The Boulder Molotov cocktail attack could have been much deadlier. The suspect tried to buy a handgun at a sporting goods store in November, according to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, but was denied on the basis of the background-check system widely seen in danger from the Trump administration.
Mohamed Soliman—who was arrested Sunday after allegedly throwing Molotov cocktails, injuring 12—tried to buy the weapon on Nov. 22, 2024, but was denied based on the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, according to the bureau.
Trump FBI Director (and former acting director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives) Kash Patel is seen as a critic of the NICS. He refused to say during his FBI confirmation hearings whether the background checks are constitutional.
The reason for Soliman’s denial wasn’t disclosed. He didn’t appeal the denial, the CBI said. About a month later, on Dec. 30, 2024, the CBI denied his application for a concealed handgun permit.
Court documents said that after Soliman was arrested, he told investigators that he took a concealed carry class to learn how to fire a gun, but “had to use Molotov cocktails [for the attack] after he was denied the purchase of a gun due to him not being a legal citizen.”
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