Ross: Who would you sell an AR-15 firearm to?

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.

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