An Oklahoma City man was able to buy guns at stores in Moore and Del City, despite being “visibly” mentally ill, in the weeks before he shot his mother to death and later dismembered her corpse, police say.

Gerald David Hume, who had several mental health-related run-ins with Oklahoma City police before his mother's killing in November, bought the guns at a Walmart in Moore and Gun World in Del City, according to Oklahoma City police.

Oklahoma City Police Capt. Dexter Nelson said the fact that Hume, 52, was able to get the guns — despite being “visibly” mentally ill — is a scary reality in Oklahoma and a majority of the states in the nation.

Nelson said officers who've dealt with Hume described him as being “obviously” mentally ill.