Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 25, 2012)
‘El’r ^Jort bntb (Obstruer July 25. 20i2 5l.ee OFF $5.® OR More Total Purchase £1 I I I C am du -H oamca VELT S-UfcVC TR0ZTÍ1 V O G IM WHEN CANDY MET FROZEN YOGURT One coupon per person. Not valid with any other offer. Expires 08/15/12. ref# CKFY090MJJ 972,1 ■ 6720 N.E. Martin Luther King Blvd & Dekum • 503.281.7000 ----------------------- ------------ — — _ — —I James Holmes appeared despondent and drowsy in court on Monday, his first public appearance after his arrest for a shooting at an Aurora, Colo, movie theater that killed 1 2 and injured dozens more. Stocked-Upfor Rampage c o n tin u e d fr o m fr o n t T he order, W einm an said, didn't stand out. "There's a w hole range o f c o n sum ers w ho have an appetite for these products, and 99.9 percent o f th e m are la w -a b id in g c itiz e n s," W einm an said. B ut he said that it m akes him sick that H olm es bought m aterial from him . H e added that he doesn't sell guns or am m unition and that he w as "shocked" at the am ount o f bullets that H olm es allegedly bought online. A uthorities say all o f H olm es' purchases w ere legal — and there is no official system to track w hether people are stockpiling vast am ounts o f firepow er. T here is no restriction on the sale o f bullets in the U nited States, e x c e p t fo r a rm o r-p ie rc in g ro u n d s, w hich can only be bought by law enforcem ent, said G inger C olbrun, a spokesw om an for the B ureau o f A lcohol, T o b acco and Firearm s. H ence the proliferation o f w ebsites offering A m azon.com -style w ish lists for hollow -point rifle rounds or tracer bullets. T here is a federal law that bars selling body arm or to violent felons — w hich H olm es w as not — but it is rarely used because there is no re quirem ent to check w hether p u r chasers o f the m aterial have crim inal records, according to D an G ross, president o f the B rady C am paign A gainst G un V iolence. O ver fo u r m onths, authorities said H olm es received m ore than 50 packages at his A urora apartm en t an d the U n iv e rsity o f C o lo ra d o m edical school, w here he w as study ing neuroscience. A s the boxes piled up, he began to shop for guns at sporting goods stores -- because o f the need to p ass a b a c k g ro u n d ch eck to buy a firearm , they are still generally bought at brick-and-m or- tar locations. O n M ay 22, law en fo rcem en t o f ficials said H olm es b ought a G lock pistol. Less than a w eek later, he upgraded to a shotgun. T he fo llo w o ur S eco n d A m en d m en t rights," ing w eek he bought an A R -15 rifle, M orse said. "As long as we let versions o f w hich had been o u t people buy these guns, w e will bury law ed under the assault w eapon o u r children." ban in 1994. But that prohibition R ep C arolyn M cC arthy (D -N Y), expired in 2004 and C ongress, in a w hose hu sb an d was killed in a m ass nod to the political clo u t o f gun shooting on the Long Island R ail enthusiasts, did not renew it. road in 1993, has proposed a ban on H olm es also acquired explosive h ig h -cap acity m agazines in C o n m aterials and eq u ip m en t to rig his gress but acknow ledges it has little entire ap artm en t w ith a com plex se chance o f passage. She said she ries o f booby traps that took au w as ho rrified by the shooting but thorities days to d ism antle. O ffi m ost shocked by the other m aterial cials have not said how he obtained that H olm es allegedly accum ulated the m aterial for the devices. — the bullets and com bat gear. H olm es capped o ff his gun p u r "It befuddles m e to think those chases w ith an o th er pistol on July 7. things should be sold to the general A uthorities say that 12 days later, public," she said. H olm es bought a ticket to the m id C olorado State Rep. M ark W aller night prem iere o f the B atm an m ovie cau tio n ed against trying to lim it "The D ark K night R ises" and e n p urchases o f am m unition. He noted tered the th eater w ith the crow d, that H olm es reportedly bought 300 then slipped out the side d o o r and rounds fo r his shotgun. "M y 13- retu rn ed dressed for battle. year-o ld son and I go out to the O ates said the shooter w ore a shooting range all the tim e," said ballistic helm et, gas m ask, throat- W aller, a R epublican. "I buy m ore protector, tactical vest and pants — than 300 rounds o f shotgun shells such com plete protective gear that w hen I do that." responding officers alm ost m istook H e said there m ay be discussion him for a m em ber o f the S W A T team. o f lim iting the sale o f the sort o f H e lo b b e d gas c a n iste rs at the protective clothing that H olm es al crow d, then opened fire. By the tim e legedly donned. "Is that w hat the p olice arrived, 9 0 seconds later, right to bear arm s m eans, that you H olm es had shot dozens o f people can purchase tactical g ear to stop because his rifle w as m odified w ith law en fo rcem en t from preventing a high-pow ered drum m agazine that you from p erpetrating a crim e?" allow ed him to fire im m ense am ounts W aller asked. "In the days and weeks o f bullets w ithout reloading. "It w as to com e, this is going to be a signifi a pretty rapid pace o f fire in that cant conversation." theater," O ates said. B u t g u n e n th u s ia s ts c a u tio n T he high-capacity m agazine had against over-reacting to the m assa also been p rohibited under the a s cre. Brow n, o f R ocky M ountain G un sault w eapon ban, and even though O w ners, said he thinks citizen's ac the federal law expired, a few states cess to w eap o n ry has m ade the o u tlaw ed the devices. C o lo rad o , U nited States "a stronger country." w hich has relatively perm issive gun A nd he d o esn ’t see anything un law s, did not. usual about m any o f H olm es' al C o lo ra d o S ta te S e n a to r Jo h n leged purchases. M orse, a D em ocrat, said he w ished "If I only h a d 6 ,0 0 0 rounds for my th e s ta te b a rre d la rg e -c a p a c ity A R -15s, I'd literally feel naked," m agazines and guns like the A R -15, B row n said. T h en he totaled up but he does not ex p ect the attack to H olm es' firearm s purchases: "Tw o m ake that likely. "The N R A has handguns, a shotgun and a rifle. m an ag ed to co n v in ce the country T hat's the average m ale in C o lo that this has to happen to protect rad o ." ottçn- w lo u 701 N E B road w ay A v e Portland, OR 9 7 2 3 2 (503) 3 3 5 - 0 7 5 8 www.cottoncloudfutons.com Offering affordable futons, pillows, mattress toppers & certified organic latex mattresses - • using ■ natural I « ■ organic Locally handcrafted mattresses & bedding since 1981 T a k e % /> < f I your order of $100 or more! Offer not valid with other discounts or coupons ‘
