Boston bombers were not authorized to own firearms; Roll Call says this will 'fuel calls for tougher gun laws'

Via Reuters:

The two brothers suspected in the Boston Marathon bombings, who police say engaged in a gun battle with officers early Friday after a frenzied manhunt, were not licensed to own guns in the towns where they lived, authorities said on Sunday.

In the confrontation with police on the streets of a Boston suburb, Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev were armed with handguns, at least one rifle and several explosive devices, authorities say.

But neither brother appears to have been legally entitled to own or carry firearms where they lived, a fact that may add to the national debate over current gun laws. Last week, the U.S. Senate rejected a bill to expand background checks on gun purchases, legislation that opponents argued would do nothing to stop criminals from buying guns illegally.

Roll Call reporter Mike Lillis asserts that this will fuel calls for additional gun control laws.

The news that the suspects were not authorized to own firearms will likely also add fuel to calls for tougher gun laws – an issue that was put on the back-burner last week after the Senate blocked the central elements of President Obama’s gun-control package.

We’ll let Ace of Spades blogger Gabriel Malor unpack that logic:

Talk about screwy reporters and their obvious biases…

— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) April 22, 2013

How do you go from "they weren't legally allowed to have guns" to "therefore we should have stricter gun laws"?

— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) April 22, 2013

The belief that criminals will obey stricter gun laws when they ignored less strict laws seems, at least, to me to be, well, *insane.*

— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) April 22, 2013

These guys blew up civilians. I don't think they're particularly interested in the law.

— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) April 22, 2013

I don't know this Hill reporter, Mike Lillis, but I'd love to know what was going through his head when he wrote that.

— Gabriel Malor (@gabrielmalor) April 22, 2013

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Bingo.

@gabrielmalor what less strict laws? MA already has everything the gun-grabbers want to roll out nationwide.

— The H2 (@TheH2) April 22, 2013

@gabrielmalor it makes total sense when your default response to everything is 'we need stricter gun laws.'

— big tuna (@keder) April 22, 2013

If you look at it that way, it does make sense.