Omar Mateen, an American-born citizen to Afghan parents, walked into the Pulse night club and began shooting the patrons as he carried out the most deadly shooting in modern U.S. history.
Mateen had come under suspicion of the FBI three years ago, but his case was closed after an investigation. Mateen’s ex-wife had said he had suffered from some sort of mental illness.
“We have to have national laws regulating the purchasing of firearms and guidelines to obtain a carrying license,” said Joseph Vince of Mount Saint Mary’s University in Maryland. “People find loopholes, and we are going to continue to have mass shootings because what we have in place does not work,” added Vince, who has a background with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
Vince is a nationally and internationally known crime-gun/law enforcement expert who has been quoted in many prominent newspapers and other national and international publications.
He has held several positions within the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, both in the field and at headquarters, including field special agent in charge, special agent in charge, intelligence division and chief of the firearms division. His last assignment involved creating the bureau’s Crime Gun Analysis Branch and becoming its first chief.
“The varying laws between states prevent gun safety because some states have almost no restrictions for carrying permits,” said Vince. “Someone from Pennsylvania who can’t purchase a weapon there can go to Florida and purchase a carrying permit and take it back to Pennsylvania…that’s ludicrous,” Vince added.
A report from the National Gun Victims Action Council says no one who has anger, mental and drug or alcohol issues should be permitted to purchase or carry a firearm.
Many Democrats, including presumptive presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, are calling for stricter gun control measures.
“We can’t fall into the trap that is set up by the gun lobby that says if you can’t stop every shooting in every incident you should not try to stop any,” Clinton has said. “We did have an assault weapons ban for 10 years. I think it should be reinstated,” she added.
Mateen was investigated by the FBI numerous times for terroristic tendencies but was later removed from any such threat list for not posing a credible threat.
“There needs to be a bidding process, criminal record check, neighborhood check and employment check, just as the National Firearms Act of 1934 had,” said Vince.
If someone is on the no-fly list, they are not able to purchase weapons. The same should be said for people who are investigated for suspicions of terrorist organization affiliations, according to the National Gun Victim Action Council’s report.
