by Tony Magliano
It’s the worst mass shooting in modern American history.
With at least 49 people murdered as a result of gunshot wounds, and dozens more critically wounded, a gay/LGBT nightclub in Orlando, Fla., now has the sad distinction of being the site of the U.S.’s worst terror attack since 9/11.
The gunman, Omar Mateen, 29, was reportedly able to legally purchase an AR-15-style semi-automatic assault weapon with a 30-bullet magazine clip and a Glock semi-automatic pistol — both used in the attack — even though the FBI had twice investigated him for suspected terrorist ties.
Shortly after the San Bernardino, Calif., mass shooting in 2015, the U.S. Senate rejected legislation that would have expanded background checks for guns purchased online and at gun shows and also rejected legislation that would have prevented individuals on the terror watch list from purchasing firearms. Such laws would have likely prevented Omar Mateen from legally purchasing his murder weapons.
Furthermore, in 2004 a federal law banning many assault weapons expired. Congress has not passed a similar ban since then. Congress has let organizations like the powerful National Rifle Association — with their millions of dollars poured into political campaigns — to continue to influence them from enacting obvious common sense gun control measures.