The full gun arsenal of suspected Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz has been revealed for the first time.
The 19-year-old, who’s accused of murdering 17 people in a shooting at the Florida high school reportedly has seven ‘long’ guns, which he acquired legally.
Among those is an AK-47-style rifle which he bought less than one month ago, according to Mail Online.
He’s also said to have owned three other guns, which he acquired through illegal means, according to an anonymous law enforcement official.
In order to buy guns in America, the customer must pass background checks, which Cruz himself did.
The suspected shooter was revealed to have bought an AK-47 just last month in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Kim Waltuch, owner of Gun World of South Florida, said Cruz passed all the checks for purchasing a gun and did nothing to arouse suspicion during the purchase.
She said:
He purchased a shotgun and an AK-47. He did purchase a shotgun in 2016 and he purchased the AK in January.
He was not a regular customer of ours. He did purchase firearms from us but it was not the AR-15.
We went through the process of the background checks which is the only way we release a firearm. He was immediately approved.
The AR-15 is the weapon thought to have been used in the shooting, yet the weapons which Cruz bought from Waltuch’s store are not thought to have been involved in the massacre.
Cruz made his first appearance in court on Monday, (February 19) and reportedly failed to make eye contact with others present in the courtroom.
His lawyers said he would plead guilty if prosecutors agreed not to push for the death penalty, though it’s not been agreed.
Speaking to the Sun-Sentinel, Broward Public Defender, Howard Finkelstein said:
There’s only one question: Should this young man live or should he die by execution?
We believe it’s in nobody’s best interest to go through a circus of a trial. There’s no way anyone can minimize the tragedy of what took place.
It’s time to mourn; it’s time to figure out how to prevent future tragedies. He should spend the rest of his life in prison, but he does not deserve to die.
This kid didn’t have to fall through the cracks. He screamed for help and we failed him. He should never go free.
Let him plead guilty and send him to prison for life.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, a fresh debate has risen surrounding gun control in the US, resulting in increasing pressure to enforce some sort of regulation on gun ownership.
One hundred Stoneman Douglas students are expected to urge lawmakers to take steps to prevent another massacre.
The rally is expected to place significant pressure on politicians to introduce laws which would increase regulation on gun ownership in the future.
Our thoughts are with all those affected by the tragedy.
