NRA Member and Gun Violence Survivor Elvin Daniel Reacts to Armslist.Com Statement on Chattanooga Shooting

Chattanooga Shooter Reportedly Purchased Gun on Armslist.com Where 77 Percent of Ads Are Posted by Unlicensed Sellers Not Required to Conduct Background Checks Under Federal Law; Armslist Investigations Available Here

NEW YORK – Everytown for Gun Safety today released the below statement from NRA member and gun violence survivor Elvin Daniel reacting to Armslist.com’s owner Jonathan Gibbon’s official statement in response to the Chattanooga shooting in which the shooter purchased firearms on Armslist.com – a site where 77 percent* of ads are posted by unlicensed sellers not required to conduct a background check under federal law.

STATEMENT FROM ELVIN DANIEL, NRA MEMBER AND GUN VIOLENCE SURVIVOR

“The owner of Armslist.com claims his site is simply ‘a free speech forum’ – well, free speech didn’t kill my sister. Her abusive husband killed her with a gun he was only able to obtain because the website Armslist catered directly to him, by linking him at the click of a button with an unlicensed seller who he knew would not conduct a background check. In the wake of the Chattanooga tragedy – in which another shooter bought some of his guns on Armslist.com – it’s long past time for Gibbon to re-assess how his business model makes it easy for dangerous people to skirt the law, arm themselves, and kill.”

More about Elvin Daniel and his sister Zina Daniel Haughton:

Elvin’s sister, Zina Daniel Haughton, was shot and killed by her estranged husband, on October 21, 2012 at a salon and spa in Brookfield, WI. The shooter was issued a restraining order days before the shooting and was therefore a prohibited purchaser. The shooter connected with a private seller through Armslist.com who was not required to run a background check before selling the gun. The shooter purchased an FNH .40 caliber semiautomatic handgun that he used the next day to kill Zina and two other women, and injured four more, before committing suicide. Elvin lives in Illinois and is a gun owner and member of the NRA.

Additional Information about the Online Private Sales Loophole and Armslist.com:

For nearly five years, Everytown has led a national examination of the public safety risks associated with online gun sales. Additional information on the online sales loophole including investigations on Armslist.com are available here.

*An Everytown analysis shows that on July 20, 2015, there were 66,950 ads offering guns for sale on Armslist.com. Of them, 51,679 (77 percent) had been posted by self-described “private” sellers, who are not required by federal law to conduct background checks on their buyers.