The Texas Shooter Couldn’t Pass A Background Check, A Loophole Allowed Him To Buy One Anyway

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“This is exhibit A of the deadliness of the background check loophole.”

The gunman who killed seven people and injured more than 20 others in a shooting rampage along a West Texas highway Saturday couldn’t pass a firearm background check, but he purchased a gun in a private party sale that didn’t require any scrutiny of his history.

Seth Ator, 36, couldn’t legally own a gun because of his mental health history, a law enforcement source told BuzzFeed News. He previously failed a background check when he tried to buy a firearm from a gun dealer, but he later obtained an AR-style rifle used Saturday to open fire, apparently at random, on law enforcement officers and dozens of other people.