Lafayette Theater Shooter’s Pistol Purchase Was Not, In Fact, Legal

By Nick Leghorn

According to ABC News, the handgun used in the Lafayette theater shooting this past week was legally purchased. “John Russell Houser, 59, bought the Hi-Point .40-caliber handgun at a pawn shop in Phenix City, Alabama, in February of 2014, Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said at a news conference.” It is entirely possible that the pawn shop FFL holder followed all the rules, did a proper background check, and released the firearm in accordance with the laws. That said, the sale was still illegal. Why? One simple reason . . .

 

In order to purchase the handgun, the person in question would have completed the ATF’s “Firearms Transaction Record” paperwork, affectionately known as an ATF Form 4473. Anyone who has ever bought a gun from a FFL license holder should recognize question 11 (F):

Have you ever been adjudicated mentally defective (which includes a determination by a court, board, commission, or other lawful authority that you are a danger to yourself or to others or are incompetent to manage your own affairs) OR have you ever been committed to a mental institution?

As we already know, the attacker in this case was involuntarily committed to …read more

Source:: Truth About Guns