The man who killed four in a mass shooting at 345 Park Avenue bought the gun from his supervisor at a Las Vegas casino. The supervisor’s lawyer insists that the transaction complied with state and federal law.
Via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, attorney Chris Rasmussen issued multiple statements in support of Rick Ackley, who sold the AR-15-style rifle to Shane Tamura.
“Rick Ackley administered the transfer of the firearm used in the tragedy in New York lawfully complying with Nevada and Federal gun laws on October 2, 2024,” Rasmussen said in a statement issued to ESPN.
In a separate statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Rasmussen said Ackley “legally sold a firearm to the suspect in the New York shooting and is not a suspect or considered to have any nefarious involvement.”
Separate and apart from the question of whether the sale was legal is the question of whether it should be. Does the Second Amendment guarantee access to weapons that can outgun a police officer?
Should the background checks for that type of gun be far more stringent?
There are fair and appropriate questions to ask, as part of a broader conversation about how to eradicate the tangible risk that everyone necessarily assumes when leaving their home and going to a public place.
