Romney Falsely Claims Colorado Gunman Obtained Weapons Illegally

[Courtesy Flush]

http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2012/07/25/586611/romney-falsely-claims-colorado-gunman-obtained-weapons-illegally/

ROMNEY: Well this person shouldn’t have had any kind of weapons and bombs and other devices and it was illegal for him to have many of those things already. But he had them. And so we can sometimes hope that just changing the law will make all bad things go away. It won’t. Changing the heart of the American people may well be what’s essential, to improve the lots of the American people.

In fact, 24-year-old Holmes legally purchased every firearm, bullet, and piece of tactical gear that he used for the attack, according to local law enforcement. He bought most of it over the Internet. Mentally ill people are barred from purchasing firearms, but Holmes had no previous record of illness, and would not have been flagged in a background check.

[tanyev]

1. Stop pulling shit out of your Anglo-Saxon arse.

[Stryguy]

2. The real truth is

That, at least in the State of Indiana, I can walk up to any private citizen at a gunshow and buy a gun from them without even showing them my ID to confirm my age.

I can log into a forum and agree to buy a gun from someone and meet them in a Walmart parking lot, sell them that gun without knowing if they are a felon.

Background checks only occur if you buy from a retailer. Person to person transfers are legal and make up for the overwhelming majority of gun purchases.

[klook]

3. True, but

Orangehead apparently bought these in stores, showing proper ID and submitting to the background check -- everything totally legit and by the book.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Slight correction, but you are correct essentially

Harvard actually did the study and the number is 40%

But they are with you.

And why we need 100% background checks, with current tech, it should be easy as pie to do such.

[HereSince1628]

4. "it was illegal for him to have many of those things" things like exploding booby traps

rigged to your front door are probably illegal to have.

Not trying to provide cover for Rmoney but just pointing out that there are likely to be charges regarding the bombs/booby traps.

[arely staircase]

6. "this person shouldnt have any kind of weapon.." romney nt

[HereSince1628]

10. Your forgetting that Romney is assessing this retroactively

[sakabatou]

7. How long has his pants been burning?

[HangOnKids]

9. Since they were a diaper n/t

[maddezmom]

8. does he read the newspaper any newspaper, the net, blogs? Do his advisors read anything on the net?

Not ready for prime time.

[joeybee12]

11. Of course not, he gets his news from the NRA's Talking Points...nt

[DevonRex]

12. You can be mentally ill and legally buy firearms.

If you have not been adjudicated mentally ill then you can pass the background check. In other words you cannot have been committed to a mental institution or declared guilty but mentally ill or innocent by reason of insanity.