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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsPolice: Colo. suspect planned massacre for months
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_COLORADO_SHOOTING?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-07-22-06-39-17AURORA, Colo. (AP) -- Details emerging on the Colorado massacre suspect show a budding scientist, brimming with potential, who pursued a graduate program even as he assembled weaponry he would allegedly use in the deadly midnight rampage inside an Aurora movie theater.
James Holmes planned the attack with "calculation and deliberation," police said Saturday, receiving deliveries by mail that authorities believe armed him for battle and were used to rig his apartment with dozens of bombs.
Meanwhile, a federal law enforcement official provided an updated account about the gunfire inside the theater, saying that a semi-automatic assault rifle used by the shooter jammed during the attack, forcing him to switch to another weapon.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to in order to discuss the investigation, said that the jammed weapon had a high-capacity ammunition magazine. Police have said that a 100-round drum magazine was recovered at the scene and that such a weapon would be able to fire 50 to 60 rounds a minute.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)be " gun grabbing " . And is it legal to shoot 60 deer a minute? Did any teacher or any other human being have contact with this person in the last month?
pipoman
(16,038 posts)this is the single most sold and used rifle platform in the US today. AR15 rifles are, unquestionably, "commonly used for lawful purposes", the standard set by SCOTUS in determining constitutionality of restricting specific firearms within the confines of the 2nd Amendment.
orpupilofnature57
(15,472 posts)" commonly used for lawful purposes "
pipoman
(16,038 posts)and a tiny fraction of a percent are ever used unlawfully. Therefore the 99%+ never used unlawfully constitute 'common use for lawful purposes'. And it is sounding like the unreliability of these 'canisters of death' may have actually reduced the death toll in this case as it did in the case of Laughner whose gun also jammed because of the unreliability of extended magazines.
malaise
(268,997 posts)That probably saved several lives.
pipoman
(16,038 posts)if he would have used regular magazines. High capacity magazines are notorious for their unreliability.
malaise
(268,997 posts)slampoet
(5,032 posts)pipoman
(16,038 posts)in carnage with or without access to guns. There are hundreds of ways to hurt and kill a lot of people at one time without guns. Access to mental health services and the ability of people to be involuntarily committed prior to commission of a criminal act would be a much more effective plan to mitigate future tragedies such as this.