This last Wednesday, it was confirmed that the semi-automatic rifle used in the tragic Midtown Manhattan shooting that took four lives was sold to the criminal by his former supervisor at Las Vegas casino.
The man responsible of the shooting, 27-year-old Shane Tamura, worked at Horseshoe Las Vegas in the surveillance department when he bought the AR-15-style rifel from his boss for $1,400. They made this deal in secret and privately, and now, it is being checked if the sale met Nevada’s strong laws of a background check.
Casino supervisor under investigation
Las Vegas police state that the firearm was sold as a whole, not by parts, and ready to use. While the U.S. federal laws allows some gun transactions go on without checks, Nevada demand those checks before any private sales.
The casino boss, whose name has not been made public, has nott been charged and is said to be helping the investigators. Both Nevada and New York police deoartments are now investigationg the sale’s details.
The terrible Midtown killings
On July 26, Tamura was responsible of a mass shooting that took place inside a Park Avenue office building where many firms, including the NFL, have their headquarters. Among the people killed, there was a police officer, a private security guard, and two workers. Tamura then killed himself right there.
Police then found many guns at the spot, including the AR-15-style rifle said to be from his former supervisor. Tamura left notes saying he thought he had CTE, a degenerative brain problem often caused by hits to the head while playing football, and asked for his brain to be checked after he died.
Is the law too weak to prevent this situations?
Records show Tamura had mental health issues and had made suicidal claims before. Now, big questions emerge asking about how he could legally buy those guns that way, with no background or security checks and missed warnings.
This case brings up more worries about gaps in firearms laws, mainly in private sales that might skip background checks even when the buyer is medically diagnosed with a mental health issue.
The investigation to find out more information, and to understand the legal check on this gun sale, goes on. Prosecutors have not ruled out any potential charges as they are still possible, depending on what they find.
This reopens the eternal debate about guns and their dealership. This is not the first nor the last of case like this. Week after week, day after day, we see these situations anywhere in the country. School shootings, mass shootings, gang shooting… are a non stop issue that will be with us unless we take action. The problem is, we might be late for that.
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