The gunman who killed 50 people in an Orlando nightclub legally purchased two guns, a handgun and an “AR-15-type” long gun, in the last week, according to ATF Assistant Special Agent in charge Trevor Velinor.
“He is not a prohibited person, so he can legally walk into a gun dealership and acquire and purchase firearms. He did so. And he did so within the last week or so,” Velinor said.
Velinor declined to get into specifics about exactly when and where shooter Omar Mateen purchased those weapons.
Several politicians, including President Obama and Hillary Clinton, have spoken out about the horrific shooting, bringing up the need for increased gun control.
In remarks delivered at the White House, Obama condemned the “act of terror,” pointing out that the shooter apparently used a handgun and a “powerful assault rifle.”
“This massacre is therefore a further reminder of how easy it is for someone to get their hands on a weapon that lets them shoot people in a school, or in a house of worship, or a movie theater, or in a nightclub,” Obama said. “And we have to decide if that’s the kind of country we want to be. And to actively do nothing is a decision as well.”
