Keith Thomas Kinnunen, the shooter who killed two people at the West Freeway Church of Christ in Texas on Sunday, was not allowed to own a gun. Under current law, it was 100 percent illegal for him to own or carry any firearm. He had a massive rap sheet dating back to 1998, including gun felonies. Yet he wasn’t locked up. That is why he was able to kill two people in the church. Thank God, Texas allows citizens to carry concealed weapons, so he was stopped before he could shoot and kill more. But the ugly fact is that most mass shooters are repeat offenders and known to law enforcement. If we actually had criminal control, almost all of these attacks would be prevented.
If the Left really wants to prevent most mass shootings, how about we bring back and reinforce mandatory minimum sentencing on gun felons? Throughout Americans cities, so many violent offenders have rap sheets full of gun violations, yet they are not seriously punished. How about we start “doing something” about mass shootings by punishing people like Keith Thomas Kinnunen and not deterring heroes like Jack Wilson who stopped the shooter before he could kill dozens of others?
A quick glance at Kinnunen’s criminal record shows at least a dozen arrests dating back to 1998. Here is what I was able to piece together from his arrest and court records in several states, as well as from some local news reports:
> May 4, 1998: Arrested in Tucson for carrying a firearm without a license. He was found guilty, but given no jail time.
> June 25, 1999: Arrested for misconduct involving weapons in Tucson. Charges dismissed.
> August 6, 1999: Arrested for theft and endangerment in Tucson. Found guilty on theft charge.
> August 18, 1999: Arrested for spilling load onto highway in Pima County, AZ. Found guilty. 2000: Convicted for driving without a license in Arizona.
> August 25, 2004: Arrested for disorderly conduct in Tucson. Charges dismissed.
> December 3, 2008: Arrested in Fort Worth, Texas, for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He was found guilty the next year but was sentenced to just 90 days.
> August 12, 2009: Arrested for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Tucson.
> December 8, 2010: Charged with theft in Tucson and numerous failures to appear in court. Never served any new prison time.
> August 11, 2011: Charged with assault, disorderly conduct, and failure to appear in Tucson.
And there’s lots more HERE.
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