Reporting on the Indianapolis FedEx shooter raises some questions about just what law enforcement andf the FBI see as most important when dealing with dangerous people.
“In March 2020, the suspect’s mother contacted law enforcement to report he might try to commit ‘suicide by cop.’ The suspect was placed on an immediate detention mental health temporary hold by the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department. A shotgun was seized at his residence. Based on items observed in the suspect’s bedroom at that time, he was interviewed by the FBI in April 2020. No Racially Motivated Violent Extremism (RMVE) ideology was identified during the course of the assessment and no criminal violation was found. The shotgun was not returned to the suspect.”
[…]
Hole was transported to a local hospital. No online court records appear to correspond with the incident.
It sounds like Some Asshole was “Baker Acted.” No adjudication of mental defect, no “red flag.” Nothing to make him a prohibited person. But he was dangerous enough that the police took his shotgun. And left him on the loose to obtain another weapon.
This bucket o’ chum was the poster boy for “red flag” laws. Yet, no one flagged him. But the FBI…
I’m still curious about why his mother, according to some reports, reported him to the FBI as well as local police. But I’m even more concerned that the FBI’s main concern was determining whether he was a “Racially Motivated Violent Extremist” — FBI code for “white supremacist.” Well, guys; he might be dangerous enough to disarm, but he isn’t a white supremacist so it’s all good.
If I were the cynical sort, I’d be wondering if they left in place to provide another example of my we need more gun control victim disarmament. Oh. Wait. I am cynical.
Other reporting on the incident is troubling.
Hole was in possession of two assault rifles, which he purchased legally in July and September of 2020, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. Police said Hole was witnessed using both rifles during the assault.
I’m seeing that pretty consistently: Lawfully purchased assault rifles. That’s basically impossible. The lag time for tax stamps for an NFA assault rifle is an average of seven and a half months. Chum was 19 in April 2021; he probably would have been 18 when he bought the assault rifles four and six months after his shotgun was confiscated. If he had started the process before the confiscation, he might have been 17 years old, which wouldn’t be lawful.
I think it’s safe to assume the authorities are lying about NFA assault rifles. In fact, and oddly, no one is identifying the weapons at all. AR-pattern? AK-pattern? An SKS? Any semi-auto? It looks like misdirection in support of a semi-auto ban. But I’m a cynic.
Moving on, we can also see the authorities covering their butts over the apparent lack of “red flag” action against the scum bucket.
The Marion County prosecutor’s office did not immediately respond to questions about whether authorities sought to use the red-flag law against Hole.
Under Indiana’s red-flag measure, authorities have two weeks after seizing a gun to go before a judge. But a red-flag case can stretch months as the person who lost the firearm makes their own case, Marion County Prosecutor Ryan Mears told a local news station last February. During that time, the person can buy another gun — a “loophole” that Mears urged lawmakers to fix.
Previous reporting said there are no court records in connection with the confiscation or Baker Acting of the guy. That means the police never sent it to the courts. Mears is lying about the “red flag” process, as well. If deemed necessary, the police are supposed to immediately file with the courts, which are required to address it immediately. A hear must be held within two weeks. If the judge finds the person to be a danger, he must:
(c) If the court determines that the state has proved by clear and convincing evidence that the individual is dangerous, the court shall issue a written order:
(1) finding the individual is dangerous (as defined in section 1 of this chapter);
(2) ordering the law enforcement agency having custody of the seized firearm to retain the firearm;
(3) ordering the individual’s license to carry a handgun, if applicable, suspended; and
(4) enjoining the individual from:
(A) renting;
(B) receiving transfer of;
(C) owning; or
(D) possessing;
a firearm; and
determine whether the individual should be referred to further proceedings to consider whether the individual should be involuntarily detained or committed under IC 12-26-6-2(a)(2)(B).
Any firearm; not just the seized weapon as Mears falsely claimed.
Even if the defendant somehow drew the process out for “months” as Mears claims, courts routinely issue preliminary injunctions barring the person from possessing firearms pending final determination. Whether preliminary or final, that should have filed with NICS making the subject a prohibited person.
But none of that even matters, If the police didn’t do their jobs in the first place. It’s just CYA, misdirection.
And then there’s the irony of a people required to bear a defensive weapon at all times, the kirpan, calling for victim disarmament.
Kiran Deol, who attended the vigil in support of family members affected by the shooting, said loopholes in the law that make it easier for individuals to buy guns “need to be closed now,” and emphasized that anyone who tries to buy a firearm should be required to have their background checked.
Within 48 hours — over a weekend — the ATF was able to trace the shooter’s firearms and determine they were lawfully purchased. The only way that could happen is if the purchases were through an FFL, which means he underwent a background check. Two, in fact. Two separate private, check-less, sales couldn’t have been traced that quickly.
Everyone’s priority in this is lying to cover their mistakes and push a victim disarmament agenda.
