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Could Arizona Shooter Have Bought His Gun Here?

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The alleged shooter in Arizona — Jared Lee Loughner, 22 — used a Glock 19, a nine-millimeter semi-automatic weapon that is capable of firing 30 rounds of ammunition in one clip. He purchased the pistol at a gun shop in Tucson after passing an instant background check.

A semi-automatic Glock 19 pistol (Keith LaFaille/Flickr)
A semi-automatic Glock 19 pistol (Keith LaFaille/Flickr)

In the massacre that followed, six people died. More than a dozen people were injured, including Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

Giffords is an avid gun-rights supporter in a state that has some of the most lenient gun laws in the country. And even though Massachusetts has some of the toughest, we wonder — how hard is it, really, to buy a gun in this state?

Guest:

  • David Hemenway, director, Harvard Injury Control Research Center

This segment aired on January 10, 2011.

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