Cities Sue Pentagon Over Gun-Check System Failures

New York City, San Francisco, and Philadelphia are suing the Department of Defense over its failure to report to the FBI criminal convictions in the military justice system for the national gun background-check database. The federal lawsuit, filed Tuesday, references the most notable recent example of the system’s failure: Devin Kelley, who was convicted of domestic assault while he served in the Air Force, legally bought a rifle and then killed 25 people at a Texas church. “This failure on behalf of the Department of Defense has led to the loss of innocent lives by putting guns in the hands of criminals and those who wish to cause immeasurable harm,” said New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.