Dad Tells How Quickly He Could Buy AR-15, Be At A School Door

DES MOINES, IA — After the deadly school shooting in Florida last week, a Des Moines, Iowa, dad demonstrated how easy it is in his state to buy an AR-15 — the kind of weapon Nikolas Cruz is accused of using to kill 17 people and wound many others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Rich A. Rosendahl said in a video that has been viewed millions of times on Facebook and YouTube that he got the go-ahead to buy the gun and 100 rounds of ammunition in less than half an hour. In his state, there is no mandatory waiting period.

The process for a required background check was also revealing. Rosendahl said he was told by the gun dealer that “70 percent of the time, background checks are returned instantly or under 10 minutes.

Rosendahl said he chose the gun shop, which he didn’t name, because he drives past it every day when he takes his kids to school. He mapped the schools in close proximity, finding 10 within a five-minute drive of the gun shop, he said.

“An American in my state and my city could go from not even owning a gun to having an AR-15 … and 100 rounds of ammunition or more in less than 30 minutes, maybe, and in another five minutes you’re at a school,” he said.

After Rosendahl’s video received so much attention, he posted a followup, below.

John Moore/Getty Images News/Getty Images