The U.S. Air Force says the Texas church shooter's name was never put into the FBI’s National Criminal Information Center (NCIC) database after he was court-martialed for domestic violence. Had that happened as it was supposed to, shooter Devin Patrick Kelley would never have been allowed to buy a weapon.
What exactly had Kelley done? He was convicted of assaulting his ex-wife and fracturing the skull of his baby stepson. In the end, he served a 12-month sentence and was given a Bad Conduct Discharge from the military. The way the system is supposed to work is that conviction would have been included in the NCIC database.
Under the 1996 Lautenberg Amendment, which bars anyone convicted of domestic violence — even misdemeanors — from getting access to gun, transmitting that information would have made him ineligible to own firearms. In the wake of the revelation, Air Force officials say they’re launching an investigation into the handling of Kelley's criminal records – as well as other cases.
- Arizona Senator – and Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain - has responded to the revelation. "My thoughts and prayers remain with the congregation in Sutherland Springs, Texas—especially the families of the victims of this horrific shooting,” he says in a statement. “The Senate Armed Services Committee will conduct rigorous oversight of the Department's investigation into the circumstances that led to this failure. It's critical that each of the military services take the steps necessary to ensure that similar mistakes have not occurred and will not occur in the future."
Source: NBC News