It is a sad and disturbing reality that anyone in our country, including criminals, murderers, rapist, gangsters, felons and even those with dangerous mental illness, can easily purchase a high powered assault rifle without as much as a background check.
Although we do have laws that prohibit them from doing so, the law does not cover private sellers from peddling their lethal goods in thousands of gun shows across 43 states.
It is a well known fact, and is no secret, even to our own government. You just have to know where to go.
There is really an apparent weakness in the enforcement of these laws, or be it a deliberate oversight. Most of the time, people just don't care, unless their directly involved in the consequences of this apparent mistake in our society.