Newspaper Classifieds – Danger from Unregulated Firearms Sales
The recent mass shooting at a Tacoma, Wash., shopping mall dramatically illustrates how the unregulated sale of firearms through classified ads in newspapers poses a potential hazard to a newspaper’s readers and the general public.
A classified ad in the Little Nickel newspaper (a free weekly advertiser) was the source of the semiautomatic assault rifle used by Dominick Maldonado in the Nov. 20 shooting that wounded six — one seriously. Dan McKown was shot in the abdomen and may have suffered permanent paralysis from a spinal cord injury.
Maldonado, who is prohibited from possessing firearms because of a series of felony convictions as a juvenile, purchased the MAK 90 7.62mm rifle from Joe Pasamonte, a private gun owner. Whereas licensed firearms dealers are required to conduct criminal background checks on all buyers, unlicensed sellers who sell firearms from a “personal collection” are not required to conduct background checks. By purchasing the rifle from an unlicensed seller in a private transaction, Maldonado was able to evade the mandatory criminal background check required on all dealer sales.
Source: US Newswire.
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