The 18-year-old Florida woman whose unspecified threats and “infatuation with Columbine” triggered hundreds of school closures in the Denver area purchased a pump-action shotgun and ammunition in Colorado legally, state and federal authorities said Wednesday.
Sol Pais traveled to the Denver area from Florida on Monday night and made credible threats against schools, according to the FBI. She was found dead of a suspected suicide near Mount Evans on Wednesday morning.
Mary Markos, a spokeswoman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Pais legally purchased the shotgun and ammunition near Littleton before heading to the foothills.
But representatives with the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence point to a federal law that requires a person buying a rifle or shotgun be in compliance with the laws of both the state the purchase is taking place in and the state where the buyer lives.
Florida law mandates that individuals purchasing long guns be at least 21 years old, and requires at least a three-day waiting period. In Colorado, a buyer must only be 18 to purchase a shotgun, and there’s no waiting period.
Markos declined to comment on the apparent conflict between Colorado and Florida law, saying, “At this time, we believe it was a legal purchase.”
Different agencies reviewed the purchase and determined it was lawful, Colorado Bureau of Investigation spokeswoman Susan Medina said.
Josh Rayburn, the owner of Colorado Gun Broker, located at 8966 W. Bowles Ave., near Columbine High School, confirmed in a Facebook post that Pais purchased the gun from his shop legally.
He said her background check came back clear, and “we had no reason to suspect she was a threat to either herself or anyone else.”
“We are very sorry to hear of the outcome in this situation,” Rayburn wrote. “It is never good when someone loses their life.”
Anyone can buy a gun after being cleared by a Colorado Bureau of Investigation background check, sometimes within minutes, Medina said.
Some factors that would prohibit someone from purchasing a firearm include felony convictions, fugitive status, court-ordered restraints or misdemeanor domestic violence convictions.
A Colorado resident has to be 18 to purchase a long gun and 21 to purchase a handgun in the state. Colorado law does not allow magazine sales that hold more than 15 rounds unless they were bought before July 2013.
While residents from other states can purchase shotguns in Colorado, they cannot buy handguns, per federal regulations.
Dudley Brown of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners said Colorado attracts a lot of hunting and shooting tourism.
“So in general, that doesn’t mean if one person is threatening (others) because they bought a shotgun that it should necessarily shut down an entire tourism industry.”
When a person applies to buy a gun in Colorado, CBI technicians search local and national databases, and if the instant check comes back clean, the person is cleared for purchase.
A person can also be denied a sale based on a past arrest, an additional restriction from federal law.
Because Pais had no felony criminal history or involuntary mental health hold on her record, she would be legally entitled to buy a shotgun in the state.
Colorado’s red flag law — recently signed by the governor, but not taking effect until next year — would add a category that would show up on background checks if a judge issues an extreme-risk protection order for a person.
But 18th Judicial District Attorney George Brauchler said one problem is law enforcement officials aren’t always notified when someone who tries to buy a gun is denied.
Pais hadn’t necessarily broken any laws, as FBI agents said Tuesday night they were working to determine whether they could bring charges against her.
Brauchler said it concerns him — both as a district attorney and a father with students in a school district that canceled classes Wednesday — “how limited the tools are in the toolbox” for police.
Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Shrader said at a news conference Wednesday that authorities could have taken her into custody for a mental health hold, and there was a potential for additional charges.
