Weapon Used In California High School Shooting Was Untrackable ‘Ghost Gun’ Built From Parts Ordered Online
The guns are growing in popularity because they don't require serial numbers and can be assembled by people who think they wouldn't pass a background check. In other news on gun violence: NRA relaunches efforts against Florida's age restrictions and a fatal shooting prompts changes at a D.C. hospital.
The Wall Street Journal:
Saugus High Shooter Used ‘Ghost Gun’ Built From Parts
The gun used in the Southern California high-school shooting last week was a “ghost gun” with no serial number, law-enforcement officials said Thursday. The .45 caliber handgun used by Nathaniel Berhow to kill two fellow students and wound three others at Saugus High School on Nov. 14 was built from parts that can be easily purchased online, the officials said. The 16-year-old shot himself as well and died the next day. (Elinson, 11/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Santa Clarita Shooting: Weapon Used In Saugus High Attack A 'ghost Gun,' Sheriff Says
Sheriff’s homicide detectives are trying to determine who built the .45-caliber handgun, a 1911-model pistol. The weapon included a partially built receiver, meaning it did not contain a serial number. Police and witnesses said 16-year-old Nathan Berhow came to school the morning of Nov. 14, removed the handgun from his backpack and opened fire in the Santa Clarita high school quad. Five students were shot, two of whom later died, before Berhow turned the weapon on himself. He died from his injury a day later. (Winton, 11/21)
Health News Florida:
NRA Renews Fight Over Florida's Age Restriction For Purchasing Guns
After dropping an attempt to keep secret the identities of two plaintiffs, the National Rifle Association has relaunched a federal court challenge to a Florida law that raised the age to purchase rifles and other long guns. The NRA filed the lawsuit last year, immediately following the passage of a sweeping school-safety law enacted in response to the mass shooting at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 students and faculty members. (Kam, 11/21)
The Washington Post:
Fatal Shooting After Patient’s Release, Bacteria In Water System Spark Changes At St. Elizabeths
The District’s mental health agency has made staff changes and created a new patient tracking system and plans to hire a consultant after a discharged psychiatric patient with a homicidal history allegedly killed a neighbor in an unprovoked shooting earlier this year. The changes announced Wednesday are the latest at the city-owned St. Elizabeths Hospital after recent incidents that include a potentially harmful bacteria found in its water supply and allegations of patient abuse. (Moyer, 11/21)
