Posted on Nov 6, 2017
Air Force Error Allowed Texas Gunman to Buy Weapons
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Seems that the AF did not enter the killer's BCD conviction in the national data base when he was court martialed and discharged from the AF, thereby allowing him to purchase weapons without coming up negative on the background check.
Air Force Error Allowed Texas Gunman to Buy Weapons
Posted from nytimes.comPosted in these groups: 
Background Check
Gun Control
Background Check Gun Control
Posted 7 y ago
Responses: 3
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Interesting that additional details are left out depending on who is reporting.
This was reported in the Washington Post - "Kelley had sought and failed to obtain a permit allowing him to carry a concealed weapon, officials said. He had an “unarmed private security license” akin to what a security guard at a concert would have, Martin said."
"Kelley worked briefly over the summer as an unarmed night security guard at a Schlitterbahn water park in New Braunfels, the company said. He passed a Texas Department of Public Safety criminal background check before beginning work there, a spokeswoman said, though she added that Kelley was fired in July — as the season was reaching its peak — because he was “not a good fit.”
He was also able to pass a background check that allowed him to work for HEB, a Texas grocery chain, in New Braunfels. Company spokeswoman Dya Campos said he worked there for two months in 2013 and quit; she was unsure of his position there."
The information does not add up. Especially about employment in 2013, when he was supposedly in confinement, and not released from the AF until 2014. And it is interesting that he passed a TX DPS criminal background check where information about the type of discharge is usually noted in employment records. But that does indicate that the AF might have messed up. Would like to hear the explanation given as to why he did not get the CCP and then compare that to the rest of the story.
This was reported in the Washington Post - "Kelley had sought and failed to obtain a permit allowing him to carry a concealed weapon, officials said. He had an “unarmed private security license” akin to what a security guard at a concert would have, Martin said."
"Kelley worked briefly over the summer as an unarmed night security guard at a Schlitterbahn water park in New Braunfels, the company said. He passed a Texas Department of Public Safety criminal background check before beginning work there, a spokeswoman said, though she added that Kelley was fired in July — as the season was reaching its peak — because he was “not a good fit.”
He was also able to pass a background check that allowed him to work for HEB, a Texas grocery chain, in New Braunfels. Company spokeswoman Dya Campos said he worked there for two months in 2013 and quit; she was unsure of his position there."
The information does not add up. Especially about employment in 2013, when he was supposedly in confinement, and not released from the AF until 2014. And it is interesting that he passed a TX DPS criminal background check where information about the type of discharge is usually noted in employment records. But that does indicate that the AF might have messed up. Would like to hear the explanation given as to why he did not get the CCP and then compare that to the rest of the story.
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1stSgt Nelson Kerr
Didi you consider that the infor just came out and some reports do not include it?
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SSG Robert Webster
Actually, the information came out at the same time. The amount and type of information and how it is written up appears to be driven by agenda.
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SSG Robert Webster
Additional follow up information that does not coincide with earlier reporting that makes you wonder.
The following is from a newer CNN report:
"Kelley served at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his discharge in 2014, according to Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek."
"In August, 2014, Kelley was arrested on an animal cruelty charge, a misdemeanor offense, in El Paso County, Colorado, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office."
"Kelley was involved in "multiple occasions of domestic abuse" against his wife and stepson, Christensen said." (It is not clear because this was not placed in chronological context in the story, but this would be the shooter's first wife, since the statement was made by Don Christensen, the former Air Force chief prosecutor when Kelley was sentenced.)
"At one point, the shooter tried to get a license to carry a gun in Texas but was denied by the state, Abbott said, citing the director of Texas' Department of Public Safety. "
Like I said the information does not add up.
The following is from a newer CNN report:
"Kelley served at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his discharge in 2014, according to Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek."
"In August, 2014, Kelley was arrested on an animal cruelty charge, a misdemeanor offense, in El Paso County, Colorado, according to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office."
"Kelley was involved in "multiple occasions of domestic abuse" against his wife and stepson, Christensen said." (It is not clear because this was not placed in chronological context in the story, but this would be the shooter's first wife, since the statement was made by Don Christensen, the former Air Force chief prosecutor when Kelley was sentenced.)
"At one point, the shooter tried to get a license to carry a gun in Texas but was denied by the state, Abbott said, citing the director of Texas' Department of Public Safety. "
Like I said the information does not add up.
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that's kind of what I was thinking earlier either the AF didn't flag him right or ATF screwed up by not reading the memo
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As much as we hate to hear it, any system can fail. We know the federal government in all of it's forms is far from perfect. People fall through the cracks for lots of reasons in a variety of programs.
We had all of the info we needed to know this guy was bad. He liked to hurt innocent, defenseless people and had done so to the point the USAF jailed him and BCD'd him (or so it appears). Even if the system had worked perfectly and this guy was ready to go into a church and shoot men, women and children to take out his frustration over his domestic issues I think he would have found a way to do so. He might have stolen a weapon or bought one illegally on the street etc.
The reality is law enforcement cannot do much with someone before the commit a crime unless some of their preliminary actions are illegal. Even then, those are usually lesser offenses and people cannot/will not be held for long.
Once someone crosses the line of departure on something like this and is willing to kill and die in the process, it is very, very hard to stop then. We had our chances with this guy early on but he was released from prison after a year. Not sure what the maximum sentence for his crimes were but it likely would have been less than 5 years.
We had all of the info we needed to know this guy was bad. He liked to hurt innocent, defenseless people and had done so to the point the USAF jailed him and BCD'd him (or so it appears). Even if the system had worked perfectly and this guy was ready to go into a church and shoot men, women and children to take out his frustration over his domestic issues I think he would have found a way to do so. He might have stolen a weapon or bought one illegally on the street etc.
The reality is law enforcement cannot do much with someone before the commit a crime unless some of their preliminary actions are illegal. Even then, those are usually lesser offenses and people cannot/will not be held for long.
Once someone crosses the line of departure on something like this and is willing to kill and die in the process, it is very, very hard to stop then. We had our chances with this guy early on but he was released from prison after a year. Not sure what the maximum sentence for his crimes were but it likely would have been less than 5 years.
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