The 27-year-old alleged Manhattan gunman bought the rifle used in the attack, as well as the car he drove across the country, from his boss in Las Vegas.
Breitbart News reported that the alleged gunman used an AR-platform rifle in the Monday attack, and noted that the rifle was a standard civilian semiautomatic.
The alleged attacker had a Nevada concealed carry permit, and in his car police found a revolver he had legally purchased in June. However, there was no definitive information yet on how the alleged gunman acquired the rifle.
On July 31, 2025, WSAW pointed out that law enforcement has ascertained the alleged gunman “bought the rifle he used in the attack and the car he drove across country from his supervisor at a Las Vegas casino.” Until this news broke, the working theory had been that the alleged gunman acquired his rifle in a piecemeal fashion, then assembled it to carry out the attack.
ESPN noted, “The supervisor legally bought the AR-15-style rifle he sold to Tamura [the alleged gunman] for $1,400, police said, adding that they had erred in saying earlier that the supervisor supplied only parts of the rifle.” Acquiring the rifle in this way does not make the sale illegal, as Americans have been selling guns to other Americans since 1791. However, Nevada state laws will have to be examined to know for certain whether the sale was or was not in violation of a statute.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He was a Visiting Fellow at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and has a Ph.D. in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
