Saturday, October 7, 2017

Four States, Multiple Guns, One Massacre

Several times I have heard the fact bandied about, that the Las Vegas shooter purchased guns in four states. Most recently, one talking head lamented the fact that there was not some sort of network where these different states could communicate with each other to identify these sorts of purchases.

To me, this raises a couple questions, but not necessarily red flags. Was Stephen Paddock a resident of those four states at the time when he made the purchases? My understanding is that you have to be a legal resident of the state where you are making a firearm purchase*. You must produce a photo ID and affirm that you are a resident of that state. Did the Vegas shooter meet those requirements? Did he present more than one driver's license as proof of residence? If he owns property in more than one state, that is not his principle residence, then his application was fraudulent. (For you liberals out there, it means it was against the law).

For the record, while I have purchased guns in two different states, over a period of years, I was a legal resident of each state at the time.

If Paddock purchased the weapons online, from other states, then they would have had to have been shipped to a local FFL dealer for it to be a legal purchase. At 64 years, he could have lived in a variety of different states, so I would want to see the timeline of the purchases alongside a timeline of his residences, with possibly a look at what ID he used to determine if these were indeed legal purchases.

*with the caveat that you could purchase a gun out of state and have it shipped to a local FFL (Federal Firearm License) holder or dealer, who would then take care of the paperwork and submit the application for a background check. (For you liberals, that means your idiotic claims that guns can be purchased over the Internet, while true**, is irrelevant, because you still have to pass the same background check and/or waiting period, as if you bought the gun in a brick and mortar store.)

So for me, the fact he purchased guns in four different states is curious, but more information is needed before determining if fraud was involved. Since we are being told that he purchased all his guns legally, until proven otherwise, this is not pertinent to an inquiry of his motive. If fraud can be proven, that might be a different story.

**True, that guns can be bought over the Internet. Big fat honking lie, that it enables gun purchases without a background check.


Update: According to wiki:
AB 217, allows residents of non-contiguous states to purchase long guns in Nevada. It also allows Nevada residents to purchase long guns in non-contiguous states. This legislation brings Nevada in line with the protections provided by the Firearms Owners Protection Act, which allows for the interstate sale of long guns by federally licensed firearms dealers.

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