Gov. Greg Abbott, the republican governor of Texas said in a tweet that 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

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