The suspect accused of opening fire and killing 12 innocents in Virginia Beach reportedly purchased his handgun “legally.”

This means he passed a background check and complied with all gun controls in obtaining his .45 handgun, which he used in the attack.

NBC News reported that a federal official said that “the suspect, who had worked for the city for about 15 years as an engineer recently purchased multiple firearms legally.”

Below is a partial list of other mass shooters who acquired their firearms via background checks:

Poway Synagogue attacker (April 27, 2019)

Tree of Life Synagogue attacker (October 27, 2018)

Parkland high school attacker (February 14, 2018)

Texas church attacker (November 5, 2017)

Las Vegas attacker (October 1, 2017)

the Alexandria attacker (June 14, 2017))

Orlando attacker (June 12, 2016)

the UCLA gunman (June 1, 2016))

the San Bernardino attackers (December 2, 2015)

the Colorado Springs attacker (October 31, 2015)

the Umpqua Community College attacker (October 1, 2015)

Alison Parker’s attacker (August 26, 2015)

the Lafayette movie theater attacker (July 23, 2015)

the Chattanooga attacker (July 16, 2015)

the alleged Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal attacker (Jun 17, 2015)

the Muhammad Carton Contest attackers (May 3, 2014)

the Las Vegas cop killers (June 9, 2015)

the Santa Barbara attacker (May 23, 2014)

the Fort Hood attacker (April 2, 2014)

the Arapahoe High School attacker (December 13, 2013)

the D.C. Navy Yard attacker (September 16, 2013)

the Aurora movie theater attacker (July 20, 2012)

Gabby Giffords’ attacker (January 8, 2011)

the Fort Hood attacker (November 5, 2009)

the Virginia Tech attacker (April 16, 2007)

The list of attackers acquiring guns legally is important because Democrats often emerge from a mass shooting incident with calls for universal background checks. This amounts to expanding our current background check system to cover private gun sales as if they were retail. Such a move would do nothing to stop attackers who are already passing background checks to acquire their guns.

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.