Josh Earnest, White House press secretary and spokesman for President Obama, said Americans ought to take advantage of the family gatherings around the Thanksgiving table to talk some serious gun-control measures.

He made the recommendation in context of discussing the Republican push to vet Syrian refugees, else refuse them entry to America. On that, he said: Bolstering the border control vetting process won’t automatically improve national security.

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“If Congress were actually interested in doing that, they’d pass a law that would prevent somebody who’s on the terror watch list from being able to buy a gun. That’s what Congress should do,” he said, in widely reported remarks.

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He then spoke of Thanksgiving.

“As people are sitting around the … table, talking about these issues, as they should, and as I’m sure they will all across the country, I hope that’s a question that will be raised and asked by members around the table – that if we’re going to have a serious discussion in this country about national security, let’s talk about some pretty obvious things that Congress can do,” Earnest said.

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He went on, ultimately scolding Republicans for their tight ties to the gun lobby industry.

“And one obvious thing that Congress can do is pass a law that prevents somebody who is on the terror watch list from … being able to buy a weapon,” Earnest said. “I’m not sure why that’s even controversial. I’m not sure why it hasn’t been done so far. I suspect, however, that it has a lot to do with the fear that Republicans have of the NRA.”