Virginia Shooter Used Legal Gun, Passed Background Check

According to reporting from Buzzfeed, the murderer of the two journalists on live television Vester Flanagan bought his gun legally and passed a government-required background check.

Buzzfeed reporters spoke with Thomas Faison, a spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. He told them that investigators had recovered Flanagan’s Glock 19 pistol, that the gun had been purchased “weeks ago,” and that Flanagan had passed the required background check.

The revelation appears to undermine the arguments of some– such as Democratic Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe— who argued that the senseless murders demonstrate the need for universal background checks.

[Image via screengrab]
——
>>Follow Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) on Twitter

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!