It seems like ages ago now. Last November, when a man walked into the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas and murdered 26 people, he killed nine members of one family alone. And he bought the rifle he used legally, passing a background check that should have shown a history of domestic violence and a dishonorable discharge from the military. But that information was never reported to the FBI’s data base. Now . . .
Joe and Claryce Holcombe claim that the Air Force failed to report the gunman’s past convictions for domestic violence to a national crime database, which allowed him to purchase the weapons used to kill their family members. The Holcombes lost their son, grandson, 17-month-old great-granddaughter and six others in the November shooting.
And they’ve filed a suit against the federal government for negligence.
The Holcombes are one of several families who filed formal complaints against the federal government after the shooting. The government had six months to respond and offer a settlement. It did not, so the Holcombes have the right to sue under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The act allows citizens to seek damages in limited cases if they can prove direct negligence on the part of the government. …
In their lawsuit, the Holcombes name the Department of Defense, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and John F. Bash, a federal civil process clerk, as defendants. They are asking for $25 million in damages.
The Holcombes say that there’s no way to correct the mistake now, but they want to see the Air Force fix their system so it doesn’t happen again.