Gun store owner: We called FBI before Orlando shooting

originally posted by: DBCowboy
So the attack is the fault of Christian, homophobic, racist, anti-Muslim, white people.

I see.

Well, the terrorist WAS a registered Democrat...so I blame the Republicans for his death.

originally posted by: ISeekTruth101
a reply to: Boadicea

The employee then refused to sell Mateen any amunition because they heard him speak arabic? Isn't Mateen Afghani? Why would he then speak arabic when he isn't arabic?

The specific quote at the article is that "Mateen asked for level 3 body armor, according to Abell, but was told the store didn't carry it. He then made a phone call and spoke in Arabic before asking for bulk ammunition, but employees did not sell it to him.

I believe placing a phone call after being told he could not buy the armor, and before he asked for the bulk ammunition, is suspicious in and of itself, indicating that he is not acting on his own behalf, and therefore raising red flags. Speaking in a foreign language -- rightly or wrongly identified as Arabic -- is another red flag.

It may be that the specific type of body armor he requested is uncommon or suspicious for some reason, or the quantity of ammunition. I wouldn't know... but I expect those who do it for a living would.

...most likely was not speaking arabic unless I am mistaken about Mateen's ethnicity, or he somehow learned arabic as a third or fourth language.

Given his two trips to Saudia Arabia -- about a year apart, one for 10 days and one for 8 days -- I think there's a pretty good chance he knows some Arabic. Probably not fluently, but well enough to converse.

What the Gun shop employees should be doing is treating every potential customer equally and as human beings, and looking more at how the customer carries themselves and be aware of any suspicious orders or tendencies.

I'm pretty sure they do, or they wouldn't have many customers -- at least not loyal, repeat customers. It says much that they put principles (and lives) before profit.

originally posted by: seasonal
a reply to: Boadicea

Would a good hard questioning do anything to stop him? He was under investigation before and he still did this.

Maybe. At the very least, he may have had second thoughts for fear he was being followed and/or his phone was being tapped. Surveillance might also have been effective in preventing him from carrying it out.

One could argue (if being a jerk) that being questioned is the cause of his mass shooting as easy as not being questioned will stop a mass shooting.

One could argue lots of things...

a reply to: Shamrock6

Really? Some political chick in the UK. Just got shot three times and died! You can't even think of owning an AR there. She wasn't even killed by an AR. Paris had a slaughter a few months ago.... Stricked "gun laws" again. .. Don't blame the tool/hammer. You honestly think banning an object/tool will stop violence? At least 10% of real Americans can get an AR with a butter knife or a sharp stick. It's not what's in the tool box, Tinhorn. Its whats in the heart.

originally posted by: murphy22
a reply to: Boadicea

Most of Afghanistan speaks two or three languages.

Thank you -- I know that Peshto is one. And I thought there was one more... but there may be two more!

Ah... just looked it up: Peshto and Dari are the official languages of Pakistan

a reply to: syrinx high priest

Buying ammunition for a semi-automatic is one thing, and is likely relatively common in America, but to buy battle armour at the same time is certainly suspicious enough for the authorities to know about it.

originally posted by: YukonJuan

I'm a little upset about these gun shop owners racial profiling the guy.

Racial-profiling is jumping the gun a bit, no pun intended. What I pointed out above is enough of an alarm in my mind to consider the matter relevant for law-enforcement.

a reply to: Boadicea

Just because the shop believed he was speaking in Arabic, does not mean to say that he was. In fact, a census might establish that Arabic is the first language for only 4% of Afghanistan’s population. Any Middle-Eastern or west Asian language could sound similar to Arabic to those unused to hearing anything but American/English, and maybe more so if it’s of Semitic or Persian heritage. He could’ve been speaking in Hebrew for all anybody knows.

a reply to: Boadicea

He was being followed. He was being "handled". ...

originally posted by: Domo1
Has it been mentioned yet they didn't know his name and that they didn't have any video so this is a non issue?

No, it hasn't... Did you hear that on the news? Or read it somewhere?

I'm a little surprised there was no video.

a reply to: IAMTAT

You people don't understand, "let no tragedy go unused". You still think Pearl Harbor was a "surprise attack"...and the "Bay of Pigs" was an "invasion"...

originally posted by: murphy22
a reply to: Boadicea

He was being followed. He was being "handled". ...

We've been told that he was at one time, but not at the time of the shooting. I haven't heard more than that, but if you have, I'd love to hear/read more?

a reply to: Boadicea

Yeah some guy down in Orlando heard the guy do an interview, said the guy came in, stood out of the cameras range so they didn't have a good shot of him, and subsequently no real info to give the FBI. Then claims he saw the shooters picture and it was the same guy.

I can try to scrounge up a source.

a reply to: Boadicea

Realy? Do you need "common core" deductive reasoning? You honestly believe the guberment had him in their grasp and then went limp wrist? Not considering/figuring what he could, would and will do, played into the "daily brief" agenda?

a reply to: Domo1

Thanks for adding that -- it's definitely relevant! And I confess it never even occurred to me that they wouldn't have any his name or anything. D'oh!!!

It certainly explains why the feds couldn't do much about it.

It also may help explain the suspicions of the employees if they noticed he was deliberately avoiding camera range -- especially on top of everything else.

Too bad they didn't have cameras in the parking lot to catch customers coming and going...

a reply to: Boadicea

They're not as "ignorant" or as "uneducated" as some would have you believe. What they lack, in what we call "education", they make up for in talent and just plain know how. They wouldn't be an enemy to underestimate.

a reply to: Boadicea

Couldn't find a source.

Still makes sense that since he didn't purchase anything they wouldn't have his name or really anything to go on. Even IF they had video I'm sure it would have been low priority and it would have taken awhile to figure out who he was.

I remember being in a gun shop when a crazy drunk woman came in and started asking about buying a .44 magnum (I still think it was weird) and they just told her to get out. I imagine gun shops get a lot of weirdos.

a reply to: IAMTAT

So would I! Yay! Go TEAM!

originally posted by: murphy22
a reply to: Boadicea

Realy? Do you need "common core" deductive reasoning? You honestly believe the guberment had him in their grasp and then went limp wrist? Not considering/figuring what he could, would and will do, played into the "daily brief" agenda?

Please. I will not address you in the same disrespectful and demeaning manner, but I will say that by your comments you obviously have no idea what I believe or how I think... and I can assure you it is not on such a simplistic level.

Gun store owner: We called FBI before Orlando shooting

And then the FBI were ordered to stand down . The order coming from the top. Way it seems to have been working for 8 years .

a reply to: Boadicea

Fair points that you make, but again all of them are based on assumptions. Let us not beat around the bush, the main reason the gun shop employees were alarmed was because of this mans ehtnicity not because of what he asked for.

Also, two trips to saudi arabia for a total of 18 days not give someone the ability to learn arabic well enough to converse, millions of Muslims go to saudi arabia every year to perform pilgrimage, that is why Mateen was there, not to learn arabic. Pilgrimage consumed all of your time with religious duties, not to learn or pick up the arabic language, so that is not a valid point.

Please let us not add to the ignorance, assuming that anyone that visits saudi arabia is there for terrorist training or to learn arabic, this is not the case in the majority of all visits. If you want to learn arabic, Egypt is a far more popular destination for muslims that do not speak arabic, I know this first hand.

a reply to: IllegalName

Why is that suspicious? This is in America and he's buying ammo at the same time. They sell armor with ammo or they don't. There's nothing suspicious about that. Unless you've been neutered and your stister tells you "how it's going to be!