Reporter with no criminal record surprised at how easy it is to buy an AR-15

Greg P. | 7:46 AM on June 14, 2016

https://twitter.com/jupiter_attic/status/742666315651895296

This has to be one of the dumber things we’ve read so far in the aftermath of the Orlando terror attack, and that’s saying something:

Tomorrow's print column, tonight: Ubinas: I bought an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle in Philly in 7 minutes https://t.co/XFFFMrmAe0

— Helen Ubiñas (@NotesFromHeL) June 14, 2016

Well, the author, Helen Ubiñas is a resident of Pennsylvania, a U.S. citizen and passed the background check at the gun shop. Does she think things would be better if she had to wait a week? An excerpt:

That’s how long it took me to buy an AR-15, the semiautomatic rifle used in the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.

Seven minutes. From the moment I handed the salesperson my driver’s license to the moment I passed my background check.

She goes on to call the process “obscene” and “horrifying.” Stupid efficient commerce:

https://twitter.com/Rosarian4/status/742662729358417920

maybe she should have committed a few felonies AND then try to buy it.

— Ruler Visual Chicken (@Woke_Chicken) June 14, 2016

Note: It wasn’t an AR-15 used in Orlando, but why should she spend 7 minutes fact-checking her article:

Ubiñas, after spending close to $800 on this stunt, decided to turn the gun over to police in Philadelphia, which she complained took longer than the 7 minutes it took to buy the gun because when a woman shows up at a police station with a brand new AR-15 in a box and says she wants to return it, that must happen every single day and wouldn’t be confusing to the desk officer at all:

As I walked to my car with my brand-new gun, I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I didn’t want it, but I also didn’t want it in anyone else’s hands either.

So I drove to the Philadelphia police’s Sixth District on 11th and Winter, where I seemed to stump more than a few officers when I explained who I was and what I wanted to do. Have you ever tried to turn in a gun in this city? Spoiler alert: It takes longer than it does to buy a gun.

As an officer prepared the paperwork, I noticed a sign that hung over one of the walls.

Exit question: Did she get reimbursed?

Glad to see a newspaper still willing to reimburse its reporter for such an extravagant purchase. https://t.co/tDny83E1mp

— (((Jason Epstein))) (@Southfive) June 14, 2016

And they say print media has no budget for reporting.

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