We don’t really have unfettered access to firearms but our BATF background check system is crap. Lots of shooters who have been waving red flags are not on the list. Also our FBI often gets warnings about people and ignores them. A couple of examples:
Independent investigation shows agency failed to investigate Nidal Hasan, despite suspicious emails
www.cbsnews.com
FBI Ignored Two Tips About Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Despite Gun Ownership Warning, Says Director Christopher Wray. Cruz Killed 17 at Florida School.
www.ebony.com
Another mass shooter on the FBI's radar has struck, this time killing 8 at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis. According to a report by Reuters, the mother of accused attacker Brandon Scott Hole had contacted the police in March 2020 after learning that her 19-year-old son wanted to commit...
www.unz.com
At least one agency took the incident seriously.
According to Indianapolis Special Agent in Charge Paul Keenan, the
FBI interviewed Hole in April of last year, with a focus on his political beliefs rather than his potential mental health crisis or intent to commit criminal acts. When they realized he had no pro-white, or “Racially Motivated Violent Extremist” (RMVE) beliefs, they lost interest in him and apparently did not follow up on his condition. Local authorities were able to confiscate his weapons for mental health reasons and it is not clear how he obtained the firearms used in the shooting.
A few will always slip through the crack.
These governors are not helping.
August 16 2021
On June 16, Gov. Greg Abbott made Texas
the 21st state to
allow permitless carry of both open and concealed handguns.
The new law allows legal firearm owners to keep holstered handguns on them in public without extra training or a carry permit.
Republican lawmakers in several more states want to loosen gun restrictions by allowing people to carry concealed firearms without having to get a permit, continuing a trend that gun control advocates call dangerous.
Fifteen states already allow concealed carry without a permit, and lawmakers in nine others have proposed allowing or expanding the practice. GOP governors are backing the changes in Utah and Tennessee. Another bill expanding permitless carry in Montana has passed the state House.
Most states require people to do things like get weapons training and undergo a background check to get a permit to carry a gun hidden by a jacket or inside a purse. Groups like the National Rifle Association and state lawmakers who support gun rights argue those requirements are ineffective and undermine Second Amendment protections.