Tulsa shooting puts focus on waiting periods for gun buyers
Advocates say such measures can provide authorities with time to complete background checks and create a “cooling off” period for people who might pose an imminent danger.[Anthony Quintano / CC BY 2.0]
SEATTLE (AP) – The mass shootings in Uvalde, Texas, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, are again putting the focus on gun control measures such as waiting periods to buy firearms.
Advocates say such measures can provide authorities with time to complete background checks and create a “cooling off” period for people who might pose an imminent danger.
The gunman who killed his surgeon, another doctor and two others this week in Tulsa bought an AR-style rifle hours beforehand.
Just nine states and Washington, D.C., have explicit waiting periods before people can purchase at least some types of firearms.
Gun-rights advocates say such laws hinder people who seek guns to protect themselves.