Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said the gunman who opened fire Saturday in the Midland-Odessa region of Texas had “previously failed a gun purchase background check.”

Abbott also said the gunman did not pass a check to acquire the gun used in Saturday’s attack:

Not only did the Odessa gunman have a criminal history… …he also previously failed a gun purchase background check in Texas… …& he didn’t go thru a background check for the gun he used in Odessa. We must keep guns out of criminals’ hands. https://t.co/vgrqcHtBtF — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX) September 2, 2019

Nearly every mass shooter of the last decade acquired his guns via a background check, attackers who did not go through background checks are outliers who usually steal the guns the they use. One such outlier, the December 14, 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary School attacker, stole the guns he used to kill 26 people at the school.

The Hill reports “it is unclear” how the Midland attacker acquired the gun he used to shoot innocents.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.