Apparently he bought it some months prior, and passed his NICS background check due to not having any criminal convictions at the time of the check.
He was, however, under felony indictment which is a prohibitive factor under the 1968 Gun Control Act that NICS is supposed to check for.
Yet another government bureaucracy that can't do its job right. Imagine that.
I thought a relative gave it to him. I could be thinking of someone else.