A recent tweet from noted … well, celebrity Kim Kardashian about a mass murder is sadly typical of that blend of outrage and ignorance so common in Hollywood: “He purchased the gun & ammo ONLINE! How is it so easy to purchase guns online!!! Does this not sicken you? No background checks needed!!!!!” Kardashian boasts 34.4 million Twitter followers, many of whom probably took her at her word.
Of course, anyone who has spent more than five minutes researching guns knows that even while you can set up a gun purchase online, it must legally be conducted through a federal firearms license holder (who will conduct a background check). The idea that someone can have a gun shipped to their house as easily as a book is completely erroneous—but unfortunately, a few more people probably believe it now.
