No guns for Naples man after background check

NAPLES, Fla. – A man was blocked from purchasing a gun after a background check returned with details on his history of alleged domestic violence.

Steve Passamondi, 62, walked into the Naples Gun Range and Emporium and applied for the legal purchase of a gun. But Collier County deputies said Passamondi lied on mandatory paperwork.

Passamondi did not have a concealed carry permit, so he was required to wait three days for approval.

Within that period of time, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement performed a background check. The department compiles the requested background checks then reports results to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office every month.

“Once we get the names, we conduct an investigation and determine if those people are actually convicted felons,” said CCSO Sgt. Mark Williams.

Passamondi was not permitted to own or possess a firearm because he had a domestic violence injunction filed against him, Collier County deputies said.

Linda Oberhaus with the Shelter for Abused Women and Children said the system worked to keep guns out of Passamondi’s hands.

“In this instance, we know this person is prone to violence,” she said. “We know he’s had more than one domestic violence injunction for battery.”

Mixing guns with domestic violence abusers has proven fatal for some people in Florida. In 2014, domestic violence incidents resulted in the murder of 205 people, according to the Florida Attorney General’s Office. Of the victims, 52 percent of them were shot.

Oberhaus said background checks and waiting periods save lives.

“We know that he has a tendency toward violence so you can only imagine had he been able to access that gun what he would have done with it,” she said.