He wasn't a criminal....

....when he bought the semi-automatic handgun that he used to kill 8 of his co-workers.

[photo credit: AP Photo/Journal Inquirer, Jessica Hill]

How often have you heard it said that banning things like assault rifles will ensure that only the criminals have them?  Well, Omar Thornton wasn't a criminal when he bought his semi-automatic handgun.  But he is now.  I suppose he just bought the gun for self-protection, right?  Yeah.  That's it.  For protection.

But "something just snapped in him". 

He was never violent.  Until today.

And now 8 innocent people are dead.  Eight families are torn apart.

But at least Omar Thornton's 2nd Amendment rights are intact.