An earlier version of this story misidentified the style of the Mossberg MVP .223. It is a bolt-action rifle that is capable of firing rounds from detachable magazines. The Alamedan regrets the error.

Paul English was “really affected” by the December 14 shootings at a Newtown, Conn. elementary school that left 20 children and seven adults dead. English, a public health researcher, said he had favored gun control before the killings but had never acted on those beliefs. Read more >> about Petition seeks to trim gun sales in Alameda