(K.R.) Neil Steinberg, columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, tried to buy an AR-15 rifle following the mass shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando, so that he could give a "firsthand account of how easy it is to purchase a firearm in the United States".
The owners of Maxon Shooter's Supplies in Des Plaines, Ill., however, rejected Steinberg's application because a background check uncovered a history of substance abuse and domestic battery involving his wife.
Steinberg discovered first hand what many already know. It's not always easy to purchase a firearm in America. In some areas, it's virtually impossible in fact. Try getting a permit in Boston, for example, where only 1% of residents are licensed to own firearms. Almost every application for a permit is rejected by law enforcement, which has nearly unlimited power to decide who gets a firearm and who doesn't. And the same is true in countless municipalities around the country.
But that doesn't fit with the media narrative, so you don't hear about it. Indeed Mr. Steinberg himself was shocked. "Well, didn't see that coming."
