A report indicates the April 27, 2019, San Diego synagogue attacker acquired his firearm “legally.”
According to the Associated Press, “Prosecutors say the 19-year-old charged with opening fire in a Southern California synagogue legally bought the semiautomatic rifle he used.”
AP did not elaborate on how he was able to “legally” get the rifle, they simply reported he did.
One option is that the attacker bought his rifle before January 1, 2019, the date on which California raised its minimum long gun purchase age from 18 to 21-years-old. Also, NBC 7 reports that even under the new age restrictions 18-year-olds can buy a gun if they “have a valid hunting license.”
Guns used in mass shootings are predominately acquired legally. This means the attackers pass background checks and comport with all other gun controls in the acquisition of the firearm or firearms.
Here is a partial list of mass public attackers who bought their guns legally:
- Tree of Life Synagogue attacker (October 27, 2018)
- Parkland high school attacker (February 14, 2018)
- Texas church attacker (November 5, 2017)
- Las Vegas attacker (October 1, 2017)
- the Alexandria attacker (June 14, 2017))
- Orlando attacker (June 12, 2016)
- the UCLA gunman (June 1, 2016))
- the San Bernardino attackers (December 2, 2015)
- the Colorado Springs attacker (October 31, 2015)
- the Umpqua Community College attacker (October 1, 2015)
- Alison Parker’s attacker (August 26, 2015)
- the Lafayette movie theater attacker (July 23, 2015)
- the Chattanooga attacker (July 16, 2015)
- the alleged Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal attacker (Jun 17, 2015)
- the Muhammad Carton Contest attackers (May 3, 2014)
- the Las Vegas cop killers (June 9, 2015)
- the Santa Barbara attacker (May 23, 2014)
- the Fort Hood attacker (April 2, 2014)
- the Arapahoe High School attacker (December 13, 2013)
- the D.C. Navy Yard attacker (September 16, 2013)
- the Aurora movie theater attacker (July 20, 2012)
- Gabby Giffords’ attacker (January 8, 2011)
- the Fort Hood attacker (November 5, 2009)
- the Virginia Tech attacker (April 16, 2007)
In almost every case, would-be attackers then take their guns into gun-free zones where they know their victims cannot fight back.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.