Police: Gun used to kill 3 in Ky. bought same day

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Associated Press

Police: Gun used to kill 3 in Ky. bought same day
| January 16, 2013 | Updated: January 16, 2013 7:40pm

HAZARD, Ky. (AP) — A gunman enraged by a domestic dispute bought a gun and fatally shot his former girlfriend, her uncle and her cousin in the parking lot of a small southeastern Kentucky college, police said Wednesday.

The violence near the school Tuesday afternoon locked down the campus for more than an hour as police searched the two buildings of Hazard Community and Technical College in Hazard. The campus was closed Wednesday and will reopen Thursday.

Caitlin Cornett, 20, and her uncle Jackie Cornett, 53, were found dead at the scene when police arrived about 6 p.m. Tuesday, Hazard Police Chief Minor Allen said. Twelve-year-old Taylor Jade Cornett, who police said was shot multiple times, died Wednesday afternoon at University of Kentucky Medical Center in Lexington, said Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn.

Dalton Stidham, 21, was charged Tuesday with two counts of murder and one count of attempted murder. The officer handling the case was not available Wednesday night to say whether the latter charge would be amended.

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Police-Gun-used-to-kill-3-in-Ky-bought-same-day-4198179.php

[MichaelHarris]

1. Is this one of those

good guys with a gun who decided not to be a good guy with a gun anymore? Seems he passed a background check. I know the NRA told me that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun was with a good guy with a gun but I don't know what to do when it's a good guy with a gun. Maybe look for a mediocre guy with a gun?

[Moosepoop]

5. Did the pawn shop that sold him the gun do a background check?

I didn't see that mentioned anywhere in the article.

[hack89]

7. They were required to by law. nt

[Moosepoop]

9. Thanks -- I wasn't sure if pawn shops were required to conduct them.

I found this article a little bit ago:

Girl, 12, becomes third fatality of shooting at Ky. college

Kenny Woods, a Baptist minister who owns H & K Gun & Pawn Shop in Perry County, said in a telephone interview Wednesday that Stidham bought the gun legally at his shop about 1 p.m. Tuesday.

"He cleared a background check without even a delay," Woods said. "Everything was fine with him."

Woods said he would not have sold the gun had Stidham been acting strangely.

<snip>

Caitlin Cornett had gone to court in Perry County in November in an attempt to get an emergency domestic violence order against Stidham, but she was unsuccessful, her sister said.

I'm now wondering if the court had granted the emergency restraining order, would that have shown up in the background check and prevented Stidham from purchasing the gun at the pawn shop?

[AtheistCrusader]

10. Yep. Lautenberg Amendment.

Should happen automatically. They are supposed to turn in any guns they own to the police as well, for storage/holding while the order is worked out.

[Mrs. Ted Nancy]

27. The pawn shop owner is a baptist minister

I doubt he will be conducting the funerals of Mr. Stidham's victims.

He must have missed the lessons from Ezekiel.

[Javaman]

14. kind of pointless now, no?

But I know what you are driving at. If they didn't they are just as guilty.

[politicaljunkie41910]

16. No this was not a good guy with a gun and that's the problem. All these gun laws will mean that

there won't be enough good guys with guns walking around ready to take down the bad guy with the gun. It's all Obama's fault.

[ReRe]

2. Damn!

That young lady was trying to change and make her life better for herself and her baby. Well, Stidham now has three murders on his hands, since the 12 yr old boy died on Wed. Thank God he didn't kill his baby too! What a horrible incident. All because the young man was able to purchase the gun at a PAWN SHOP! That SOB that sold him the gun should be held accountable too, if he broke any laws by selling the gun to Stidham in the first place. My heart goes out to the Cornett family.

[CanonRay]

6. If the pawn shop owner broke any gun law, he should be an accessory to murder.

[Blue_Tires]

25. yeah, i hate that "if i can't have you no one will" -mindset

the killer just should have turned the gun on himself first...

[ReRe]

26. That's right....

.... he can go out in a blaze of glory and not hurt a soul (because he doesn't have one.)

[harmonicon]

3. What was it that Homer Simpson said?

Something like, "Waiting period?! But I'm angry now!!"

Oh well, this was only 3 people, and only 1/3 of them were children. History shows that you need at least a 4:1 ratio of children to adults in mass killings to expect any real response.

[FiveGoodMen]

20. You beat me to it!

More wisdom on The Simpsons than in DC most days.

[tclambert]

4. Is horror fatigue setting in?

It seems harder to get outraged about yet another mass shooting. Maybe it has become the new normal.

[davidpdx]

8. So there was an instant background check and they got the gun the same day?

Am I reading this right?

[Plucketeer]

11. If the gun lobby had their way....

handguns would be available from vending machines.

[geomon666]

12. Yup

[davidpdx]

21. This didn't answer my question

Which is did the people apply for and get the gun on the same day? I get the impression this is the case, but I'd rather have someone confirm this instead of making an assumption.

[okaawhatever]

22. Kentucky does not have a waiting period. It's Rand Paul country. nt

[davidpdx]

23. Thanks for the answer

I guess if you really are mad at someone and and wanted to shoot them that would be the state to live in.

[jpak]

13. Waiting periods don't work - or so we are told.

yup

[DallasNE]

15. There Are More Obstacles To Voting Than Buying An AR-15

In many States. Now how nuts is that.

Very few States allow you to register and vote on the same day but as this example shows, there is no problem with walking into a store and walking out with a gun and ammo.

[Jennicut]

24. Crazy, just crazy.

In this instance, a waiting period might have totally saved three people's lives.

[Grins]

17. Another member of that "well regulated militia" (N/T)

[valerief]

18. Appropriate name for city. nt

[HuckleB]

19. Ugh! UGH! UGGGGHHHHH!

[raidert05]

28. wtf..

I'm in the military and have a security clearance and I live in Virginia of all places and I have to wait 5 days to get a gun...something is terribly backwards here...