The terrorist attacks in Paris have jolted many in the United States to rethink any feelings they may have had about their own safety in the "Land of the Free and The Home of the Brave."

        It has been almost a week, and we now know that at least one of the attackers entered France after fleeing to Belgium as a refugee.  We also know that the suspected planner of those attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, bragged in Islamic State (ISIS) propaganda about his ability to move back and forth between Europe and Syria before the attacks.  He also claimed that more than 4,000 covert ISIS gunmen had made it into western nations, hidden among innocent refugees.

        Abaaoud was believed to be killed in a predawn police raid, along with six other suspected terrorists, in a Paris suburb on Wednesday morning.  During the raid police uncovered evidence that the same group was planning terrorists attacks at a French airport and shopping mall in the near future.

        On Wednesday morning, just five days after the terrorist attacks in Paris, eight suspected ISIS terrorists were arrested at a Turkish airport.  They had planned to enter Germany via Greece, Serbia and Hungary.

        Our own experience with terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Texas, Illinois, and at least 10 other states over the past 14 years, along with the threats of more attacks on U.S. soil, have made many Americans wary.

        Felons and drug addicts are not legally allowed to purchase guns in the United States - good.  But, a recent report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) shows that more than 2,000 people on the FBI's terrorist watch list legally purchased weapons between 2004 and 2014.  They were on a U.S. government watch list, in the United States and legally allowed to purchase guns. How does that happen?

        A 2010 GAO reports that "Membership in a terrorist organization does not prohibit a person from possessing firearms or explosives under current federal law."

        Last Friday, before the attacks on Paris, President Obama declared that ISIS was contained.  After the attacks, he called the atrocity a "setback" and urged patience.

        President Obama also denounced calls to block Syrian refugees from being resettled in the US as "un-American."  Those calls are for explanations of the way these refugees will be vetted by the federal government before entering this country.  Apparently, that is information the president is not willing to share with elected officials, let alone the average citizen.

        On Monday, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf emphasized that his administration will continue working with the federal government to resettle Syrian refugees in Pennsylvania - even while Congress and the PA. General Assembly are asking for information on the screening process for the refugees. 

        It is in our own best interests that we know how to properly screen incoming Syrian refugees to ensure that we do not jeopardize the lives of innocents and ensure that the public knows and understands that process. 

        The majority of Congress, state officials and even the president's own advisors are advising on the side of caution until a clearly defined process for screening is established.

        Nothing positive comes from innocents getting murdered in cold blood for the offense of going to a concert or a restaurant on a Friday night. If there are going to be more attacks, the path ahead won't be one of unity and peace. It will be the hard work of protecting civilization from its enemies.