Pentagon Shooter Bought Weapon at Gunshow Without Background Check
At the Pentagon, gunman John Patrick Bedell carried two 9 mm handguns, one of them a Ruger.
Law enforcement officials say Bedell, a man with a history of severe psychiatric problems, had been sent a letter by California authorities Jan. 10 telling him he was prohibited from buying a gun because of his mental history.
Nineteen days later, the officials say, Bedell bought the Ruger at a gun show in Las Vegas. Such a sale by a private individual does not require the kind of background check that would have stopped Bedell's purchase.
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9 comments:
It doesn't matter that one of the pistols was a Ruger. Ruger is just one of many brands of pistol and not particularly known for its reliability.
What is fascinating is that the particular Ruger that police say Bedell purchased at a Nevada gun show, had previously been in a Memphis police impound.
The question that should be asked is why are cops selling guns that they confiscate? If they want to reduce the number of guns available, why didn't the police destroy that Ruger? Instead, they claim that they sold the pistol to an arms dealer who supposedly sold the pistol to a third party who then sold the weapon to the shooter.
Is there anyone who questions if the mystery Ruger, a former police impounded weapon, could have been planted after the Pentagon Police killed him?
Is this a reasonable case upon which to ban all private sales, certainly not. This was an isolated incident and we must resist the emotional response when such events occur and base our governance instead on a sound rational basis.
I don't believe the shooter got the gun at the gun show. I don't believe the gun was ever sold by the Memphis cops. I do believe that someone created a paper sale that makes it appear that Memphis did make the sale, but that is a phony sale to cover the weapon so that it could be used as a plant at some future point.
It doesn't matter that one of the pistols was a Ruger. Ruger is just one of many brands of pistol and not particularly known for its reliability.
What is fascinating is that the particular Ruger that police say Bedell purchased at a Nevada gun show, had previously been in a Memphis police impound.
The question that should be asked is why are cops selling guns that they confiscate? If they want to reduce the number of guns available, why didn't the police destroy that Ruger? Instead, they claim that they sold the pistol to an arms dealer who supposedly sold the pistol to a third party who then sold the weapon to the shooter.
Is there anyone who questions if the mystery Ruger, a former police impounded weapon, could have been planted after the Pentagon Police killed him?
Is this a reasonable case upon which to ban all private sales, certainly not. This was an isolated incident and we must resist the emotional response when such events occur and base our governance instead on a sound rational basis.
I don't believe the shooter got the gun at the gun show. I don't believe the gun was ever sold by the Memphis cops. I do believe that someone created a paper sale that makes it appear that Memphis did make the sale, but that is a phony sale to cover the weapon so that it could be used as a plant at some future point.
All due respect Mr. Garber, but I don't see where the article calls for a ban on handguns. And I think the article also does a credible job of presenting the side of the Memphis Police Dept. selling instead of destroying weapons which have been seized. The problem seems to be the weak link wherein no background check is done at some gun shows. I've been to many shows and have witnessed first hand people who look all in the world like they could be illegal immigrants quietly purchasing firearms from non dealers. This article points out that the Pentagon shooter was ineligible to buy a gun from a dealer because of his mental illness. You say you don't believe the article, please provide some proof to reinforce your belief.
No responsible gun owner wants to sell a gun to a mentally ill person or a criminal.
Col. Gerald Massengill, Superintendent, Va. State Police (Retired) and head of the Virginia Tech Review Panel.
Closing the gun show loophole was one of the VT Review Panel recommendations that was rejected by the Va. General Assembly.
Key word there is "responsible".....
The craze to put a gun into everyone's hands is going to backlash against gun ownership because of the insistence of groups like the NRA etc. to have no restrictions at all.
The shooter at Va Tech purchased his guns from a gun dealer not a gun show.
Re 3:49pm: What's your point?
The writer of this post is trying to saying that buying guns at a gunshow is the problem.
A certified crazy shot up the Pentagon security gate using a gun he purchased at a gun show - The Gunshow Loophole. Anyone who knew him would have been stupid and liable for selling to him. A dealer would have been notified that he was not legal to carry.
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