Opinion: Carter Asks if a 'Terrorist Falling Through the Cracks’ is the Exception or the Norm

The following opinion piece was written by 2nd General Assembly State Representative Dan Carter. Carter represents the towns of Bethel, Newtown, Danbury and Redding.

"As I learn more about the days and weeks leading up to the attack in Orlando last weekend, I'm left deeply troubled by what appears to be our government’s failure to protect innocent Americans.

According to reports, when the attacker attempted to purchase heavy duty body armor and gun ammunition in bulk, the store owner reported him to the FBI. We need to understand why they didn't act.

Since September 11, 2001, law enforcement, intelligence and military officials and politicians have asked Americans to report suspicious activity to the proper authorities. As it relates to this attack, on at least three occasions Americans did their part and it would appear that government failed them.

This is not about finger pointing and assigning blame. But we need to get to the bottom of this and fix it as soon as humanly possible, to restore Americans faith in the system in hopes they will continue to assist law enforcement and the intelligence community in keeping our communities safe.

In all his public statements following the attack, Senator Blumenthal has failed to address these questions, calm these concerns or address the ongoing threat of radical Islamist terrorism on American soil. We deserve more from our Senior Senator.

Unfortunately, most Americans don't believe they can rely on government for much anymore. Americans no longer believe government works for them, let alone will protect them from more terrorist attacks. My biggest concern is that a terrorist falling through the cracks is not the exception, it's the norm.

We need answers to some very tough questions to empower law enforcement to act accordingly when responsible Americans do their part to protect their community by reporting suspicious activity, otherwise we are jeopardizing a system that has helped keep our communities safe and putting more Americans in grave danger."