Trump gun age plan wouldn’t have affected most shootings

FAN Editor

President Donald Trump on Friday proposed barring people younger than 21 from purchasing assault-style guns like the one Nikolas Cruz, 19, legally purchased to allegedly kill 17 people at a Florida high school on Feb. 14.

But an overwhelming number of U.S. mass shooting over the last 50 years were committed by adults older than 21 who would not have been affected by Trump’s proposal.

And in nearly all the mass shootings by shooters younger than age of 21, the guns were stolen from relatives or illegally purchased or the shooters were armed with guns not considered assault weapons.

Here’s a look at the shooters younger than 21 and the guns they used:

Jaylen Fryberg, 15.

On Oct. 14, 2014 the Marysville, Washington high school freshman killed four classmates and wounded one other before killing himself. He was armed with .40 caliber Beretta Px4 Storm handgun he stole from his father. Fryberg killed himself at the scene. Fryberg’s father was later convicted of illegally obtaining the gun for failing to acknowledge on federal firearm forms that he was the subject of a tribal domestic-violence protective order.

Adam Lanza, 20.

On Dec. 14, 2012 Lanza killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut before killing himself at the scene. He was armed with his mother’s a .223-caliber Bushmaster XM15-E2S rifle, a 10mm Glock 20SF handgun and a 9mm SIG Sauer P226 handgun. His mother was a gun enthusiast who legally purchased the guns. Lanza killed her at the home they shared before the school massacre.

Robert Hawkins, 19.

On Dec. 5, 2007 Hawkins killed eight people at an Omaha, Nebraska shopping mall before killing himself at the scene. He was armed with a Century WASR-10 semi-automatic rifle he stole from his stepfather, who legally purchased the weapon.

Tyler Peterson, 20.

On Oct. 7, 2007 the off-duty deputy sheriff killed six people at a high school homecoming party in Crandon, Wisconsin before killing himself at the scene. He was armed with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle issued to him by the sheriff’s department where he worked.

Sulejman Talovic, 18.

On Feb. 12, 2007 Talovic killed five people at a Salt Lake City shopping mall before an off-duty police officer fatally shot him. He was armed with a shotgun and .38-caliber handgun he legally purchased at a pawn shop. Neither is classified as an assault-style weapon.

Arcan Cetin, 20.

On Sept. 23, 2016 Cetin killed five people at a Burlington, Washington state mall. He was armed with a .22-caliber rifle stolen from his father. He hanged himself in his jail cell in April.

Jeffrey Weise, 16.

On March 21, 2005 Weise killed nine people, including seven at a Red Lake, Minnesota high school before killing himself at the scene. He was armed with .22-caliber handgun and a shotgun stolen from his grandfather, a police officer who legally owned the weapons.

Eric Harris, 18 and Dylan Klebold, 17.

On April 20, 1999 the two killed 13 people at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado before killing themselves at the scene. They were armed with two shotguns and a 9 mm Hi-Point 995 carbine rifle and a 9 mm TEC-DC9 pistol. An 18-year-old classmate purchased the three rifles for Harris and Klebold because the two were underage at the time of the purchase. Mark Manes, who was 22 at the time, was sentenced to six years in prison for illegally selling the semi-automatic pistol to the underage Klebold.

Kip Kinkle, 15.

On May 21, 1998 Kinkle killed his parents before killing two people and injuring 25 others at a Springfield, Oregon high school. He was armed with a Beretta Model 90 .32-caliber pistol he purchased from a classmate, who stole it from his father. Kinkle is serving a 111-year prison sentence.

Mitchell Johnson, 13 and Andrew Golden, 15.

On March 24, 1998 the pair killed four students and a teacher at a middle school near Jonesboro, Arkansas. They were armed with nine weapons stolen from Golden’s grandfather. Each was convicted of murder in juvenile court and released from prison after their 21st birthdays.

Nathan Dunlap, 19.

On Dec. 14, 1993 Dunlap killed four former co-workers and injured a fifth at an Aurora, Colorado Chuck E. Cheese pizza restaurant. He was armed with a .25-caliber semi-automatic pistol. It’s unclear how Dunlap obtained the gun.

Eric Houston, 20.

On May 1, 1992 Houston killed three students and a teacher at a high school near Marysville, California. He was armed with a 12-gauge pump-action shotgun and a sawed-off .22 caliber rifle legally purchased at a gun store. Neither gun is considered an assault-style weapon.

Emile Benoist, 20.

On Aug. 26, 1977 Benoist killed six people as he wandered along railroad tracks in Hackettstown, New Jersey. He was armed with a .44-caliber semi-automatic rifle. It’s unclear where Benoist obtained the gun, but criminal convictions prohibited him from owning firearms.

Robert Smith, 18.

On Nov. 1, 1977 Smith killed five people at a Mesa, Arizona hairdressers’ school. He was armed with a .22-caliber pistol given to him by his parents.

Free America Network Articles

Leave a Reply

Next Post

List and Lovemark ahead in Florida as Woods shoots one-over 71

Feb 23, 2018; Palm Beach Gardens, FL, USA; Luke List plays from the fairway on the 1st during the second round of The Honda Classic golf tournament at PGA National (Champion). Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports February 24, 2018 (Reuters) – Luke List and Jamie Lovemark took a one-stroke […]