VOA慢速英语2021--美国大规模枪击案与控抢法案

Mass Shooters Used Limited US Gun Laws

The suspect in the Boulder¹, Colorado, shooting had been convicted of attacking a classmate. He could still buy a gun.

The man accused of opening fire on three businesses in the Atlanta, Georgia, area bought his gun just hours before the attack. He did not have to wait.

They are just the latest U.S. mass shooting suspects who were easily able to get guns due to limited guns laws and background check failures.

Since the two most recent shootings, President Joe Biden has called for stronger gun laws. He is urging expansion of background checks and a ban on assault weapons. But many Republicans oppose the measures.

Here is a look at how suspects in several mass shootings got their weapons:

Boulder, Colorado: March 22, 2021, 10 dead

On March 16, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa bought a semi-automatic assault weapon, police said. Days earlier, a judge had overturned an order that banned weapons like Alissa's in Boulder. The judge noted² that a state law prevented local gun bans.

It is not known where Alissa bought his gun or whether the assault of his classmate came up on a background check. If he had been convicted of a serious crime, his gun purchase would have been illegal under federal law. Alissa is charged with 10 counts of murder.

Atlanta, Georgia: March 16, 2021, 8 dead

Robert Aaron Long bought a 9-millimeter handgun just hours before shooting eight people at three massage³ businesses in the Atlanta area, police said. Georgia, like most U.S. states, has no waiting period to buy a gun. Long claimed to have a "sex addiction⁴," police said.

Federal law bans guns for people who are addicted⁵ to a controlled substance or who have been ordered to spend time at a mental health or substance abuse treatment center. But that law does not discuss treatment for other addictions⁶ as a barrier to ownership. Long is charged with eight counts of murder.

Midland, Texas: August 31, 2019, 7 dead

Seth Aaron Ator bought an assault rifle through a private sale, which avoided a federal background check. Ator shot from his car into passing vehicles and shopping areas. He also stole a mail truck, killing⁷ the driver.

Ator had been blocked from getting a gun in 2014 after his background check showed mental illness. But private sales do not require a federal background check. And they make up about 40 percent of all U.S. gun sales, some estimates say. Ator was killed by police.

Dayton, Ohio: August 4, 2019, 9 dead

Connor Betts had been temporarily removed from his high school for making lists of people he wanted to harm. But officials said there was nothing in his background check that prevented him from buying the weapon he used to kill people at Ned Peppers Bar in Dayton.

Ohio law says records of crimes committed under the age of 18 must be removed within five years or when the person turns 23. Betts was 24. He bought the gun online from a Texas seller. Betts was killed by police.

El Paso, Texas: August 3, 2019, 23 dead

Patrick Crusius bought an assault rifle and 1,000 bullets online 45 days before attacking a Walmart store, lawyers said.

A Crusius family lawyer said his mother had called police to raise concerns about an assault weapon her son bought. Police said she was only worried about his safety, not about him being a threat to anyone else.

Crusius had written a racist⁸ message on the internet just before the El Paso attack and he appeared to target Mexicans.

Texas does not have the kind of "red flag law" that other U.S. states have. The red flag permits courts to take guns from people who may be considered dangerous. Crusius is charged with capital murder in Texas, federal hate crimes and federal firearms offenses⁹.

Words in This Story

convict – v. to prove that someone is guilty of a crime in a court of law

background check – n. a process that checks what a person has done in the past to decide whether they can buy a weapon

assault weapon – n. a semi-automatic gun designed for military use and quick, efficient killing

semi-automatic – adj. a firearm designed to fire one bullet with one trigger squeeze, then automatically reload the chamber¹⁰ wand be ready to fire again

massage – n. the action of rubbing or pressing someone's body in a way that helps muscles to relax or reduces pain in muscles and joints¹¹

addiction – n. a strong and harmful need to regularly have something (such as a drug) or do something (such as gamble)

1 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

2 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

3 massage   

n.按摩，揉；vt.按摩，揉，美化，奉承，篡改数据

参考例句：

• He is really quite skilled in doing massage.他的按摩技术确实不错。
• Massage helps relieve the tension in one's muscles.按摩可使僵硬的肌肉松弛。

4 addiction   

n.上瘾入迷，嗜好

参考例句：

• He stole money from his parents to feed his addiction.他从父母那儿偷钱以满足自己的嗜好。
• Areas of drug dealing are hellholes of addiction,poverty and murder.贩卖毒品的地区往往是吸毒上瘾、贫困和发生谋杀的地方。

5 addicted   

adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的

参考例句：

• He was addicted to heroin at the age of 17.他17岁的时候对海洛因上了瘾。
• She's become addicted to love stories.她迷上了爱情小说。

6 addictions   

瘾( addiction的名词复数 )； 吸毒成瘾； 沉溺； 癖好

参考例句：

• He has removed the stigma of drug addictions. 他已经洗去吸毒的污点了。
• Intelligent people are good at using reason to control excessive addictions. 智慧的人善于用理性来控制过度的嗜欲。

7 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

8 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

9 offenses   

n.进攻( offense的名词复数 )；（球队的）前锋；进攻方法；攻势

参考例句：

• It's wrong of you to take the child to task for such trifling offenses. 因这类小毛病责备那孩子是你的不对。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Thus, Congress cannot remove an executive official except for impeachable offenses. 因此，除非有可弹劾的行为，否则国会不能罢免行政官员。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法

10 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

11 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。