We already know that the gun used by the Parkland shooter is an AR-15. But two law enforcement officials have released where the gun was purchased and what brand it was:
AP – Two federal law enforcement officials say the Smith & Wesson M&P 15 rifle used in the deadly rampage at a high school was purchased legally at Sunrise Tactical Supply in Florida.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were briefed on the investigation but not authorized to discuss it publicly.
I looked it up and honestly, it looks a lot like most AR-15s. At Academy it sells around the $650 range.
As someone who uses guns, I wonder what you guys think of this idea I’ve been pondering. Now to start off, let me just say that I’m not sure if this would have to be done on the congressional level or the state level or both.
But what if, when purchasing a long gun with detachable magazines (like an AR-15), you had to go through a similar permitting process to that of purchasing a pistol? In many states, the local sheriff’s department issues pistol permits after they do their own background check and also check to see if you’ve been in a mental facility.
To me, at least at first glance, this doesn’t seem to be that big of an issue as it would put extra scrutiny on the buyers. Now of course I don’t think it should apply to shotguns and .22’s and so forth – the last thing I want is to make it more difficult for people to protect themselves. And I’m also not sure exactly which guns this would apply to, as there are so many and I’m not an expert.
But just on the simple premise here, what do you think? Would this be going too far? Or would you be okay with something along these lines?
If there was something that might go a long way to stopping evil people like Nikolas Cruz from getting these type of weapons, I would think this actually might make a difference.
UPDATE: I know the post has been out here a while, but just thought I’d add this for the heck of it:
(LET'S TRY THIS AGAIN)
POLL: Would you be FOR the idea of expanding the state handgun permit process to include long guns with detachable magazines like AR-15s, in order to allow local law enforcement to do background checks?
— ⚡️ Right Scoop ⚡️ (@trscoop) February 15, 2018