Oregon college gunman wore body armor and was armed with an assault rifle and THREE pistols that he could have bought legally 

• Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, identified as killer in Oregon college shooting
• Could have bought guns legally, provided he passed background check
• Exceptions would have been for felony conviction or mental illness
• Mercer killed at least 10 people and wounded 20 before being shot dead

By Chris Pleasance For Dailymail.com

Published: 20:31 EST, 1 October 2015 | Updated: 09:40 EST, 2 October 2015

Police say they have recovered four firearms including three handguns and one AR-type assault rifle from Umpqua Community College where a mass shooting took place on Thursday.

The weapons are believed to have been used by Chris Harper-Mercer, 26, to execute at least nine people in Roseburg, Oregon, in the latest mass killing in the United States.

While it is not yet known how the killer obtained the weapons used in the slaying, under Oregon state law and federal law, he could have possessed them legally.

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Police say they have recovered three handguns and an AR-style rifle which Chris Harper-Mercer (pictured) is believed to have used

A bullet casing is marked at the scene of the deadly shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon

Under federal law, it is legal for licensed gun retailers, such as gun shops, to sell a handgun to people aged over 21, and rifles and shotguns to people aged over 18.

Oregon state law places an age limit of 18 on handguns and 'long guns', such as rifles or shotguns.

This means that Mercer could have purchased all the weapons and ammunition used to carry out his crime legally, provided he could have passed a routine background check.

In Oregon you are prohibited from buying a firearm if you have a felony conviction, have been discharged from a juvenile court in the last four years, or have been diagnosed with a mental illness.

Assuming Mercer did not fall into any of these categories, he would have been able to obtain the weapons used in the killing through gun shops.

However, even if Mercer could not have passed a background check, a loophole in the law means he could have purchased the weapons from an unlicensed vendor, such as a private individual at a gun show, or on the internet.

Until very recently such sales, which are estimated to make up around 40 per cent of all gun trade in the U.S. according to Smart Gun Laws, were not subject to background checks in Oregon.  

Even if Harper-Mercer were unable to pass a background check, he could have bought his weapons from an unlicensed private seller, skirting the security measure (pictured, Oregon students comfort each other after the shooting)

State legislators did attempt to close the unlicensed seller loophole in recent months, but several rural sheriffs, including where the killings took place (pictured), said they had no intention of enforcing the law

On August 9 legislators in Oregon did attempt to close this loophole by requiring private sellers to pay for background checks at licensed gun dealers.

However, sheriffs in rural areas, including where today's shooting took place, said they had no intention of enforcing the new rule, NBC reports, saying it would require too much work.

That law would also only apply to purchases made after that date, whereas the killer could have bought his firearms before then.

State law would also have allowed relatives of the killer to gift firearms to him, though it is unclear if this is how he obtained the weapons. 

The state does not require a permit for openly carrying a weapon in public, though one is required if you want to conceal the weapon either on foot or in a vehicle.

It is not clear if the weapons Mercer used were concealed, but he could have been in breach of state law if he had been stopped on the way to the killings with the guns hidden. 

It is also illegal to take a weapon on to school property unless it is unloaded and locked inside a vehicle - a law that Mercer clearly violated.

Obama this evening used his 15th press conference in the wake of a mass shooting to renew his calls for tougher gun licensing laws in the United States

According to Mother Jones, which identified at least 61 mass shootings in the U.S. from 1982 to 2012, in 49 of those cases the killers had obtained the weapons they used legally.

The news site defined 'mass shooting' as the killing of four or more people where terrorist ideology or criminal profit was not the aim.

Shortly after the shooting, President Barack Obama addressed the nation demanding stronger gun laws, saying that the country has become 'numb' to these mass shootings. 

According to witnesses, Harper-Mercer went through the school campus, demanding that his victims lay on the ground. 

He then made them stand up one at a time and state their religion before opening fire according to one traumatized eyewitness.

Harper-Mercer's spree continued until police officers arrived and shot him dead.  

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