Contact Us

Mass shooters exploited gun laws, loopholes before carnage

The latest suspected U.S. mass shooters whose ability to obtain guns has raised concerns. In some cases shooters got guns legally under current firearms laws, or because of background check lapses or law enforcement's failure to heed warnings of concerning behavior.

  • 5
  • 12
UVALDE, TEXAS: MAY 24, 2022. 21 DEAD Salvador Ramos legally purchased two guns in the days before the attack that killed 19 students and two teachers at Robb Elementary School — an AR-style rifle from a federally licensed gun dealer in the Uvalde area on May 17 and a second rifle on May 20. Ramos made the purchases just days after turning 18, the minimum age under federal law for buying a rifle. He also purchased several hundred rounds of ammunition. At least one of the rifles was a DDM4, made by Daniel Defense and modeled after the U.S. military's M4 carbine rifle, though without the M4's ability to switch to fully automatic or fire a three-round burst. "The idea that an 18-year-old kid can walk into a gun store and buy two assault weapons is just wrong," Biden said hours after the shooting Tuesday. "What in God's name do you need an assault weapon for except to kill someone?" Ramos was killed at the school by a Border Patrol team.