• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

Shop that sold gun to Sandy Hook shooter's mother loses firearms license

Status
Not open for further replies.
D

Dram

Member
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57578169-504083/newtown-school-shooting-update-shop-that-sold-gun-to-adam-lanzas-mother-loses-firearms-license/
A Connecticut shop that sold a gun to Nancy Lanza, the Newtown school shooter's mother, has lost its federal firearms license.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revoked the license of Riverview Gun Sales in East Windsor in December 2012. The agency didn't say why.

Authorities raided the store for undisclosed reasons shortly after the December 14 school shootings in which Adam Lanza killed 20 first-graders and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School. He also shot to death his mother, Nancy, at their home. Authorities say he fired 154 shots with a Bushmaster .223-caliber rifle inside the school, then killed himself with a Glock handgun.

Nancy Lanza purchased a Bushmaster from Riverview, according to a person close to the investigation into the school shooting who spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe is continuing. It could not be confirmed whether that Bushmaster was the one used in the shooting.

Shop owner David LaGuercia said in December that Nancy Lanza had bought a gun from him years ago, but he couldn't remember what kind. LaGuercia said at the time he was cooperating with law enforcement.

His wife, Shelley Clemens, said Friday that she and her husband still don't know why the ATF revoked his firearms license. She said the store remains open selling ammunition and other items while LaGuercia appeals the revocation.

"They just came in the store after Sandy Hook, raided the store and took away the license," she said, referring further questions to her husband. LaGuercia, of Agawam, Mass., didn't return phone messages Friday.

Clemens said in December that store records show one gun was sold to Lanza.

The weapons used in the shooting had all apparently been purchased by Nancy Lanza, prosecutor Stephen J. Sedensky III said last week when search warrants were unsealed showing the Lanzas' home was packed with weapons and ammunition.
Click to expand...
 
C

commedieu

Banned
i feel like, they should know why their license is revoked, in america?

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives revoked the license of Riverview Gun Sales in East Windsor in December 2012. The agency didn't say why.
Click to expand...

His wife, Shelley Clemens, said Friday that she and her husband still don't know why the ATF revoked his firearms license.
Click to expand...
...
 
C

Cmerrill

You don't need to be empathetic towards me.
They're punishing the retailer who did nothing wrong??

Am I missing something here?

Your country makes no sense to me most of the time.
 
C

commedieu

Banned
Cipherr said:
Is it that they aren't making the reason known to the PUBLIC or to the shop owners? Its possible that the shop owners were informed of why.
Click to expand...

His wife, Shelley Clemens, said Friday that she and her husband still don't know why the ATF revoked his firearms license.
Click to expand...
...

Kinda feel really uncomfortable with the ATF acting, then answering questions later. To citizens.
 
A

Atsumi

Member
The hell? Maybe there's another reason and it's purely coincidental that it's happening right now. They were probably under a bit more scrutiny than a lot of gun stores for the incident (not that it was their fault, just people are people).
 
The Lamonster

The Lamonster

Member
meh, selling murder tools...IMO if your product was used to murder innocents you should probably lose your license. A risk all shops in the industry should have to take.
 
M

Madness

Member
It's not the retailers' fault. They sold it to his mother who was sort of an exemplary citizen.

I don't get it? What is their fault in this?
 
D

Dyno

Member
Maybe the government is sweeping it all away. The entire school isn't being used right now either.
 
V

Various Artists

Banned
The Lamonster said:
meh, selling murder weapons...IMO if your product was used to murder innocents you should probably lose your license. A risk all shops in the industry should have to take.
Click to expand...

This seems incredibly ignorant. This is peoples livelihood and presumably they are contributing tax money etc to the economy. Seems wrong to arbitrarily close them down. What if he said his inspiration for the killing spree was Modern Warfare. Should they close the nearest Gamestop that sold the game?
 
D

Deified Data

Banned
Love how we suddenly get all this concern over gun policy in the US but act on it in totally inappropriate and ineffectual ways.
 
A

AMUSIX

Member
ATF raided the store shortly after the shooting. Since then, they've been going through the store's records and such. Something they found caused them to revoke the license today. Seems pretty clear, and possibly what they found wasn't even related to the shooting. Also seems clear that this wasn't a knee-jerk reaction, as, if it were, one would expect it to happen much sooner.
 
C

commedieu

Banned
Atsumi said:
The hell? Maybe there's another reason and it's purely coincidental that it's happening right now. They were probably under a bit more scrutiny than a lot of gun stores for the incident (not that it was their fault, just people are people).
Click to expand...

Ok,

A lot of people are missing that the ATF didn't give any reason.
And that the people don't know why.
Yet their license/business is impacted.

If everyone else is fine with a government agency doing this, and trying to figure out other reasons these people are guilty of something, I'm fine with it too..

But I just want to be clear we are all on the same page.
 
B

BobLoblaw

Banned
The weapons used in the shooting had all apparently been purchased by Nancy Lanza, prosecutor Stephen J. Sedensky III said last week when search warrants were unsealed showing the Lanzas' home was packed with weapons and ammunition.
Click to expand...
I just can't understand shit like this.
 
V

VanWinkle

Member
The Lamonster said:
meh, selling murder tools...IMO if your product was used to murder innocents you should probably lose your license. A risk all shops in the industry should have to take.
Click to expand...

If Walmart sells a hatchet to someone who murders a person with it, should Walmart not be allowed to sell hatchets anymore?
 
G

GoldenEye 007

Member
AMUSIX said:
ATF raided the store shortly after the shooting. Since then, they've been going through the store's records and such. Something they found caused them to revoke the license today. Seems pretty clear, and possibly what they found wasn't even related to the shooting. Also seems clear that this wasn't a knee-jerk reaction, as, if it were, one would expect it to happen much sooner.
Click to expand...
If they found something, sure, that's fine. But they need to disclose that.
 
W

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
The Lamonster said:
Your business is playing with fire and then you call bullshit when you get burned? Silly.
Click to expand...

I mean, if you can't see how utterly stupid the "if your product was used to murder innocents than you deserve X" argument is, I'm not sure you're capable of having an actual discussion about adult topics. I'm assuming that was a knee-jerk comment that you hadn't really though much on though. Right?
 
J

joelseph

Member
commedieu said:
Ok,

A lot of people are missing that the ATF didn't give any reason.
And that the people don't know why.
Yet their license/business is impacted.

If everyone else is fine with a government agency doing this, and trying to figure out other reasons these people are guilty of something, I'm fine with it too..

But I just want to be clear we are all on the same page.
Click to expand...

Let's hypothetically say the shop owners did do something wrong. They wouldn't act innocent and feign ignorance would they?
 
dorkimoe

dorkimoe

Gold Member
That's pretty stupid....
They deserve a reason...can't be punished if they were following the rules/laws and sold them legally
 
M

massoluk

Banned
Well, wasn't his mother kinda disturbed kind of woman you wouldn't want to hang out with? Like homeschooling her kid, being paranoid of fed, and being prepper or something. I could see some argument the agency could make for revoking the license if that's the case.
 
A

Atsumi

Member
commedieu said:
Ok,

A lot of people are missing that the ATF didn't give any reason.
And that the people don't know why.
Yet their license/business is impacted.

If everyone else is fine with a government agency doing this, and trying to figure out other reasons these people are guilty of something, I'm fine with it too..

But I just want to be clear we are all on the same page.
Click to expand...

I understand a reason wasn't given, sorry if I worded it poorly. What I mean is, people are jumping to conclusions but it's (hopefully) coincidental.

EDIT: They absolutely should know what it was impacted.
 
GungHo

GungHo

Single-handedly caused Exxon-Mobil to sue FOX, start World War 3
It's not normal for the ATF to revoke licenses unless they found something, and they typically inform the licensee why they lost the license. Typically this sort of thing happens when they perform an audit and find some firearm transfers that were unaccounted-for.
 
B

BattleMonkey

Member
AMUSIX said:
ATF raided the store shortly after the shooting. Since then, they've been going through the store's records and such. Something they found caused them to revoke the license today. Seems pretty clear, and possibly what they found wasn't even related to the shooting. Also seems clear that this wasn't a knee-jerk reaction, as, if it were, one would expect it to happen much sooner.
Click to expand...

If they are closing down someones business, they should give a reason. And if they did something wrong, lot of it can bring charges on the owners. Yet they have said nothing? Seems pretty lame for them to not say anything
 
The Lamonster

The Lamonster

Member
WanderingWind said:
I mean, if you can't see how utterly stupid the "if your product was used to murder innocents than you deserve X" argument is, I'm not sure you're capable of having an actual discussion about adult topics. I'm assuming that was a knee-jerk comment that you hadn't really though much on though. Right?
Click to expand...
Devil's advocate.

Leviathin25 said:
Fixed that for you. That is his argument.
Click to expand...
Correct. What would the implications be if a system like that existed?
 
D

Deified Data

Banned
If the government shuts down your business, you have the right to know why. I don't understand why we're arguing over this. What if it was a pot dispensary?
 
M

Madness

Member
The Lamonster said:
Your business is playing with fire and then you call bullshit when you get burned? Silly.
Click to expand...

Wtf kind of response is this? The retailer wasn't playing with fire. It was legally licensed to sell firearms, as are numerous Wal-Mart's in the country.

They conducted the business professionally, ran background checks etc.

How are they to know that the woman's son is a psycho who would snap and murder her and take her guns and slaughter innocents?

Quit trying to shift blame because you feel you can. They are not to blame here.
 
W

WanderingWind

Mecklemore Is My Favorite Wrapper
The Lamonster said:
Devil's advocate.


Correct. What would the implications be if a system like that existed?
Click to expand...

That's not being a devil's advocate. It's propping up a ridiculous and idiotic position under false pretenses. It's not productive to any conversation that isn't just a circlejerk.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

  • Locked
Families of Newtown SchoolShooting Victims Split $1.5M From Estate of Gunman's Mother
10
2K
HariKari replied
  • Locked
Woman Pleads Not Guilty In Sandy Hook Parent Death Threat
2
65
7K
Talents replied
  • Locked
Mother warns gun store about schizophrenic daughter. They ignore her. Tragedy ensues.
2 3
127
10K
GhaleonEB replied
  • Locked
PBS and Independent Lens present 'Newtown', on-air and online starting 4/3 @ 9p EST.
38
4K
Team Alucard replied
  • Locked
Human cost of conspiracy theories.
2
69
9K
Raonak replied
Top Bottom