The suspect in the shooting at a Boulder, Colorado, supermarket was convicted of assaulting a high school classmate but still got a gun. The man accused of opening fire on three massage businesses in the Atlanta area bought his gun just hours before the attack – no waiting required.
They are just the latest suspected U.S. mass shooters to obtain guns because of limited firearms laws, background check lapses or law enforcement’s failure to heed warnings of concerning behavior.
In the wake of the shootings, which together left 18 people dead, President Joe Biden renewed calls for stronger gun laws – including banning assault weapons and expanding background checks. Many Republicans oppose the measures, and the National Rifle Association blasted the discussions as a rush to “politicize this horrific situation.”
A look at how suspects in recent mass shootings obtained guns, based on police accounts, court documents and contemporaneous reporting:
BOULDER, COLORADO: MARCH 22, 2021. 10 DEAD.