California has strict gun laws. Here's how the Gilroy gunman evaded them [View all]

[Eugene]

Source: The Guardian

California has strict gun laws. Here's how the Gilroy gunman evaded them

US lawmakers renew calls for federal gun reform after shooter purchased weapon legally in Nevada

Vivian Ho in San Francisco
Mon 29 Jul 2019 22.27 BST Last modified on Tue 30 Jul 2019 00.56 BST

California has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country, including a ban on the type of rifle that a shooter used to kill three and wound 15 at the garlic food festival in Gilroy on Sunday.

But the gunman had legally purchased the “assault-type rifle”, in the style of an AK-47, from the neighboring state Nevada on 9 July before carrying it illegally over state lines into California, highlighting what some gun control advocates say is a loophole in the way laws operate, state by state.

The suspect, 19, opened fire in the last hours of the three-day garlic festival, a beloved annual tradition that draws thousands of attendees of all ages. He injured 15 people and killed three – a six-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a man in his 20s – before being shot dead by police officers, who rushed him within a minute of bullets being heard.

Link to tweet

The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence ranks California first in the nation for having the strongest gun laws.

California raised the minimum age to purchase a rifle to 21 in 2018. And last week, a federal judge upheld California’s ban on owning, manufacturing or selling semiautomatic rifles and so-called “bullet buttons”, rifle attachments that allow shooters to reload more quickly. The state has banned semi-automatic weapons for 20 years. The bullet button ban dates from 2016.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jul/29/gilroy-shooting-us-gun-control-california