Cho did break the law when he purchased his guns. He had been deemed a danger to himself and others after court ordered phychiatric evaluation and prescribed an anti-depressant. The gun seller did nothing wrong in selling him guns though as this information was not available to him through the national database. HIPPA privacy laws prevented that info, which had legal implications, from going into the database.
They had the judge on TV that ordered his commitment and showed the actual forms. The checkbox “danger to others” was not checked and the judge indicated that nothing in his examination of the case suggested that the kid was a danger to others. He failed to check the box that would have gotten this kid into the database.
Aside from that does the federal form require self-disclosure? Doesn’t the form ask if you are a felon or have been committed to a mental health facility? In that case a crime was committed when he bought the gun.
You are better informed on the details than I am. I suppose that only a judge could have submitted that info to the database although Cho was deemed (as I understand it at this time) a danger to himself and others by the psychiatrist/psychologist. You are absolutely correct that he violated the law by not disclosing this info on the Fed form at the point of purchase. A private purchase would have avoided that violation or any requirement to file a form. I wouldn’t have that any other way either.