Justice

One Tweet Proves the Absurdity of U.S. Gun Laws

June 12th 2016

The gunman who committed the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history on Sunday legally purchased two firearms within the last week, a spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said at a press conference.

orlando-swatAP/Phelan M. Ebenhack - apimages.com

The gunman, identified as Omar Mateen, 29, opened fire at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., and killed 50 people and injured 53 others early Sunday morning. An unnamed law enforcement source told The Daily Beast that Mateen was investigated by the FBI in 2013 and 2014; both investigations were subsequently closed, the source said.

A tweet from Fox News' Brett Baier speaks to the absurdity of gun laws in America.

As officials gathered information about the shooter, an ATF agent confirmed that Mateen legally obtained the weapons — including a handgun and semi-automatic assault weapon — "within the last week or so."

Gun reform advocates have called for common sense legislation (such as universal background checks for gun buyers) designed to prevent potentially dangerous individuals from obtaining weapons. But efforts to reform gun laws in America have been largely blocked. Even a bill that would've included individuals named on the FBI watch list in gun background checks has been repeatedly blocked, according to Politifact. (Though it should be noted that Mateen was only investigated by the FBI and was not included on the watch list.) 

President Barack Obama acknowledged this point in a speech about the Orlando mass shooting.

"This massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people at a school, or in a house of worship, or in a movie theater, or in a nightclub," Obama said. "And we have to decide if that's the kind of country we want to be. To actively do nothing is a decision, as well."

RELATED: President Obama Spoke Out About the Orlando Mass Shooting

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