From this article, we can get some clues of
how the gunman managed to acquire the firearms that led to the VT incident.
Buying and owning a gun in Virginia does not require a permit, but without a gun permit only one handgun purchase per month is allowed, and there is no waiting period to acquire the gun.
The article did not say anything about having a gun permit to use the firearm itself, but virgina's gun laws are definitely lax, because in this instance he would have waited month after month for each firearm. So he would waited until he had enough guns to carry out the rampage. No news reports have indicated if the gunman had actually have a gun permit. But here's the kicker:
The state maintains "no restriction on the sale or possession of rapid-fire ammunition magazines that can fire up to 100 bullets without reloading."
The state does restrict people convicted of felony crimes from possessing firearms, and forbids giving or selling handguns to minors under 18, except from one family member to another.
That could be another clue, he may have got the gun from a family member. As for the automatic weapons provision that's a shocker too. But it gets worse:
In one controversial loophole, people can buy weapons at second hand gun shows without waiting periods or background checks.
That would have been another possible way he could have got the guns for the rampage.With all the possible ways he could have acquired those weapons, you can see that Virgina's gun laws need to be stricter, even if means restricting it to agricultural, sporting, or hunting.
Good thing the Virginia General Assembly rejected a bill allowing guns on universities.
