stories -- escalating his push for more information about survivors who have never been publicly identified. 

The White House is denying any attempt to exert pressure on them. 

"I'm sure that the White House is not preventing anyone from speaking," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, when asked about the survivors. 

But Graham told Fox News that "the bottom line is they feel that they can't come forth, they've been told to be quiet." 

"We cannot let this administration or any other administration get away with hiding from the American people and Congress, people who were there in real time to tell the story," Graham said. 

Watch the full interview with Sen. Graham on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" at 6 p.m. ET. 

Graham continued to voice concern about the inaccurate or incomplete accounts that came from the Obama administration in the days following the attack. He is among a handful of Republican lawmakers pressing for access to and more information about the survivors. 

A congressional source tells Fox News that Hill staffers investigating the attack believe about 37 personnel were in Benghazi on behalf of the State Department and CIA on Sept. 11. With the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others, about 33 people were evacuated. Of them, a State Department official confirmed there were three diplomatic security agents and one contractor who were injured in the assault - one seriously. 

A diplomatic security source told Fox News the State Department diplomatic security agent who was in the most serious condition suffered a severe head injury during the second wave of the attack at the annex. 

This agent was described as the likely State Department employee visited at Walter Reed Medical Center by Secretary of State John Kerry in January. 

While not denying the details, the State Department official offered no comment on the nature of the injuries or whether the agent was visited by Kerry or Hillary Clinton before she left office. 

Leading Republicans in the Senate and House have been calling on the State Department to identify the injured and make them available to congressional investigators. So far, they say their calls have gone unanswered. 

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said the administration has provided "zero" documents on the matter and has not provided names of those attacked. 

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., has gathered about 60 signatures in support of a select committee to investigate the Benghazi terrorist attack. Wolf has said the committee is the most thorough and efficient approach to resolving the lingering underlying questions rather than the competing and overlapping committee jurisdictions. 

Wolf, along with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., and leading Senate Republicans Graham, John McCain of Arizona, and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire have pressed the State Department for answers. 

Rohrabacher, R-Calif., on Friday said the administration is "covering up something." 

Fox News' Bret Baier and Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.

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Sen. Graham claims Benghazi survivors 'told to be quiet' by administration

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Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, in an interview with Fox News, alleged that the injured survivors of the Benghazi terror attack have been "told to be quiet" and feel they can't come forward to tell their stories -- escalating his push for more information about survivors who have never been publicly identified. 

The White House is denying any attempt to exert pressure on them. 

"I'm sure that the White House is not preventing anyone from speaking," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said, when asked about the survivors. 

But Graham told Fox News that "the bottom line is they feel that they can't come forth, they've been told to be quiet." 

"We cannot let this administration or any other administration get away with hiding from the American people and Congress, people who were there in real time to tell the story," Graham said. 

Watch the full interview with Sen. Graham on Fox News' "Special Report with Bret Baier" at 6 p.m. ET. 

Graham continued to voice concern about the inaccurate or incomplete accounts that came from the Obama administration in the days following the attack. He is among a handful of Republican lawmakers pressing for access to and more information about the survivors. 

A congressional source tells Fox News that Hill staffers investigating the attack believe about 37 personnel were in Benghazi on behalf of the State Department and CIA on Sept. 11. With the deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three others, about 33 people were evacuated. Of them, a State Department official confirmed there were three diplomatic security agents and one contractor who were injured in the assault - one seriously. 

A diplomatic security source told Fox News the State Department diplomatic security agent who was in the most serious condition suffered a severe head injury during the second wave of the attack at the annex. 

This agent was described as the likely State Department employee visited at Walter Reed Medical Center by Secretary of State John Kerry in January. 

While not denying the details, the State Department official offered no comment on the nature of the injuries or whether the agent was visited by Kerry or Hillary Clinton before she left office. 

Leading Republicans in the Senate and House have been calling on the State Department to identify the injured and make them available to congressional investigators. So far, they say their calls have gone unanswered. 

Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said the administration has provided "zero" documents on the matter and has not provided names of those attacked. 

Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., has gathered about 60 signatures in support of a select committee to investigate the Benghazi terrorist attack. Wolf has said the committee is the most thorough and efficient approach to resolving the lingering underlying questions rather than the competing and overlapping committee jurisdictions. 

Wolf, along with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., and leading Senate Republicans Graham, John McCain of Arizona, and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire have pressed the State Department for answers. 

Rohrabacher, R-Calif., on Friday said the administration is "covering up something." 

Fox News' Bret Baier and Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.

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McCain, Graham warn on CIA nominee vote

Republican Sens. Lindsey Graham and John McCain say they want answers from the Obama administration and are willing to oppose the administration's choice to be the new CIA director until they get them.

Graham said Sunday he and McCain "are hell-bent on making sure the American people understand this debacle called Benghazi." The South Carolina Republican says he wants to understand what happened in September at the U.S. consulate in Libya that left four Americans dead.

McCain says he also wants answers about policies on torture and the Arizona senator says he deserves answers.

The Senate Intelligence Committee is scheduled to vote early next week on Brennan's nomination. Brennan is currently President Barack Obama's counterterrorism adviser.

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