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American Morning
Seventeen-Year-Old John Lee Malvo Will be Tried as Adult
Aired January 16, 2003 - 08:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Seventeen-year-old John Lee Malvo will be tried as an adult in one of the D.C. area sniper killings. That ruling yesterday would face, mean he would face the death penalty if convicted. And this morning, a lawsuit will be announced on behalf of the families of several sniper victims. It claims that the gun manufacturer and gun dealer are responsible for the deadly shooting spree.
Joining us now from Washington, Attorney Dennis Henigan of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which is filing the lawsuit, and Victoria Snider, sister of sniper victim Sonny Buchanan.
We did want to remind you that AMERICAN MORNING did contact the parties named in the lawsuit. They did not return our phone calls.
Good morning, Dennis.
Good morning, Victoria.
Thank you both for joining us this morning.
DENNIS HENIGAN, ATTORNEY: Thanks.
VICTORIA SNIDER, SISTER OF SNIPER VICTIM: Good morning.
HENIGAN: Thank you.
ZAHN: Victoria, who do you blame for the death?
SNIDER: Definitely Muhammad and Malvo. They're ultimately responsible.
ZAHN: And tell me how the gun manufacturer figures into this and the gun store where they purchased the weapon?
SNIDER: Well, I feel that they were irresponsible in how, if any of the procedures would have been followed properly, number one, they would have never gotten a hold of a gun. Number two, this is a gun of mass destruction. It's not a handgun. And I don't understand how, you know, the gun could have come into their inventory in July and wasn't reported stolen till November, after the incidents. And that there's been a lot of missing guns from that store.
ZAHN: Dennis, do you want to add anything to that about what you found in your own investigation?
HENIGAN: Well, yes, Paula. This is a gun shop that has shown absolutely no regard for its responsibilities as a seller of dangerous weapons. First of all, the gun shop can't even account for how the sniper rifle left its shelves and managed to get into the hands of two people who were prohibited purchasers. They could not have walked into that gun shop and if proper procedures were followed, they could not have bought a gun.
The Brady background checks would have blocked them. Muhammad had a domestic violence restraining order against him. Malvo was a juvenile. But somehow this rifle escaped from that gun shop, made it into the hands of these two killers and was used in the first sniper shooting less than three months after Bullseye acquired the gun.
And as it turns out, this gun shop has a terrible record of missing guns. I mean there must be something magical occurring in this gun shop because guns are disappearing by the hundreds.
And yet we have a gun manufacturer, Bushmaster, that not only chooses to sell a combat weapon to the general public, this is not the kind of gun that you find in a duck blind. This is the kind of gun you find on the battlefield. So they choose to sell this high powered military gun to the public without any regard whatsoever for who they are choosing to sell their guns through.
Basically, they adopted a hear no evil, see no evil attitude. They did not even the minimal monitoring of this gun shop to find out that, in fact, it had this horrible record of regulatory violations and mysteriously disappearing guns.
So this is not at all about shifting the responsibility from Muhammad and Malvo. They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We think they will be. But we can't let off the hook these irresponsible members of the gun industry because they were complicit in getting the murder weapon into the hands of these killers.
ZAHN: But how could Bushmaster Corporation know that this gun would end up in the hands of folks like John Lee Malvo and John Muhammad?
HENIGAN: Well, clearly, if a gun shop that Bushmaster is using has a history of guns disappearing without account, there's something wrong going into that, going on in that gun shop. And where you have this kind of irresponsible gun dealer, it is almost certain that guns will reach the hands of criminals and be used in crime.
Furthermore, Bushmaster was selling a gun that is a copy of a gun that was expressly banned by the United States Congress in 1994 because it has no legitimate use in civilian hands and was a favorite among violent criminals. Bushmaster made minor modifications in that gun in an effort to try to get around that ban and continued to sell guns and I think they continue to sell guns through Bullseye even though all this information has come out about what, how irresponsible that dealer is.
ZAHN: We actually left messages at the gun shop last night and at the owner's home and left messages with Bushmaster last night, as well as the National Rifle Association. No one returned our calls.
Victoria, I just wanted you to react to the judge's ruling yesterday that John Lee Malvo will be tried as an adult. What does that mean to your family?
SNIDER: Well, I think we're glad he's going to be tried as an adult. I think what he did, you know, he made that choice and we're just going to let the justice system work.
ZAHN: We should also make it clear implicit in being tried as an adult is the possibility that he will face the death sentence. Is that appropriate? Victoria?
SNIDER: You know, I'm still thinking on that and I could answer for my parents. My father would say yes, that is appropriate.
ZAHN: And before we let you go, Victoria, just a final thought on your brother, Sonny Buchanan, and this fight now that you are fighting on his behalf.
SNIDER: Well, I just want to say that he was a wonderful person and he was a member of the Crime Solvers and he does believe, he did believe that if you do, you did the crime, you serve the time. And I also know that I hope that if this does nothing else, that it will stop people from being able to obtain a weapon like this so easily and that this, I would not want to see any other victims in the future, you know, any other -- I don't know how to -- I would not want to see this happen to any other family.
ZAHN: Well, I think we all understand what you're saying there and hope and pray that that's not the case.
SNIDER: Right. And if it was so easily, easy for them to obtain this, you know, we're talking, we're all worried about terrorism, our homeland security. We have to take the procedures that we have in place and follow them.
ZAHN: We are going to have to leave it there this morning.
Victoria Snider, thank you much for dropping by.
SNIDER: Thank you.
ZAHN: I know your pain is so fresh. We appreciate your spending a little time with us this morning.
And Dennis Henigan, you, as well.
SNIDER: Thank you.
HENIGAN: Thank you.
ZAHN: Appreciate your dropping by.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 16, 2003 - 08:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: Seventeen-year-old John Lee Malvo will be tried as an adult in one of the D.C. area sniper killings. That ruling yesterday would face, mean he would face the death penalty if convicted. And this morning, a lawsuit will be announced on behalf of the families of several sniper victims. It claims that the gun manufacturer and gun dealer are responsible for the deadly shooting spree.
Joining us now from Washington, Attorney Dennis Henigan of the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which is filing the lawsuit, and Victoria Snider, sister of sniper victim Sonny Buchanan.
We did want to remind you that AMERICAN MORNING did contact the parties named in the lawsuit. They did not return our phone calls.
Good morning, Dennis.
Good morning, Victoria.
Thank you both for joining us this morning.
DENNIS HENIGAN, ATTORNEY: Thanks.
VICTORIA SNIDER, SISTER OF SNIPER VICTIM: Good morning.
HENIGAN: Thank you.
ZAHN: Victoria, who do you blame for the death?
SNIDER: Definitely Muhammad and Malvo. They're ultimately responsible.
ZAHN: And tell me how the gun manufacturer figures into this and the gun store where they purchased the weapon?
SNIDER: Well, I feel that they were irresponsible in how, if any of the procedures would have been followed properly, number one, they would have never gotten a hold of a gun. Number two, this is a gun of mass destruction. It's not a handgun. And I don't understand how, you know, the gun could have come into their inventory in July and wasn't reported stolen till November, after the incidents. And that there's been a lot of missing guns from that store.
ZAHN: Dennis, do you want to add anything to that about what you found in your own investigation?
HENIGAN: Well, yes, Paula. This is a gun shop that has shown absolutely no regard for its responsibilities as a seller of dangerous weapons. First of all, the gun shop can't even account for how the sniper rifle left its shelves and managed to get into the hands of two people who were prohibited purchasers. They could not have walked into that gun shop and if proper procedures were followed, they could not have bought a gun.
The Brady background checks would have blocked them. Muhammad had a domestic violence restraining order against him. Malvo was a juvenile. But somehow this rifle escaped from that gun shop, made it into the hands of these two killers and was used in the first sniper shooting less than three months after Bullseye acquired the gun.
And as it turns out, this gun shop has a terrible record of missing guns. I mean there must be something magical occurring in this gun shop because guns are disappearing by the hundreds.
And yet we have a gun manufacturer, Bushmaster, that not only chooses to sell a combat weapon to the general public, this is not the kind of gun that you find in a duck blind. This is the kind of gun you find on the battlefield. So they choose to sell this high powered military gun to the public without any regard whatsoever for who they are choosing to sell their guns through.
Basically, they adopted a hear no evil, see no evil attitude. They did not even the minimal monitoring of this gun shop to find out that, in fact, it had this horrible record of regulatory violations and mysteriously disappearing guns.
So this is not at all about shifting the responsibility from Muhammad and Malvo. They should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We think they will be. But we can't let off the hook these irresponsible members of the gun industry because they were complicit in getting the murder weapon into the hands of these killers.
ZAHN: But how could Bushmaster Corporation know that this gun would end up in the hands of folks like John Lee Malvo and John Muhammad?
HENIGAN: Well, clearly, if a gun shop that Bushmaster is using has a history of guns disappearing without account, there's something wrong going into that, going on in that gun shop. And where you have this kind of irresponsible gun dealer, it is almost certain that guns will reach the hands of criminals and be used in crime.
Furthermore, Bushmaster was selling a gun that is a copy of a gun that was expressly banned by the United States Congress in 1994 because it has no legitimate use in civilian hands and was a favorite among violent criminals. Bushmaster made minor modifications in that gun in an effort to try to get around that ban and continued to sell guns and I think they continue to sell guns through Bullseye even though all this information has come out about what, how irresponsible that dealer is.
ZAHN: We actually left messages at the gun shop last night and at the owner's home and left messages with Bushmaster last night, as well as the National Rifle Association. No one returned our calls.
Victoria, I just wanted you to react to the judge's ruling yesterday that John Lee Malvo will be tried as an adult. What does that mean to your family?
SNIDER: Well, I think we're glad he's going to be tried as an adult. I think what he did, you know, he made that choice and we're just going to let the justice system work.
ZAHN: We should also make it clear implicit in being tried as an adult is the possibility that he will face the death sentence. Is that appropriate? Victoria?
SNIDER: You know, I'm still thinking on that and I could answer for my parents. My father would say yes, that is appropriate.
ZAHN: And before we let you go, Victoria, just a final thought on your brother, Sonny Buchanan, and this fight now that you are fighting on his behalf.
SNIDER: Well, I just want to say that he was a wonderful person and he was a member of the Crime Solvers and he does believe, he did believe that if you do, you did the crime, you serve the time. And I also know that I hope that if this does nothing else, that it will stop people from being able to obtain a weapon like this so easily and that this, I would not want to see any other victims in the future, you know, any other -- I don't know how to -- I would not want to see this happen to any other family.
ZAHN: Well, I think we all understand what you're saying there and hope and pray that that's not the case.
SNIDER: Right. And if it was so easily, easy for them to obtain this, you know, we're talking, we're all worried about terrorism, our homeland security. We have to take the procedures that we have in place and follow them.
ZAHN: We are going to have to leave it there this morning.
Victoria Snider, thank you much for dropping by.
SNIDER: Thank you.
ZAHN: I know your pain is so fresh. We appreciate your spending a little time with us this morning.
And Dennis Henigan, you, as well.
SNIDER: Thank you.
HENIGAN: Thank you.
ZAHN: Appreciate your dropping by.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
