TV killer Vester Flanagan legally purchased the weapon he used to kill a WDBJ-TV reporter and cameraman on Wednesday, according to federal sources. The gun dealer followed all federal and state laws, and Flanagan passed the required background check.
Authorities told
NBC News that Flanagan, an ex-reporter at the station known on-air as Bryce Williams, purchased two Glock model 19 handguns from a Virginia dealer they wouldn't identify.
"I have no indication that anything was done illegally or improperly, or any shortcuts were made," Tom Faison, a spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives,
told the Roanoke Times.
Faison said Flanagan purchased more than one weapon in July and authorities weren't clear if the weapon he used to kill reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward was same one he used to shoot himself.
The fact that Flanagan passed a background check reflects badly on Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe who was calling for background check legislation while the police pursuit of Flanagan was still underway,
said Breitbart.com. The site listed more than 20 other infamous shootings in which the killers had all passed background checks.
Lori Haas, state director for the Educational Fund to Stop Gun Violence, said she didn't know of any reason that would have prevented Flanagan from purchasing a gun based on what was known about him.
Flanagan's reputation as an unstable co-worker didn't rise to the federal mental health standard that would have prevented him purchasing a weapon, said NBC news.
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