Talovic had the gun for at least seven months, acquiring it from an individual in June or July, said Lori Dyer, resident agent in charge of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Utah.

The gun originally was bought legally at a store by a man out of state and was stolen, Dyer said. Then it changed hands six or seven times among three people before reaching Talovic, Dyer said.

"It kind of made its way back and forth between the same people multiple times," Dyer said.

None of the people being investigated was directly involved in the planning or execution of Talovic's shooting spree, Dyer said.

Talovic walked into Trolley Square mall the evening of Feb. 12 with the .38-caliber revolver and a 12-gauge shotgun and opened fire with the shotgun, killing five people and seriously injuring four others before dying in a gunfight with police. Police said he carried a bandolier around his waist and a backpack containing 90 unspent rounds of ammunition.

Police say he fired the handgun but the rounds apparently did not hit anyone.

Dyer said investigators are considering federal and state charges against the three people connected to the handgun. Federal charges would be warranted depending on a person's criminal history and his role in helping Talovic get the gun, Dyer said.

Dyer declined to offer specifics about the three people or the transactions, including whether Talovic paid for the gun.

Investigators last month traced the shotgun Talovic used in the shooting to a purchase he made at a local sporting goods store in November. But the pistol remained a mystery.

The investigation into its origin has taken longer than normal because it had been stolen, Dyer said.

Police Chief Chris Burbank said detectives were going after "everyone involved" with the handgun. He declined to offer specifics, saying he wanted to give investigators time to sort out which charges to use.

Burbank said it was important to charge anyone for illegally selling or trading the gun to prevent guns from getting in the wrong hands in the future.

"We can make that one connection and say it's over and done with," Burbank said. "But the four or five people that may have led up to that, they were the people you want to make sure you interview as well and find out about criminal activity they were involved with to keep this from happening."

Burbank said Salt Lake City police detectives also are investigating whether people linked to the gun may have committed other crimes.

"There are potentially a bunch of other convictions connected to other crimes," Burbank said. "They're looking at many different people on this."

Detectives do not believe the handgun was involved in any other crimes, Dyer said.

Salt Lake City homicide detectives still are working with the FBI to learn what led Talovic to violence.

"At this point, we haven't found one thing that leads us closer to a motive," Burbank said.

There is no sign the shooting was an act of terrorism, Burbank said. Talovic did not appear to be motivated by any racial or religious agenda, he said. The chief reiterated that there is no evidence that Talovic said anything in Arabic during the shooting, as FOX News has hinted.

''People are saying, 'He's so obviously a terrorist,' '' Burbank said. "Well, we're not seeing that connection. Neither is the FBI.

''If I were to jump up and down and say, 'He was a terrorist,' think of all the public funding I could get,'' Burbank said. "But that would be irresponsible. If it is there, then we need to put it out. But it's not something that we have found."

Burbank said he was frustrated by people who have speculated that Talovic's Muslim upbringing had something to do with the shooting.

"I guarantee you right now we are arresting Catholics and Mormons, and we're not condemning those people" as being motivated by their religion, Burbank said.

Detectives also believe Talovic acted alone, having found no evidence that anyone helped him plan or carry out the shootings, Burbank said.

Talovic did not appear to show the guns to anyone other than three distant cousins who visited him in January, Burbank said.

Burbank has asked investigators to prepare a report he can release to the public detailing their findings after they have exhausted all leads. He said detectives still are interviewing relatives, friends and contacts of Talovic to try to find a motive in the shooting.

But, Burbank said, detectives and the public alike at some point may need to accept that there will be no definitive answers explaining the city's worst mass killing in decades.

"There is a level of frustration involved there," Burbank said. "And it's hard because cops, they like to solve the puzzle. This, it's hard. There are a lot of interviews, a lot going into this, and not a lot of results."

rrizzo@sltrib.com

* Was acquired by Talovic in June or July.

* Was previously stolen, then changed hands six or seven times.

* May be evidence in state and federal charges against three people.