Massive: Waffle House Shooter's Guns Had Been Seized, Gun Control FAILED
After every major shooting incident, gun-control advocates demand the imposition of ineffective new laws while supporters of gun rights argue that plenty of gun laws that don’t always work are already on the books.
Case in point would be the tragic shooting that took place Sunday morning at a Waffle House in Antioch, Tennessee, when a 29-year-old Illinois man opened fire at the restaurant and killed at least four people, wounding at least seven others, according to USA Today.
The suspect — identified as Travis Reinking — was known to authorities and had run afoul of gun laws as recently as last year, when he was arrested by the Secret Service for being armed in a “restricted area” in the vicinity of the White House.
That run-in with the law resulted in his Illinois firearms owner card being revoked while local police confiscated four weapons from his possession.
#BREAKING: Waffle House shooting suspect arrested last year by Secret Service for being in restricted area near White House.
After the arrest, his Illinois firearms authorization was revoked and local Illinois police confiscated his firearms.
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) April 22, 2018
“Among the weapons seized by those authorities was the AR-15 rifle used at the Waffle House today,” said Don Aaron, spokesman for the Nashville police spokesman, during a Sunday afternoon press conference.
Aaron said the alleged shooter is believed to have moved from Illinois to the Nashville area late last year and may have been recently fired from a job in the construction industry.
Unfortunately, it appears the local Illinois police who initially seized the firearms later delivered them to the shooter’s father — who was still authorized by the state to possess firearms. He then subsequently gave the weapons back to his son at a later date.
Thus we see that even when existing gun control laws are followed by authorities — suspect arrested and weapons seized, later given to an authorized possessor — a horrific crime involving a firearm still occurred.
https://twitter.com/ElliottRHams/status/988143391866224640
While the anti-gun crowd would merely crow that this incident proves the need to ban and confiscate all firearms — as if that is even remotely possible — they will indeed double-down on their demands that more laws be imposed as they move toward the ultimate goal of the entire population being disarmed to prevent such tragedies.
Meanwhile, those of us with common sense realize that this incident highlights the futility of most gun laws, in that evil and insane individuals bent on murderous destruction will find a way to do their worst no matter what.
Even though this murderer had previously come to the attention of law enforcement officials and had his firearms confiscated, he nevertheless managed to get those firearms back and proceeded to engage in a murderous shooting spree.
If anyone other than the shooter himself bears responsibility for this horrific tragedy, it is the shooter’s father, who gave the weapons back to his son.
As far as we know at this point, gun-control laws already in existence worked, thus negating the need for even more restrictive laws. The only failure we see at this point is in the judgment of the shooter’s father.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. Advertise Today.
