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PRESS RELEASEFor Immediate Release:November 29, 2005
Tacoma Mall Shooting Illustrates Threat to Public Safety from Unregulates Sale of Firearms through the Classifieds
Mall shooter was a prohibited firearms purchaser under federal law who could not buy guns from a licensed dealer because of his previous criminal record
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The recent mass shooting at a Tacoma, Wash. shopping mall dramatically illustrates how the unregulated sale of firearms through classified ads in newspapers poses a potential hazard to a newspaper’s readers and the general public. A classified ad in the Little Nickel newspaper (a free weekly advertiser) was the source of the semiautomatic assault rifle used by Dominick Maldonado in the Nov. 20 shooting that wounded six – one seriously. Dan McKown was shot twice in the abdomen and may have suffered permanent paralysis from a spinal cord injury. Maldonado, who is prohibited from possessing firearms because of a series of felony convictions as a juvenile, purchased the MAK 90 7.62mm rifle from Joe Pasamonte, a private gun owner and collector. Whereas licensed firearms dealers are required to conduct criminal background checks on all buyers, unlicensed sellers who sell firearms from a “personal collection” are not required to conduct background checks. By purchasing the rifle from an unlicensed seller in a private transaction, Maldonado was able to evade the mandatory criminal background check required on all dealer sales. The MAK 90 is manufactured by Norinco, a Chinese gun manufacturer. It is functionally identical to an AK-47 and uses the same ammunition. “There is a demand for guns, especially assault weapons, by persons who cannot buy them from licensed firearms dealers because they are either too young or have a criminal record and cannot pass the mandatory background check required on all dealer sales,” said John Johnson, spokesman for the Campaign to Close the Newspaper Loophole. “Thus, the classifieds provide opportunities for felons, domestic abusers, minors, and other persons who are prohibited by law from possessing firearms to evade a criminal background check and illegally buy guns.” The Campaign to Close the Newspaper Loophole (www.gunloophole.com) is a project of Iowans for the Prevention of Gun Violence. The campaign asks newspapers across the country to restrict firearms advertisements to licensed firearms dealers, and to not take classified ads for guns from unlicensed sellers. Since the campaign was launched, at least 69 newspapers with a combined circulation of 7.9 million have changed their firearms advertising policy after being contacted by the campaign, including some of the nation’s largest newspapers: Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer, Miami Herald, Denver Post, Rocky Mountain News, Houston Chronicle, The Dallas Morning News, and The Indianapolis Star. At least 53 newspapers have changed their policy in 2005 as a result of stepped up efforts by the campaign this year. Nationwide, more than 270 newspapers across the country do not take firearms advertisements from unlicensed sellers, including the following newspapers in Washington: King County Journal (Eastside), King County Journal (South County), The Herald (Everett), Seattle Post Intelligencer, and Daily Sun News (Sunnyside). Source: “The Newspaper Classifieds: Marketplace for Illegal Gun Transfers,” Nov. 18, 2005, available online at www.gunloophole.com. Said Johnson, “It is difficult to defend a newspaper’s role in the private sale of firearms without a criminal background check. We commend the publishers of these newspapers for taking reasonable steps to prevent their newspaper from being used as a marketplace for illegal gun purchases. We call on other newspapers, specifically those in Washington who have seen first hand the risks these ads pose to the general public, to follow their example.
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