WEBSTER – An ex-con killed two firefighters with the same caliber and make military-style rifle used in the Connecticut school massacre after typing a note pledging to burn down his neighborhood and “do what I like doing best, killing people,” police said Tuesday as another body, believed to be the gunman’s missing sister, was found.William Spengler, 62, who served 17 years in prison for manslaughter in the 1980 hammer slaying of his grandmother, set his house afire before dawn Christmas Eve before taking a revolver, a shotgun and a semiautomatic rifle to a sniper position outside, Police Chief Gerald Pickering said.
Now, here’s the thing: Spengler should have been clearly ineligible to have weapons of any kind…after all, we live in a country where if you’re an ex-con, you can be purged from voting rolls, even if your debt to society is completely paid.
It seems likely that Spengler, who spent 17 years in prison for bldugeoning his 92 year old grandmother to dead with a hammer, owned these weapons legally. He was off parole in 2006, presumably his “debt” being paid.
This is the world Wayne La Pierre and the fascists who are NRA members want you to live in. You have trouble voting. Felons can carry guns. It looks to me as if the only people who amass these kinds of weapons ARE outlaws, and the mere fact that you own any assault or semi-automatic weaponry ought to make you suspect in any kind of polite society.
Really, who needs a Bushmaster to hunt deer? I know those antlers can be pretty intimidating, but think of it as a giant hat rack and you should be fine shooting with your little Remington rifle. You are in no danger, and it’s not like the fight is a fair one anyway.
La Pierre spoke last week of having a registry of the mentally unstable. For my part, he has a seed of that registry if he just lists his membership roles. Any sane person would have quit after his egregious press “conference” and subsequent appearance on Meet The Press Sunday.
But isn’t it interesting that he’d rather have a government-compiled list of people’s private medical information than a government-compiled list of weapons that will kill someone.
IBT on why NY’s law prohibiting ex-cons from owning firearms is essentially worthless:
He couldn’t own a gun legally in NY although could have probably gotten one via mail order, gun show, or private sale easily enough
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/viewart/20121225/NEWS01/312250035/webster-shootings-bushmaster-semiautomatic-rifle
“It’s not yet known how Spengler, a convicted felon who served prison time for bludgeoning his 92-year-old grandmother to death with a hammer in 1980, got his hands on the rifle, or the shotgun and handgun also found in his possession. His criminal convictions made it illegal for him to purchase or own firearms.”
Unfortunately, outside of New York City, long guns — rifles and assault weapons — are legal to own and no permit is required nor do they need to be registered. I’ve been having a long debate with a state trooper who claims that Spengler owned those guns legally, even tho I cited the ex-con waiver (which he did not have, apparently). Only the investigation will reveal the truth.