I'd think the simple answer is there were no real ways to stop them legally with the laws in place at the time .
Ah, but that is not the case with several instances. Several individuals were prohibited persons when they purchased the weapon to commit their heinous acts. The VA Tech Shooter was prohibited as he was adjudicated mentally ill, but the State of VA didn't report it. The Sutherland Springs shooter should have been prohibited because he beat the brakes off of his ex-wife (whose church family/friends were the target of that shooting), but the Air Force failed to report him. The Aurora IL shooter was a prohibited person but obtained a FOID card in IL, later purchasing a firearm. There were laws in place stating these individuals could not possess firearms. They could have been tried and convicted for fraud on the 4473, along with possession of a firearm by a prohibited person. BUT, the imperfect NICS background check let them slip through, in most cases because the agency responsible for reporting their previous criminal convictions/mental adjudications failed to do so.
Red Flag laws may would have successfully intervened in the Aurora CO shooting, if someone would've reported him. The same with the Parkland FL shooter, though he should have been a convicted felon about 10 times over. In addition, in Parkland FL, the Baker act could have covered him apparently so there was already a law in place to authorize removing his firearms (despite the fact he should've been a convicted felon before the shooting, or at a minimum convicted of domestic violence). There are many other examples where red flag laws may have helped, or they were a moot point. If we must pass a law to "do something," why not start by passing a law saying it's a crime to fail to submit or enter any criminal conviction or mental adjudication information to NICS? That's too easy, could actually hold people accountable for negligence in their duty, could possibly motivate individuals to do their duty diligently (every time), and could possibly save lives. And it hurts zero law abiding gun owners, and doesn't stifle the spirit of the 2A.
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