DENVER — There is now some controversy over how the woman linked to the school threats was able to purchase a shotgun. The Problem Solvers are listening to everyone’s questions and digging to get answers.
The big question is: Is it legal for an 18-year-old from Florida to buy a firearm in Colorado?
The CBI, FBI, and ATF all say they believe the woman purchased a firearm legally. The ATF said, “At this time in the investigation we believe [the woman] legally purchased the firearm she had in her possession”.
Meanwhile, the owner at Colorado Gun Broker in Littleton, who sold the woman a shotgun and ammunition, showed The Problem Solvers the approved background check. He says the transaction was legal and even normal to his standards.
“[She] did not seem nervous at all. She seemed normal, just like a first-time gun buyer,” said Colorado Gun Broker owner Josh Rayburn.
Things can get complicated when one looks at the federal law. It says a person can cross state lines to buy a shotgun, “provided the transaction complies with State law in the State where the licensee is located and in the State where the purchaser resides.”
The ATF confirms that law means the sale can only go through if laws from both states involved are followed. In the case of this woman, the states are Colorado and Florida.
In Colorado, in order to buy a shotgun, one has to be 18 years old and pass a background check. The woman met both of those requirements. In Florida, there is a three-day waiting period and you have to be 21 years old to purchase a shotgun. The woman did not meet those requirements.
With all of that mind, the ATF still stands by its statement that the purchase in question is legal. The ATF would not say why the purchase was legal.
So, the answer to all this can not be summed up with a “yes” or “no.” What we do know is that the gun laws in the U.S. can be very confusing.