Posted on 04/17/2007 12:33:08 PM PDT by areafiftyone
Seung-Hui Cho bought his first gun, a 9mm handgun, on March 13 at a Roanoke, Va. gun store, the owner tells ABC News.
John Markell, the owner of Roanoke Firearms, said today that he had been interviewed by three agents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms about Cho's purchase of a Glock 9 mm handgun.
"I feel terrible about this," Markell told ABC News at his store today, which is part gun shop, part pawn shop on the outskirts of Roanoke.
Markell said Cho's gun and a box of 50 bullets cost $571. He said Cho paid by check and left the store with the gun.
Markell said Cho was "a clean-cut college kid," and the transaction was entirely legal under Virginia law. "He was as cordial as could be, and there was nothing unusual in his manner that suggested any thing wrong," Markell said.
Markell said he was not present when Cho bought the gun, but that he had produced a state driver's license and an immigration card.
Law enforcement officials tell ABC News Cho bought his second weapon, a .22 caliber handgun, also in Virginia, within the last week.
"This was no spur of the moment crime. He's been thinking about this since at least the time he bought the first gun," said former FBI agent Brad Garrett, an ABC News consultant.
Under Virginia law, state residents can only buy one handgun in any 30-day period, suggesting Cho bought his second weapon after April 13 or sometime over the weekend.
"He clearly spent some time figuring out how he was going to take care of business once classes began on Monday morning," said Garrett.
The date of the first gun purchase will likely serve as the time of "some triggering mechanism that was very important" to Cho said Garrett, an expert on profiling murderers.
The MSM off and running........typically
He was or wasn't present?
That was about what McVeigh spent...but he stole some stuff also.
Yeah , ABC really seems to be leading the charge this time around .
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
OK, so the gun was purchased legally over a month ago.
First question - what gun control law would have kept this guy from getting it without keeping someone with no criminal intent from getting it?
Second question - why did the perp file off the serials? You know the gun shop didn’t sell it that way!
Will we hear of how, from whom, and for how much someone bought a vehicle later used in a multiple-fatality car wreck? (And if not, why not?)
I thought you had to be a Citizen to purchase a firearm? Isn't that a Federal Law?
Because he was a kook.
Seriously, why should an immigrant be prevented from purchasing and owning (and carrying) the means to protect themselves?
I want to know where Mohammed Atta bought his Koran. I want to know where Andrea Yates bought the bathtub she drowned her kids in. Where did Cary Stayner buy the knife he murdered four women with?
This guy posts to a blog which was linked last night on Free Republic. I was a little skepitical then but he said CHO bought a Glock 9mm and a Walther p22, that the receipt for the glock was found on him, and that he had a video camera system and had burned a copy of the pic of Cho buying the weapon and given it to ATF agents.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
No, Resident Aliens can buy guns. There is an option for checking that on the federal form. You then have to provide your card information.
All this info was posted on Free Rep last night via a link to ‘Black Rifles blog’ I think it was called that. If a reported had been monitoring FR last night about 8 pm, he could have scooped everone with the name of the shooter which the store owner said was CHO
OK, thanks. I stand corrected. =o)
Well, I first heard the information about the Roanoke store and the name Cho here on Free Republic yesterday (via black-rifles.com), though it hadn’t been confirmed.
I want to congratulate all the Freepers out there. This entire story was out here on Free Republic last night on one of the story threads. Even the name of the shooter was on Free Republic last night, before he was officially identified. Now ABC is confirming this story about him buying the weapons and ammunition.
Free Republic can be a site with breaking news. Perhaps the MSM wanted to hold back this aspect of the story for some reason. And the delay in official identification suggests something too about the MSM and the officials in charge.
$571.00 could purchase 571 box cutters too.
NO! Only legal resident of US and resident of Virginia. The store owner said he presented green car, check book and DL when he bought the gun in march
March 13 a week before Iranian New Year began.
I wasn’t complimenting ABC for good reporting, I meant that they are leading the anti-gun onslaught this time around .
Yeah, how much did he pay for the anti-depressants?
I haven’t priced a G19 or G17 lately, doesn’t $571 seem a little high? I was thinking they were around $350-400.
Not in NYC unless you are 21+ though...feel safer?
Why? Dude, it's not your fault that this happened. There's no need for a guilty conscience.
No one can predict what someone's going to do.
He bought it on March 13th, so “cool-down” periods are clearly meaningless.
Stumped me too! Perhaps the day the killer enquired about a weapon, and the day he purchased it, were different.
“Under Virginia law, state residents can only buy one handgun in any 30-day period, suggesting Cho bought his second weapon after April 13 or sometime over the weekend.”
Hey, Fast Eddie Rendell, Take Note!!!
The “one gun a month” law you think is a panacea to gun violence, worked really, really good here! Right?!
Definitely not this gun shop owner’s fault. The media is making more of it and probably hounding him!
wait.. he only had 50 bullets?
kid was a pretty darn good shot.
I was looking for a Ruger this past weekend and the Glocks were all over $500. Those prices sound about right.
The Iranian New Year isn't the Islamic New Year. It is the remnant of the old Indo-Aryan spring festival. In India, the Hindus had their New Year around the same time.
It is my understanding that a resident alien is allowed to purchase firearms. The question I have is what about the waiting period for the background check. They think he may have purchased the other gun over the weekend??? Something isn't right.
He may have filed off the serial numbers because he initially may have intended to get away after shooting the woman. Maybe he changed his mind the same day (there was a huge lag between the first shooting and the massacre), maybe in the days preceding.
“March 13 a week before Iranian New Year began.”
Is this sarcasm? I hope so.
This is what amazes me. How does one person shoot 50 people, even if they are all in a contained area.
That’s the kind of shooting Special Ops guys would be proud of. Man, that little twerp was talented with a handgun.
If you buy a handgun around where I live, the shop owner will throw in a free box of ammo.
‘The question I have is what about the waiting period for the background check. They think he may have purchased the other gun over the weekend??? Something isn’t right.’
Instant check no waiting. He bought another gun over the weekend. It was right and legal.
oh yea
Been years since I bought a handgun and back then I had to wait for 3 days or so. But I did buy a new rifle last year and took it immediately. Thanks for the info.
...not so, he was good at taking his time shooting 30 something UNARMED people
Virginia has an “instant” criminal background check, assuming the system is up and operational. I don’t think I’ve ever had to wait more than about 1/2 hour or so, and that’s on a weekend at a gun show when the system can be pretty busy, or at least the link from the gun show building to whatever system is being used. There is no formal waiting period in VA.
Now, you can’t purchase more than one handgun in a 30 day period unless you apply for a collector permit/waiver, as one might when purchasing a collection or matched set. The quantity of rifles is not limited.
Not really. 50 people in an small enclosed space? Fairly easy, alas.
For a demonstration, go watch an indoor paintball match.
First off there is a difference between a Citizen and a Legal Alien, both can be an immigrant. The reason I thought that a legal alien could not own a fire arm had to do with myself, I am an immigrant and a naturalized citizen. I was (mistakenly) under the impression that I could not buy/own a fire arm as a legal resident. I waited until I was a citizen before purchasing my rifle.
I didn't say legal residents should not be allowed to buy a fire arm, I just thought you cold not. Thats all, I was wrong. But, perhaps, like the right to vote, we should limit the right to firearms to Citizens. After all, felons cant vote or have firearms even if they are natural born citizens.
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