Movie theater shooting suspect in court today

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Associated Press

Story Created: Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:34 AM

Story Updated: Mon Jul 23, 2012 5:36 AM

AURORA, Colo. (AP) - The suspect in the Colorado movie theater shooting has his first court appearance later this morning. Meanwhile, investigators say James Holmes refuses to talk with authorities.
   
Aurora, Colorado's police chief says Holmes has "lawyered up."

The 24-year-old suspect in the Colorado theater shooting spent months stockpiling thousands of bullets and ballistic gear without raising any red flags with authorities.
   
Authorities say that's because James Holmes availed himself of the Internet. That unregulated marketplace allows consumers to acquire some of the tools of modern warfare as if they were pieces of a new wardrobe.
   
Dudley Brown is the executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a group that advocates for firearms owners' rights. He notes that Americans are allowed to possess some of the equipment that the military generally has.
   
Gun rights activists like Brown celebrate that freedom, but even some involved in the trade are troubled by how easily Holmes stocked up for his alleged rampage.
   
Authorities say all of Holmes' purchases were legal -- and there is no official system to track whether people are stockpiling vast amounts of firepower.