Police have admitted that they never checked through Jake Davison’s internet activity for anything suspicious before giving back the gun he used to shoot and kill five people.
Devon and Cornwall chief constable Shaun Sawyer said that it would have been an invasion of his privacy to have investigated the 22-year-old, who turned the gun on himself after Thursday’s rampage.
Speaking to The Sun, he said: “We take and return firearms on a not irregular basis when people have emotional crises or we receive reports from family members, then they can be returned.
“What we don’t do, because firearms licencing is a lawful thing, is trawl the internet looking at people’s lives. That’s an invasion of privacy.”
Davison’s pump action firearm had been given back to him last month.
He used it to shoot his mother, a three-year-old toddler and two others in Plymouth before killing himself.
The murders has led to calls for stricter checks to be carried out on weapons being returned to people.
Last December Davison’s licence had been suspended by police over concerns about his suitability to hold the weapon.
Tory MP Tim Loughton was among those who want to see the checks tightened.
He said: “Surely, those must include scrutinising social media to get a full idea of the person’s background.
"It’s a matter of public record. It’s a misunderstanding of social media to suggest it would be invading their privacy.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer posed the question: "Why did he have a gun licence in the first place?"
It had been reported that his family had sought treatment for Davison’s mental health issues while he had also shown interest in mass shootings online including the 1987 Hungerford massacre.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct is looking at why Devon and Cornwall Police returned the licence.
The news came after a teenage girl claimed that she reported Plymouth gunman Jake Davison for online harassment less than a week before he carried out the mass shooting.
The 16-year-old says she was repeatedly asked for sex by Davison just six days before he shot and killed his five victims.
