One of the guns used by the anti-government terrorist and 911 “truther” John Patrick Bedell came from the Memphis police department. They seized the gun in 2005 and then later “traded” it to a licensed gun dealer. Bedell tried to buy a gun in California, but was bared from doing so because he had a record of psychiatric problems. A mere 19 days later, Bedell traveled across the state line into Nevada and purchased the 9mm handgun at a gun show from a private dealer.
If a background check had been done at the gun show, the private dealer would have been able to ascertain that John Patrick Bedell had no business buying a gun.
If only gun dealers had any interest in policing themselves. They shouldn’t have to be forced to do background checks on potential customers. If they cared about what they were doing, they would take steps to ensure that their guns weren’t getting into the wrong hands. They would do background checks, even at gun shows.
Then again, if the Memphis police didn’t put the gun back into circulation so that it could one again fall into the wrong hands, this whole incident might not have happened.
