MS Speaks
OTHER => NEWS => Topic started by: agate on September 01, 2019, 08:47:34 pm
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In West Texas a shooter went on a rampage, and so far there have been 7 deaths and many injuries as a result. Our weak leader natters on about getting better background checks. And what is Texas doing? Passing laws loosening gun restrictions.
Then there's one neighbor's description of what it was like to live near this shooter (see the article link below).
On Sunday afternoon, federal agents executed a search warrant at what appeared to be Mr. Ator’s residence, in a remote area of mobile homes at the western edge of Ector County, which includes Odessa. A neighbor, Rocio Martinez, 29, described Mr. Ator as a “loner” who kept to himself and who sometimes frightened her because he was always firing guns outside.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/01/us/death-toll-texas-shooting.html
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Seems the gunman reportedly failed a background check, according to this AP story:
https://apnews.com/eef251ac02a74cb7ba195f83a9494c45?utm_medium=AP&utm_source=Twitter&utm_campaign=SocialFlow
From the story:
[Republican Governor Greg] Abbott tweeted that Ator failed a previous gun background check and didn’t go through one for the weapon he used in Odessa. But Abbott didn’t elaborate on when Ator failed the background check or the reasons why.
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He failed the background check but was able to buy the weapon from a private seller, who might or might not have known about the failed background check.
If someone is eager to sell a gun, how likely would that person be to look into the buyer's background check record? A responsible citizen would investigate but there are those who would rather sell something in a hurry than wait around for information to be forthcoming.
Background checks are of limited value. Restricting the kinds of guns that are sold might accomplish something.
From NBC News (September 3, 2019):
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-gunman-purchased-weapon-private-sale-which-doesn-t-require-n1049351?utm_source=newsprompt_chrome_extension