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A6 U.S. NEWS
Saturday 17 February 2018
"Desire to kill": AP: In many US states, 18 is old
FBI says it failed on Florida suspect tip enough to buy a semiautomatic

By KELLI KENNEDY ior, including his disturbing tional pain this causes all
CURT ANDERSON social media posts. The those affected by this hor- By LISA MARIE PANE fles and things really people
TAMARA LUSH caller was concerned that rific tragedy," Wray said in BRENDAN FARRINGTON bought for hunting or sport
PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — The Cruz could attack a school. the statement. Just months after his 18th shooting and weren't the
FBI received a tip last month In a statement, the agency Florida's governor sharply birthday, Nikolas Cruz went kind of (AR-style rifles) that
that the suspect in the Flor- acknowledged that the tip criticized the federal law to a Florida gun store to buy are used in mass shootings,"
ida school shooting had a should have been shared enforcement agency Fri- a weapon. But there were said Robyn Thomas, execu-
"desire to kill" and access with the FBI's Miami office day, calling the FBI's failure limits on what he could pur- tive director of the Giffords
to guns and could be plot- and investigated, but it was to take action "unaccept- chase at his age. Law Center to Prevent Gun
ting an attack, but agents not. The startling admission able." Cruz wasn't old enough to Violence.
failed to investigate, the came as the agency was "Seventeen innocent buy any of the handguns An estimated 8 million AR-
agency said Friday. Florida already facing criticism for people are dead and ac- at the store. But there's no style guns have been sold
Gov. Rick Scott called for its treatment of a tip about knowledging a mistake isn't such restriction for rifles, since they were first intro-
shotguns or the AR-15 that duced to the public in the
police say he used to carry 1960s, and about half of
out the nation's deadliest them are owned by cur-
school shooting in more rent or former members of
than five years. the military or law enforce-
The young age of the man ment, according to the Na-
accused in the Florida high tional Shooting Sports Foun-
school shooting that killed dation.
17 people has revived the On average, more than
debate over age require- 13,000 people are killed
ments for gun purchases in each year in the United
a country where a patch- States by guns, and most
work of laws and rural of those incidents involve
states steeped in hunting handguns while a tiny frac-
culture allow kids as young tion involve an AR-style fire-
as 14 to buy rifles. arm. Still, the AR plays an
In most states, it's easier for oversized role in many of
teenagers to buy rifles than the most high-profile shoot-
handguns. ings, including the night-
Federal law requires some- club shooting in Orlando
one to be at least 21 to buy and the deadliest mass
a handgun from a licensed shooting in modern U.S. his-
dealer, but only 18 in most tory: the attack by a gun-
places to buy a long gun. man holed up in a Las Ve-
In some states — mostly gas hotel that left 58 dead
Mourners leave the funeral of Meadow Pollack, a victim of the Wednesday shooting at Marjory rural places with a strong and hundreds injured.
Stoneman Douglas High School, in Parkland, Fla., Friday, Feb. 16, 2018. Nikolas Cruz, a former stu- tradition of hunting — you States including Maine,
dent, was charged with several counts of premeditated murder on Thursday. can buy a rifle at the age Minnesota and Vermont
(AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
of 14 or 16. allow teens 14 or 16 years
Gun-rights advocates call old to buy or purchase
the FBI's director to resign a YouTube comment post- going to cut it," Scott said. the long gun an integral long guns without parental
because of the missteps. ed last year. The comment "... The families will spend part of American culture, consent, with some excep-
Attorney General Jeff Ses- posted by a "Nikolas Cruz" a lifetime wondering how allowing kids and their tions. Only two states —
sions said the shooting that said, "Im going to be a pro- this could happen, and parents to bond while out Hawaii and Illinois — have
killed 17 people Wednes- fessional school shooter." an apology will never give in the woods hunting and imposed stiffer age restric-
day was a "tragic conse- The FBI investigated the re- them the answers they des- providing a way to teach tions, requiring someone to
quence" of the FBI's failure mark but did not determine perately need." youngsters firearms safety. be at least 21 before they
and ordered a review of who made it. The FBI is already under Gun-control advocates can purchase a long gun.
the Justice Department's The 19-year-old Cruz has intense scrutiny for its ac- counter the laws are out- The disparity in age require-
processes. He said it's now been charged with killing tions in the early stages of dated and fail to recognize ments between handguns
clear that the nation's pre- 17 people at Marjory Stone- the investigation into Rus- the toll that modern, milita- and long guns exists largely
mier law enforcement man Douglas High School sian meddling in the 2016 ristic-style long guns have because of the popularity
agency missed warning in Parkland, north of Miami. presidential campaign. played in killing scores of of hunting in the U.S. Hunt-
signs. FBI Director Christopher President Donald Trump innocent men, women and ing deer, ducks, geese,
In more evidence that Wray said the agency, and some congressional children. They say such rifles varmints and various other
there had been signs of which received an aver- Republicans have seized should not be in the same animals is a way of life for
trouble with the suspect, age of 2,101 calls to the tip on what they see as signs category as a bolt-action youth in many states, and
Broward County Sheriff line each day in 2017, was of anti-Trump bias. rifle that a young hunter the laws are generally
Scott Israel said at a Friday still reviewing its missteps on The president has repeat- uses to shoot a deer and written to accommodate
news conference that his the January tip. He said he edly slammed the agency vow to add this to the list of purchases of rifles and
office had received more was "committed to getting and its leaders, writing on restrictions they are push- handguns for teenagers.
than 20 calls about Nikolas to the bottom of what hap- Twitter that its reputation ing for despite having little The man designated to be
Cruz in the past few years. pened," as well as assessing was in “tatters.” The sheriff momentum in Congress to Florida’s next House Speak-
A person close to Cruz the way the FBI responds to clarified Friday that Cruz do so. er, Republican Rep. Jose
called the FBI's tip line on information from the pub- never had a gas mask or "It used to be the case that Oliva, indicated hours after
Jan. 5 and provided infor- lic. "We have spoken with smoke grenades during the long guns were hunting the school shooting that he
mation about Cruz's weap- victims and families and attack, but officers did find guns. They were bolt-action wouldn’t be in favor of gun
ons and his erratic behav- deeply regret the addi- a balaclava.q shotguns and single-shot ri- restrictions.q