The suspect accused of opening fire and killing 12 innocents in Virginia Beach reportedly purchased his handgun “legally.”

This means he passed a background check and complied with all gun controls in obtaining his .45 handgun, which he used in the attack.

NBC News reported that a federal official said that “the suspect, who had worked for the city for about 15 years as an engineer recently purchased multiple firearms legally.”

Below is a partial list of other mass shooters who acquired their firearms via background checks:

The list of attackers acquiring guns legally is important because Democrats often emerge from a mass shooting incident with calls for universal background checks. This amounts to expanding our current background check system to cover private gun sales as if they were retail. Such a move would do nothing to stop attackers who are already passing background checks to acquire their guns.

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.