X
Home & Office

Gun massacre teenagers may have used eBay to buy guns

Officials for online auctioneer eBay said that they will assist investigators in the Littleton tragedy after reports surfaced that the teenage shooters may have used its service to buy guns.
Written by Margaret Kane, Contributor

The San Francisco Examiner reported today that agents for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) are investigating auction sites as a source for the weapons used in the massacre. eBay spokesman Kevin Pursglove said today that he had not been approached by investigators, but said that his company was "not going to waste any time on this."

"We've made an effort to contact the FBI and the ATF, and we will cooperate fully. That's our track record," he said.

The newspaper, quoting unidentified sources, said that eBay account data was found on one of the killer's computers. ATF officials did not immediately return phone calls. The Examiner said that an ATF spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the report.

eBay discontinued its firearms listings in February, stating that the Internet was "not an appropriate venue" for the sale of firearms and ammunition. The company had previously separated firearm sales into an adult section, and began requiring credit card numbers for access to the site. But the company said that sellers couldn't adequately check out their buyers online.

Editorial standards