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Report: CA Shooter Not Allowed To Have Guns

Elijah Nouvelage/AFP/Getty

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
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The gunman in a Northern California shooting that left five people dead was prohibited from owning guns, according to a report by the Associated Press.

A judge barred the gunman, Kevin Neal, from owning guns after he was charged with stabbing a woman earlier this year. The court issued a protective order telling Neal to stay away from the woman and her mother-in-law. He was released on bail.

The 44-year-old was also charged with illegally firing a weapon and possessing an illegal assault rifle in January. In total, he was charged with five felonies and two misdemeanors.

Tehama County Assistant Sheriff Phil Johnston said they have been to Neal’s home on several occasions after reports that he was shooting guns, and that Neal had two handmade semi-automatic rifles and two handguns registered in someone else’s name.

Investigators believe a domestic violence incident set off Neal’s shooting rampage, causing him to open fire at various locations around Tehama County and eventually end up at an elementary school. The body of Neal’s wife was found underneath the floor in his home.

Five people were killed and just short of a dozen were injured, including a child at the school, during the incident.

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