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San Bernardino shooting: police say guns used were bought legally – as it happened San Bernardino shooting: police say guns used were bought legally – as it happened
(30 days later)
12.37am GMT12.37am GMT
00:3700:37
This live blog is now closed. Please follow latest updates on our new live blog:This live blog is now closed. Please follow latest updates on our new live blog:
Related: San Bernardino shooting: 14 victims named by police – latest updatesRelated: San Bernardino shooting: 14 victims named by police – latest updates
12.27am GMT12.27am GMT
00:2700:27
SummarySummary
Here is what we now know as we await a news conference from investigators in just over an hour’s time. That will be covered live on our new blog here.Here is what we now know as we await a news conference from investigators in just over an hour’s time. That will be covered live on our new blog here.
12.01am GMT12.01am GMT
00:0100:01
Heartbreaking details from the San Bernardino Sun, who have spoken with the family of one of the victims, 46-year-old Benetta Bet-Badal.Heartbreaking details from the San Bernardino Sun, who have spoken with the family of one of the victims, 46-year-old Benetta Bet-Badal.
Arlen Verdehyou was with his two sons and daughter this morning, waiting in their Rialto home for word on his wife, Bennetta Betbadal. He had not heard from her since they texted each other at 8 a.m. Wednesday. He was holding out hope, waiting for a call.Arlen Verdehyou was with his two sons and daughter this morning, waiting in their Rialto home for word on his wife, Bennetta Betbadal. He had not heard from her since they texted each other at 8 a.m. Wednesday. He was holding out hope, waiting for a call.
“I’m with my kids,” he said. “No news is good news.”“I’m with my kids,” he said. “No news is good news.”
In their texts, Verdehyou told Betbadal, 46, that he had withdrawn money from the bank and would do some Christmas shopping. He told her to have a great day.In their texts, Verdehyou told Betbadal, 46, that he had withdrawn money from the bank and would do some Christmas shopping. He told her to have a great day.
Betbadal, who is originally from Glendale, works for the county as a plan inspector for restaurants, giving restaurants their cleanliness grades that hang in their windows. She was attending the function at the Inland Regional Center when the shooting erupted.Betbadal, who is originally from Glendale, works for the county as a plan inspector for restaurants, giving restaurants their cleanliness grades that hang in their windows. She was attending the function at the Inland Regional Center when the shooting erupted.
“She decorated a beautiful Christmas tree,” he said.“She decorated a beautiful Christmas tree,” he said.
You can read the whole piece here.You can read the whole piece here.
11.54pm GMT11.54pm GMT
23:5423:54
San Bernardino County sheriff's department has released the names of the deceasedSan Bernardino County sheriff's department has released the names of the deceased
They are:They are:
Shannon Johnson, 45, Los Angeles (DOB: 03/06/70) Bennetta Bet-Badal, 46, Rialto (DOB: 03/08/69) Aurora Godoy, 26, San Jacinto (DOB: 02/01/89) Isaac Amanios, 60, Fontana (DOB: 06/29/55) Larry Kaufman, 42, Rialto (DOB: 08/12/73) Harry Bowman, 46, Upland (DOB: 06/08/69) Yvette Velasco, 27, Fontana (DOB: 04/03/88) Sierra Clayborn, 27, Moreno Valley (DOB: 06/15/88) Robert Adams, 40, Yucaipa (DOB: 05/02/75) Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, Colton (DOB: 10/14/63) Tin Nguyen, 31, Santa Ana (DOB: 04/06/84) Juan Espinoza, 50, Highland (DOB: 06/24/65) Damian Meins, 58, Riverside (DOB: 02/02/57) Michael Wetzel, 37, Lake Arrowhead (DOB: 04/29/78)Shannon Johnson, 45, Los Angeles (DOB: 03/06/70) Bennetta Bet-Badal, 46, Rialto (DOB: 03/08/69) Aurora Godoy, 26, San Jacinto (DOB: 02/01/89) Isaac Amanios, 60, Fontana (DOB: 06/29/55) Larry Kaufman, 42, Rialto (DOB: 08/12/73) Harry Bowman, 46, Upland (DOB: 06/08/69) Yvette Velasco, 27, Fontana (DOB: 04/03/88) Sierra Clayborn, 27, Moreno Valley (DOB: 06/15/88) Robert Adams, 40, Yucaipa (DOB: 05/02/75) Nicholas Thalasinos, 52, Colton (DOB: 10/14/63) Tin Nguyen, 31, Santa Ana (DOB: 04/06/84) Juan Espinoza, 50, Highland (DOB: 06/24/65) Damian Meins, 58, Riverside (DOB: 02/02/57) Michael Wetzel, 37, Lake Arrowhead (DOB: 04/29/78)
In a statement, the sheriff’s office said that the Coroner Division completed their on scene investigation early this morning and then began the process of making notification to the families of each victim. At 3:30PM the family notifications were completed.In a statement, the sheriff’s office said that the Coroner Division completed their on scene investigation early this morning and then began the process of making notification to the families of each victim. At 3:30PM the family notifications were completed.
Sheriff John McMahon:Sheriff John McMahon:
This shooting has caused each victims family, friends and co-workers, along with the first responders, to suffer an enormous personal tragedy. We must stand strong and offer support to each individual affected by this senseless attack.This shooting has caused each victims family, friends and co-workers, along with the first responders, to suffer an enormous personal tragedy. We must stand strong and offer support to each individual affected by this senseless attack.
11.42pm GMT11.42pm GMT
23:4223:42
Federal authorities have told NBC7 Los Angeles that the guns used in the attack were purchased legally.Federal authorities have told NBC7 Los Angeles that the guns used in the attack were purchased legally.
Meredith Davis of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives told them that all four guns were bought four years ago but she’s not saying whether they were purchased out of state or how and when they got into the hands of the two shooters.Meredith Davis of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives told them that all four guns were bought four years ago but she’s not saying whether they were purchased out of state or how and when they got into the hands of the two shooters.
They are currently seeking the last legal purchaser, Davis said.They are currently seeking the last legal purchaser, Davis said.
You can read the whole piece here.You can read the whole piece here.
11.37pm GMT11.37pm GMT
23:3723:37
CBS News has a photo purporting to be of some of the explosive devices found in the suspects’ home.CBS News has a photo purporting to be of some of the explosive devices found in the suspects’ home.
JUST IN: CBS News obtains images of #SanBernardino shooting suspects' explosive devices https://t.co/mTqWjtwFvP pic.twitter.com/r8RUya50mnJUST IN: CBS News obtains images of #SanBernardino shooting suspects' explosive devices https://t.co/mTqWjtwFvP pic.twitter.com/r8RUya50mn
11.28pm GMT11.28pm GMT
23:2823:28
One sheriff’s office in Ulster County, New York, about an hour north of New York City, is urging citizens who are licensed to carry firearms to make sure they do so in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting. Here is the message in full:One sheriff’s office in Ulster County, New York, about an hour north of New York City, is urging citizens who are licensed to carry firearms to make sure they do so in the wake of the San Bernardino shooting. Here is the message in full:
December 3, 2015December 3, 2015
ATTENTION LICENSED HANDGUN OWNERSATTENTION LICENSED HANDGUN OWNERS
In light of recent events that have occurred in the United States and around the world I want to encourage citizens of Ulster County who are licensed to carry a firearm to PLEASE DO SO.In light of recent events that have occurred in the United States and around the world I want to encourage citizens of Ulster County who are licensed to carry a firearm to PLEASE DO SO.
I urge you to responsibly take advantage of your legal right to carry a firearm. To ensure the safety of yourself and others, make sure you are comfortable and proficient with your weapon, and knowledgeable of the laws in New York State with regards to carrying a weapon and when it is legal to use it.I urge you to responsibly take advantage of your legal right to carry a firearm. To ensure the safety of yourself and others, make sure you are comfortable and proficient with your weapon, and knowledgeable of the laws in New York State with regards to carrying a weapon and when it is legal to use it.
I also want to remind all Police/Peace Officers both active duty and retired to please carry a weapon whenever you leave your house. We are the thin blue line that is entrusted in keeping this country safe, and we must be prepared to act at any given moment.I also want to remind all Police/Peace Officers both active duty and retired to please carry a weapon whenever you leave your house. We are the thin blue line that is entrusted in keeping this country safe, and we must be prepared to act at any given moment.
Thank you,Thank you,
Paul J. Van BlarcumUlster County SheriffPaul J. Van BlarcumUlster County Sheriff
11.21pm GMT11.21pm GMT
23:2123:21
Ben JacobsBen Jacobs
An update from the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs in Washington DC:An update from the Guardian’s Ben Jacobs in Washington DC:
In a press conference outside the Republican Jewish Coalition’s forum in Washington DC, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum went after Ted Cruz in particular for his support of the USA Freedom Act.In a press conference outside the Republican Jewish Coalition’s forum in Washington DC, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum went after Ted Cruz in particular for his support of the USA Freedom Act.
Santorum suggested that it might have been a useful tool to thwart the San Bernardino shooters if the government’s surveillance power had not been allowed to been allowed to lapse.Santorum suggested that it might have been a useful tool to thwart the San Bernardino shooters if the government’s surveillance power had not been allowed to been allowed to lapse.
“It’s hard for me at this point to know how much communication was going between the assailant and terrorists in any kind of ISIS context,” said Santorum. “Suffice it to say if there were some and because of the metadata collection we were not able to collect it that proves the point that we need to have all resources necessary. Particularly given what’s Snowden has done, unveiling sources and methods and allowing enemies to use alternate sources of communications.”“It’s hard for me at this point to know how much communication was going between the assailant and terrorists in any kind of ISIS context,” said Santorum. “Suffice it to say if there were some and because of the metadata collection we were not able to collect it that proves the point that we need to have all resources necessary. Particularly given what’s Snowden has done, unveiling sources and methods and allowing enemies to use alternate sources of communications.”
10.56pm GMT10.56pm GMT
22:5622:56
A summary as we continue our coverage of the investigation into Wednesday’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, that left 14 victims and two suspects dead.A summary as we continue our coverage of the investigation into Wednesday’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, that left 14 victims and two suspects dead.
Related: San Bernardino shooting suspects raised few red flags before 'horrendous' crimeRelated: San Bernardino shooting suspects raised few red flags before 'horrendous' crime
In WashingtonIn Washington
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.59pm GMTat 10.59pm GMT
10.41pm GMT10.41pm GMT
22:4122:41
Senate votes against new background checksSenate votes against new background checks
A second gun control measure, proposed by Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey, is a new version of a 2013 bill to expand background checks – a bill that was thwarted by Republican filibuster despite widespread support after the Sandy Hook shooting.A second gun control measure, proposed by Democrat Joe Manchin and Republican Pat Toomey, is a new version of a 2013 bill to expand background checks – a bill that was thwarted by Republican filibuster despite widespread support after the Sandy Hook shooting.
Four Republicans voted for the measure on Thursday, and one abstained. One Democrat voted against the measure, and two abstained. The bill fails, with a final vote of 48-50.Four Republicans voted for the measure on Thursday, and one abstained. One Democrat voted against the measure, and two abstained. The bill fails, with a final vote of 48-50.
Correction: Senate changes final tally on Mancin-Toomey gun background checks to 48-50 Heinrich (D) now votes YES. #gunviolenceCorrection: Senate changes final tally on Mancin-Toomey gun background checks to 48-50 Heinrich (D) now votes YES. #gunviolence
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.57pm GMTat 10.57pm GMT
10.31pm GMT10.31pm GMT
22:3122:31
Two wounded people remain in critical condition, a hospital official has told reporters outside the Loma Linda Medical Center.Two wounded people remain in critical condition, a hospital official has told reporters outside the Loma Linda Medical Center.
Chief of Loma Linda Emergency Medicine says 2 shooting victims are critical, 2 fair, & 1 will be discharged today. pic.twitter.com/qGejv9GYhaChief of Loma Linda Emergency Medicine says 2 shooting victims are critical, 2 fair, & 1 will be discharged today. pic.twitter.com/qGejv9GYha
10.20pm GMT10.20pm GMT
22:2022:20
Senate votes against no-fly list gun banSenate votes against no-fly list gun ban
In Congress today the Senate voted on a measure to block suspected terrorists from buying guns – it failed, 45-54, divided mostly along party lines. The bill would bar gun sales to people on the terror/no-fly watchlist.In Congress today the Senate voted on a measure to block suspected terrorists from buying guns – it failed, 45-54, divided mostly along party lines. The bill would bar gun sales to people on the terror/no-fly watchlist.
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, a Republican, spoke out against the bill earlier today, saying it would deprive Americans of their right to due process.Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, a Republican, spoke out against the bill earlier today, saying it would deprive Americans of their right to due process.
The Los Angeles Times’ Lisa Mascaro tweeted from Capitol Hill.The Los Angeles Times’ Lisa Mascaro tweeted from Capitol Hill.
On the Feinstein #gunviolence vote, it was almost party line -- except: Kirk (R)- yes Heitkamp (D) - noOn the Feinstein #gunviolence vote, it was almost party line -- except: Kirk (R)- yes Heitkamp (D) - no
This is likely last of #gunviolence votes here in Senate for a while. No surprise, but so far none today have passed. #SanBernardinoThis is likely last of #gunviolence votes here in Senate for a while. No surprise, but so far none today have passed. #SanBernardino
UpdatedUpdated
at 10.50pm GMTat 10.50pm GMT
10.13pm GMT10.13pm GMT
22:1322:13
Sergeant Vicki Cervantes, spokesperson for the San Bernardino police, has tweeted that the authorities will give an update on the investigation around 5.30pm Pacific time (8.30pm Eastern).Sergeant Vicki Cervantes, spokesperson for the San Bernardino police, has tweeted that the authorities will give an update on the investigation around 5.30pm Pacific time (8.30pm Eastern).
Next press conference #sanbernardino scheduled to occur between 5:30 & 5:40 on Waterman/ Park Center. Media approach from Hospitality Lane.Next press conference #sanbernardino scheduled to occur between 5:30 & 5:40 on Waterman/ Park Center. Media approach from Hospitality Lane.
10.10pm GMT10.10pm GMT
22:1022:10
Syed Farook was in contact on social media with extremists who are under FBI scrutiny, the AP reports, supporting an earlier CNN report.Syed Farook was in contact on social media with extremists who are under FBI scrutiny, the AP reports, supporting an earlier CNN report.
Both cite intelligence officials speaking on condition of anonymity. From the AP:Both cite intelligence officials speaking on condition of anonymity. From the AP:
The official would not further describe the contacts by Syed Rizwan Farook. He would not be quoted because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.The official would not further describe the contacts by Syed Rizwan Farook. He would not be quoted because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The official says investigators are still trying to determine whether and how he became radicalized and whether he was in contact with any foreign terrorist organization.The official says investigators are still trying to determine whether and how he became radicalized and whether he was in contact with any foreign terrorist organization.
Farook and his wife rented a home in the city of Redlands, where they amassed a huge amount of ammunition and a dozen improvised explosives. They may have resided in another city south of San Bernardino, however, where press has gathered to interview neighbors or a member of the family.Farook and his wife rented a home in the city of Redlands, where they amassed a huge amount of ammunition and a dozen improvised explosives. They may have resided in another city south of San Bernardino, however, where press has gathered to interview neighbors or a member of the family.
Media gather & wait near the #SanBernardinoShooting suspect's home. pic.twitter.com/4QeC7WGH54Media gather & wait near the #SanBernardinoShooting suspect's home. pic.twitter.com/4QeC7WGH54
9.54pm GMT9.54pm GMT
21:5421:54
Presidential candidates have already staked out positions on the San Bernardino shooting, with Republican Donald Trump saying the rampage looks like “radical Islamic terrorism” and Democrat Hillary Clinton calling for immediate gun control measures.Presidential candidates have already staked out positions on the San Bernardino shooting, with Republican Donald Trump saying the rampage looks like “radical Islamic terrorism” and Democrat Hillary Clinton calling for immediate gun control measures.
“I don’t believe we can stop every incident of gun violence but we can stop a lot of them,” said Clinton at a campaign event in New Hampshire. “We need to take action now.”“I don’t believe we can stop every incident of gun violence but we can stop a lot of them,” said Clinton at a campaign event in New Hampshire. “We need to take action now.”
“It’s important to remember the vast majority of Muslim Americans are just as concerned and heartbroken about this as anyone else,” said Clinton.“It’s important to remember the vast majority of Muslim Americans are just as concerned and heartbroken about this as anyone else,” said Clinton.
“No matter what motivation these killers, these murderers had we can say one thing for certain: They should not have been able to do this.”“No matter what motivation these killers, these murderers had we can say one thing for certain: They should not have been able to do this.”
Clinton has called for a law to prohibit gun sales to people on the no-fly list and a repeal to the law that protects gun manufacturers and dealers from liability lawsuits.Clinton has called for a law to prohibit gun sales to people on the no-fly list and a repeal to the law that protects gun manufacturers and dealers from liability lawsuits.
“If you are too dangerous to fly in America, you are too dangerous to buy a gun,” she said.“If you are too dangerous to fly in America, you are too dangerous to buy a gun,” she said.
Trump, the Republican frontrunner, told reporters outside a Washington hotel: “I think it was terrorism.Trump, the Republican frontrunner, told reporters outside a Washington hotel: “I think it was terrorism.
“It looks like another case. We’ve got a lot of bad things going on. Radical Islamic terrorism.”“It looks like another case. We’ve got a lot of bad things going on. Radical Islamic terrorism.”
Police, FBI investigators and the president have all declined to classify the shooting as terrorism or anything else, saying they simply do not yet know enough to deduce the shooters’ motives.Police, FBI investigators and the president have all declined to classify the shooting as terrorism or anything else, saying they simply do not yet know enough to deduce the shooters’ motives.
Trump attributed the growing number of mass shootings in the US to poor mental health services.Trump attributed the growing number of mass shootings in the US to poor mental health services.
“It’s mental health, and it’s also really strength. We need strength. We have weak government,. We need strength. And I have to tell you, I think the police out there did a fantastic job and law enforcement.”“It’s mental health, and it’s also really strength. We need strength. We have weak government,. We need strength. And I have to tell you, I think the police out there did a fantastic job and law enforcement.”
UpdatedUpdated
at 9.55pm GMTat 9.55pm GMT
9.33pm GMT9.33pm GMT
21:3321:33
“Somebody said, ‘Hey, somebody is shooting firecrackers. That must be for our party,” a witness of the shooting has told local ABC7. “And then her friend fell to the floor.”“Somebody said, ‘Hey, somebody is shooting firecrackers. That must be for our party,” a witness of the shooting has told local ABC7. “And then her friend fell to the floor.”
“They yelled down the hall and said, ‘There’s a shooting downstairs! There’s a shooting downstairs!’ Just heard like boom, boom shots but I didn’t really hear a gun fire, the gunshots go off, but it sounded more like a big, huge thump,” recalled Melinda Rivas, who was in the building when the shooting occurred.“They yelled down the hall and said, ‘There’s a shooting downstairs! There’s a shooting downstairs!’ Just heard like boom, boom shots but I didn’t really hear a gun fire, the gunshots go off, but it sounded more like a big, huge thump,” recalled Melinda Rivas, who was in the building when the shooting occurred.
“There were 47 of us. We squeezed in our conference room, barricaded the doors, locked the doors with all the furniture in the conference room, hid behind our conference table,” Rivas described.“There were 47 of us. We squeezed in our conference room, barricaded the doors, locked the doors with all the furniture in the conference room, hid behind our conference table,” Rivas described.
The city of San Bernardino has planned vigils for the evening, including a program with the mayor at San Manuel Stadium.The city of San Bernardino has planned vigils for the evening, including a program with the mayor at San Manuel Stadium.
Candlelight Vigil at 6:00 pm. Location: San Manuel Stadium. 280 South E Street. San Bernardino, CA 92401. Program to follow shortly. #MySBCandlelight Vigil at 6:00 pm. Location: San Manuel Stadium. 280 South E Street. San Bernardino, CA 92401. Program to follow shortly. #MySB
9.15pm GMT
21:15
Near the Farook family home in Riverside, south of San Bernardino, my colleague Tom Dart has interviewed a neighbor about the couple who killed 14 people on Wednesday.
A neighbour at the former Farook family home on a street of mostly modest single-storey homes in Riverside, a city south of San Bernardino, was incredulous that one of them could be a suspect in a massacre.
“It was them, for sure?” said the man, who refused to give his name. When the news broke, he said, “I never thought it [could be] them.”
He described the family, who no longer live there, as generally quiet - though recalled one time when the police were called to a domestic incident involving the suspect’s parents which, he said, prompted Farook’s father, also named Syed, to go to Pakistan for a while after his wife accused him of violent behaviour.
Court documents support the neighbor’s account, with Farook’s mother alleging that her husband – now her ex- – physically abused her, sometimes in front of their three children.
8.59pm GMT
20:59
8.40pm GMT
20:40
San Bernardino police spokesman Kevin Lacy has tweeted that the department will soon release the names of the 14 people killed in the community center.
All victims have been positively ID'd & we are notifying the last few families before the press release. Thx for your patience. (2/2)
8.32pm GMT
20:32
Professional football player Nat Berhe has tweeted that one of his cousins was among the 14 people killed on Wednesday, identifying one of the first victims to the public.
“I’m so sick right now,” he tweeted.
The true terror is that this keeps happening. I still can't believe it. Take a moment to think of the families hurting right now.
Police have announced a vigil for the victims.
A candle light vigil for the victims will be held at 6:00pm tonight at the San Manuel Stadium #SanBernardino
8.11pm GMT
20:11
Syed Rizwan Farook seemed to have so much going for him, a coworker said he was “living the American dream”. My colleague Rory Carroll reports from San Bernardino with a profile of the suspect.
Young and fit with a good job, a new bride and a newborn baby, the 28-year-old environmental health specialist appeared to be putting down roots in San Bernardino.
He had no criminal record, no known ties to religious or political radicalism. Colleagues at the the San Bernardino County public health department said Farook was quiet and polite.
Pieces of the puzzle, indicating a possible hybrid of personal and ideological motives, began to emerge on Thursday.
Law enforcement sources told CNN that Farook, who was born in Illinois but had Pakistani heritage, was in touch with people being investigated by the FBI for international terrorism.
He visited Saudi Arabia for several weeks in 2013 on the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca that Muslims are required to take at least once in their lifetime. During the trip he met Tashfeen Malik, a native of Pakistan. Said to be a pharmacist, she reportedly came to the United States on a “fiancée visa” and became a lawful permanent resident.
Farook may have also had problems at work, police chief Jarrod Burguan said, citing accounts of an angry altercation at a holiday party on Wednesday.
The motives of anyone who plans a mass shooting are necessarily murky and complex. But the actions of a young couple who left their infant daughter with a relative hours before massacring 14 people seem more incomprehensible still.
In one of the most jarring details to emerge in the aftermath of the shooting, it is now known that the couple began their day by leaving their six-month-old daughter with Farook’s mother. She became worried when she heard reports about the shooting and tried to call the couple without success.
Farook’s brother-in-law, Farhan Khan, told reporters on Wednesday that he was utterly baffled at what had happened. “I have no idea why would he do that,” Khan said. “I am in shock myself.”
Farook, it emerged, had a passion for guns. In a badly spelled dating profile on the site iMilap.com published about six years ago he mentioned several hobbies, including shooting.
“Enjoy working on vintage and modern cars, read religios books, enjoy eating out sometimes travel and just hang out in back yard doing target pratice with younger sister and friends.”
Farook and his siblings – a brother and two sisters – also had a turbulent upbringing, court records show. In 2006 divorce filings their mother, Rafia, detailed a violent marital history, saying her husband of 24 years, also called Syed, was physically and verbally abusive.
Court filings in 2006 and 2008 allege that the children witnessed several violent episodes. On one occasion, Rafia wrote: “He was drunk and I was outside of my house and he pushed me towards my car and then choked me. He threw the TV on that day.”
Updated
at 8.12pm GMT
7.33pm GMT
19:33
Bernie Sanders, Vermont senator and Democratic candidate for president, has released a statement calling for “common-sense gun legislation” – including expanded background checks and a ban on assault-style weapons.
The San Bernardino shooting was the 355th mass shooting this year. Gun violence has reached epidemic levels in the United States. Over the past decade, 275,000 Americans have been killed by guns. …
We need to significantly expand and improve background checks. Who is arguing that people who should not have guns because of a criminal background, because of mental problems should not be able to purchase guns? Very few Americans disagree with that.
We need to renew the assault weapons ban. We need to end the sale of high capacity magazines.
We need to make gun trafficking a federal crime and give law enforcement the tools they need to get illegal guns off the streets.
We need to close the gun show loophole, as well as loopholes that allow gun purchasers to buy a gun after the waiting period expires without a completed background check.
We need to close loopholes that allow domestic abusers and stalkers to obtain guns.
We need to strengthen penalties for straw purchasers who buy guns from licensed dealers on behalf of someone prohibited from purchasing a gun.
Sanders also adds that the US needs “to greatly expand and improve our mental health capabilities”, rounding out the laundry list of reforms that gun control advocates have called for since 2012. Republicans have signaled they to want to reform mental health services, but Congress has yet to agree on a bill to confront the issue.
Updated
at 8.56pm GMT
7.05pm GMT
19:05
My colleague Rory Carroll is in San Bernardino, where her writes of a city beleaguered by poverty and gun crime and now plunged into the aftermath of a mass murder.
A day after the massacre parts of San Bernardino resembled a police state: hundreds of men in uniforms and guns, roads blocked off, businesses closed.
After a cold night it was another bright, sunlit morning but the city still struggled to absorb the tragedy. In homes and offices people watched their town on TV news, familiar landmarks now overrun with police and media, the president himself expressing sorrow at their loss.
In a rough city, poor and afflicted with crime, some residents did not initially think much of it when they heard the first shots. “Gunshots in San Bernardino are not really a big deal, you hear them at night,” said Veronica Esparta, 27, a nurse was having an early lunch near the Inland Regional Center. “But then I see cars and cars and cars, cops, swat teams, every type of car. That’s when I knew, oh, it’s not OK.”
The centre remained sealed off: forensic experts may spend days combing the vast complex, room by room, floor by floor.
Even before the shooting San Bernardino was not OK. It is part of inland California, a realm of poverty and dysfunction far removed from the wealth and swagger of Silicon Valley and coastal areas.
Once a thriving trading hub for the region, it has stumbled since the 1990s partly because the sate government whittled away its – and other cities’ – share of property taxes, vehicle licensing fees and other revenue sources.
6.49pm GMT
18:49
Police briefing
Updated
at 8.37pm GMT
6.15pm GMT
18:15
Sheriff John McMahon says that nonessential county operations have been shut down for Thursday and Friday, “out of respect for the family and victims”
“Our staff is on 12-hour shifts and we’ve called folks in from their days off to identify the victims and help process the scene,” he says.
McMahon says his office will likely release the names in a press notice later in the day. With that he and the police chief conclude the briefing.
6.12pm GMT
18:12
Police were led to the SUV with the suspects because Farook “had rented a vehicle that was similar to the suspect description we received,” Burguan tells reporters.
The police chief says that the delay in identifying victims at the community center is due to several obstacles at the scene. Fire sprinklers went off sometime during or after the shooting, slowing officers’ ability to clear the scene, and then they discovered explosive devices that needed to be removed.
Burguan says police did not reach the bodies in the conference center until around midnight. “We’ve been working throughout the night on that and we have been working on notifications.”
“We will release the names, hopefully of all 14 people today, as we make notifications” to relatives, he says.
He confirms that a third man, detained Wednesday during the manhunt for the suspects, has no relation to the Regional Center shooting, but was booked on an separate misdemeanor charge.