The gunman in Sunday’s mass shooting at a church in rural Texas was not legally eligible to buy firearms and had been denied a state gun permit, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said Monday.

“Current law, as it exists right now, should have prevented him from being able to get a gun,” Abbott told “CBS This Morning.”

“I can tell you that before he made this purchase, he tried to get a gun permit in the state of Texas and was denied that permit.”

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Abbott said it’s unclear how Kelley was able to obtain the military-style rifle used in the shooting, but predicted investigators will uncover that information in the coming days.

“It’s clear that this is a person who had violent tendencies,” he said. “How that got through the cracks, I don’t have that information.”