NY gunman who ambushed firefighters had served time for manslaughter in his grandmother's death

[The Straight Story]

WEBSTER, N.Y. (AP) — Police in New York state say a man who ambushed firefighters had served 17 years for manslaughter in the death of his grandmother.

Webster Police Chief Gerald Pickering says 62-year-old William Spengler was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.

Police say he set fire to a car and house to lure firefighters to his house on the shore of Lake Ontario early Monday.

When firefighters arrived, he opened fire, probably with a rifle. Two firefighters died at the scene and two others were hospitalized. A fifth first responder was injured.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/firefighter-shot-scene-blaze-western-ny

[nadinbrzezinski]

1. So how did he get that riffle?

Oh never mind. MORE GUNZ

[Recursion]

4. By breaking the law (nt)

[zappaman]

15. What's a riffle? n/t

[MineralMan]

19. It's a place in a stream where skillful use of

a fly rod may well produce a very nice trout. As seen in the foreground in the photo below. Further, one cannot usually see a trout in a riffle, so a rifle would not be useful in killing a trout in a riffle.

[Brother Buzz]

16. Riffles can be had for about $6.50 a foot

Richard Brautigan found a trout stream in the back of a junk-yard, stacked up in sections behind broken cars and abandoned cookers. The sections cost $6.50 per foot.

[zappaman]

26. That seems like a cheap riffle!

Can anyone get a riffle?
Is there a waiting period?

[Brother Buzz]

28. No waiting, but the selection has narrowed; no cutthroat trout

It's strictly a catch and release trout stream, and the rumor persists, one section contains a hunchback rainbow trout.

[jpak]

2. A "law abiding" Gun CULTurist ultimately supplied his weapon

Someone bought it "legally" and sold it "legally".

yup

[Recursion]

6. Or he stole it, like the last two shooters (nt)

[Drunken Irishman]

3. So, how'd he get that rifle?

[Recursion]

5. Illegally (nt)

[bettyellen]

7. wow, that's way too easy to do. can we track down who he got it from and punish them?

[Recursion]

8. Possibly, depending on its provenance

We're stuck with the unfortunate problem that guns in general are not registered. I wish it were otherwise. However, if the original retail sale of the rifle was somewhat recent, it may have been recorded.

Long guns, in general, have less of a paper trail than handguns because (the headlines of the past few weeks notwithstanding) they're used only in a tiny minority of crimes.

[janx]

9. How could a felon purchase a firearm

at a retail location?

[slackmaster]

10. The ORIGINAL retail sale was certainly not the transaction that put the weapon in the hands...

...of a felon.

[janx]

11. Ah, I misread. Thanks for the correction. n/t

[Whovian]

14. I know a felon with a huge collection of guns.

When I asked him about this he explained they were in his wife's name.

This guy is a business owner, big in his church and community. His felony came from when he ran down a homeless man while drunk. Not my favorite acquaintance. But a good example of how easy it is for anyone to get a gun.

[Logical]

18. If you know this is true then this man is breaking the law......

A felon CANNOT have a unsecured gun in his house, no matter who it belongs to.

If it is in a safe and the felon does not know the combination then that is OK.

Or stored offsite is ok.

[Whovian]

27. I don't believe so in AL

But if I am wrong, I will happily turn Ron Hardy's ass in.

Oh, Gee did I say his name? His company's name?

[Recursion]

12. Well, either he wasn't a felon yet when he bought it 17+ years ago

or somebody else bought it more recently, and either illegally transferred it to him, or he stole it from him.

[TheCowsCameHome]

24. With so many guns on the street

it probably wasn't difficult to obtain one.

[Earth_First]

13. A local media report says that three lived in the home...

His sister and their mother who died in October.

I hope his sister was not a victim in this horrendous tragedy...

[Cha]

17. WTH..

The gunman, William Spengler, had served more than 17 years in prison for beating his 92-year-old grandmother to death with a hammer in 1980 at the house next to where Monday's attack happened, Pickering said at afternoon news conference. Spengler, 62, was paroled in 1998 and had led a quiet life since, authorities said. Convicted felons are not allowed to possess weapons.

Never should have been let out, imv.

[Logical]

20. So any degree of murder should be life in prison with no parole? 2nd? 3rd? Involuntary manslaughter?

[LisaL]

21. This guy beat grandma to death with a hammer.

[Cha]

22. Thank you for stating the obvious.

[Logical]

23. OK, so what was he convicted of? Details please.

[realgreen]

25. If it was a hammer why did the NRA fight so hard to protect him?

It had to of been a gun.