How is it that a man of that background, a conviction on charges of assaulting his own wife and child, a year's imprisonment, and a bad conduct discharge from the armed services, is nevertheless able to buy not just any rifle, but the kind most often used for mass murder, along with body armor, large magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition? Does ANYONE think that arming this person was in any way a service to our society? People with convictions for assault should never be allowed to possess a firearm for the rest of their lives. That prospect might even be a deterrent to some crime.