Ross: Who would you sell an AR-15 firearm to?
Sep 4, 2019, 7:12 AM | Updated: 9:36 am
(Getty)
It appears that the gunman behind the latest shooting spree had failed a background check to buy an AR-15. So how did he get his gun?
“Federal law enforcement sources confirm that the gunman in last weekend’s mass shooting in West Texas purchased his AR-15-style rifle in a private sale,” reports CBS’ Norah O’Donnell.
We’ve got red flags and gun threats backwards
So here’s a question for gun dealers: Should you know anything about your customers?
Forget what the law requires. The laws don’t appear to be working. What are your own standards as a gun seller? What are your standards for handing someone an AR-15, a weapon that can effectively fire 40 rounds a minute and kill somebody 1,500 feet away?
Like the weapon that was used in Texas.
Would you sell to a complete stranger? What if that stranger had posted creepy pictures posing with guns? Or if they had a social media feed filled with threats? Would it matter if he’d been diagnosed with a mental illness, or whether he’d already bought 25 similar weapons? Or if his own family was afraid of him?
Do you ever ask yourself: Would I trust this person with my kids? Or to borrow my car? Would I want him in my neighborhood?
And if you wouldn’t trust that person with your kids, or your car, or even living nearby, would you still sell him a weapon that can effectively fire 40 rounds a minute and kill somebody 1,500 feet away?
If the answer is “yes,” well, that’s why we end up passing all those dang laws.