Authorities sentenced the man who illegally sold an AR-15 rifle to a mass murderer to two years in federal prison, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Marcus Anthony Braziel, 45, bought firearm parts to build guns, including the AR-15 rifle he sold to Seth Aaron Ator of Lubbock, Texas, the Dallas Morning News reported. Ator, 36, used the weapon to kill seven and wound 25 in the 2019 Odessa and Midland shooting. (RELATED: REPORT: Lil Wayne Charged With Federal Firearms Crime, Faces Up To A Decade In Prison)
Man who illegally sold rifle to Midland-Odessa rampage gunman gets 2 years in prison https://t.co/h52ygbG9yp
— Dallas Morning News (@dallasnews) January 7, 2021
Braziel of Lubbock, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of dealing firearms without a license and another of subscribing to a false tax return, according to a press release from the Northern District of Texas.
Prosecutors say Braziel would regularly list guns for sale online and meet buyers at sporting goods store parking lots, The Dallas Morning News reported. He did not inform the IRS about his income from these sales.
“Federal firearm laws, including those that mandate background checks by licensed dealers, ensure that guns don’t fall into the hands of prohibited persons,” U.S. Attorney Erin Nealy Cox stated in a press release. “By subverting those laws, Mr. Braziel enabled a deranged mass shooter. We hope this case sends a message: The U.S. Department of Justice will not give unlicensed dealers a pass. To do so would endanger our communities.”