Why was it so easy for James Holmes to buy riot gear online? Give kudos to the rescuers, etc....?

[curran]

There are very few laws/regulations (that I know of) to prohibit regular citizens (non-government/military with security clearance) from buying guns, ammo, high-tech bullet-proof riot gear, etc...online, which is SCARY!!!!

Shouldn't there be some sort of safeguard/restriction/law in place when these kinds of purchases take place? There's got to be some accountability, right? Rather than taking away the rights of the well-adjusted, normal citizens, why aren't online restrictions more common?

Further, I am REALLY bothered by the fact this jerk spent his grant money on his weapons and was able to buy his assault gear so easily and anonymously. $26,000 in grants were awarded to him to live off of during his time in the doctorate program. Our tax dollars paid for his weapons, and that pisses me off. Aren't you upset by this fact too?

What do you think?

I have to profess that I am a CO native and live 15 minutes from where this happened. To see hideous events like this and Columbine occur in my native state is VERY hard to deal with; very sobering. I am still and always will be immensely proud to be a native of CO. I just kindly ask that the folks who don't live in CO or have ever visited CO take into account that these mass killings are NOT representative of the state of CO or it's citizens. Please don't let these incidents mar your impression of CO as a whole. When/if you ever visit CO, you will see what a great state CO truly is.

I also want to commend Christian Bale for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to fly out to pay his respects. My admiration has tripled for him since finding out about his personal visit.

I also have to commend all of the police and rescuers involved in this tragedy. They have done an IMPECCABLE job. The police were so compassionate at the scene of the crime. The even transported victims in their squad cars before ambulances arrived. They had to witness unspeakable carnage, yet they remained professional and calm. The police and bomb squads successfully detonated this jerks' bombs in his apartment with COMPLETE success, and as a result, saved A LOT of other innocent lives. In horrible situations like this, we sometimes forget to see the good. And what IF the woman who saw Holmes' door ajar ignored her gut Instinct and opened that door? She really is a hero as well. I just pray that all of the amazing hero's involved in this incident speedily recover from the horrid things they had to witness and deal with that night and since the tragedy.

Additionally, the public vigil was AMAZING/TOUCHING/DONE WITH CLASS, and I am impressed by how quickly it was arranged. There was so much love and support shown, it was almost a divine experience just to be there. I saw the best in humanity that day, a symbol of hope/compassion I will NEVER forget.

I rarely "blog" or post comments online, so forgive me for writing so much but I felt compelled to share my thoughts. This incident hits so close to home, literally and figuratively, for me. Also, please don't hesitate to call the Aurora Police Dept. and let them know if you are also impressed with their efforts. I left a voice message for the commanding officer commending the efforts of the police and rescue teams. I believe in giving credit where credit is due, and maybe if you all take a few minutes to call and do the same, maybe budgets can be reconsidered, etc... Either way, if you are impressed by their efforts, why not share your praise...? There's too much criticism and not enough positive praise in today's world. The number is 303-739-6000. Just ask for the contact regarding the Aurora theater tragedy and they will route your call to the right person. And no, I am not being paid or solicited in providing this suggestion/contact info.

Thank you for reading my thoughts, if you have gotten this far. Tell me your thoughts about the ease of which it takes to buy riot gear online, and how you think this guy should be punished.

As a final thought, I would be remiss if I didn't extend my absolute sympathies to the survivors, victims and the families of the victims as well as Mr. Holmes' mom and dad. Take into consideration that it's been publicly stated that he was ADOPTED so God only knows what warped DNA is floating around in him. I wonder what his birth mother and father are like.
Please feel free to comment..... mean/belligerent comments are discouraged. Thanks and G Bless.

[newyddilyn60]

there is no way i'm reading all that

[ring]

James Holmes was, and is, severely mentally ill as well as being extremely highly intelligent. No sane person would ever do something like he did. There isn't an explanation because no-one can actually explain the workings of his mind. It was a terribly tragic and awful thing that happened but in all honesty, it is difficult to know whether he even understands the enormity of what he has done, and how his actions have affected so many people. Not just the people who died and were injured but also their relatives and friends - all those people whose lives will never be the same again.

It isn't for we people on this social site to speculate, criticise, condemn or judge anyone involved in this awful happening.

[vanaken25]

Too long to read. I assumed this was going to be a rant about gun control, but it seems you are advocating online restrictions, which actually isn't a bad idea. If people have to walk in face to face and buy this magnitude of armory, the seller may actually notice and report some red flags and things like this could be prevented.

[flannagain]

guns can not be bought online unless you have them sent to a gun dealer who will perform the neccessary background checks. no matter how many rules we make, nothing can stop a madman from killing people. if he didnt have firearms he would have used handheld weapons. hell, he could easily kill 12 people with a car. its so silly that every time something like this happens people jump right up to call for more restrictions on firearms. its a fact that communities with the highest rates of legal gun ownership have the lowest crime rates. just imagine how much different that scene at the movie theater could have been if even 1 or 2 concieled carry permit holders had been there. nobody wants to acknowledge the fact that armed citizens are the best defense against crime. waiting for cops to protect you will just be a death sentence in a situation like that. the cops were there in 2 minutes and still not able to do anything to save the people in the theater. instead of calling for more gun control, we should be calling for more gun ownership. as far as body armor goes, you may need body armor in this country. i imagine those folks in california who got beat up and shot by cops the other day at that protest would have liked to have body armor.

[flannagain]

Comment regarding the purchase of large lots of ammunition. Oft times when a certain caliber of ammo goes on sale, it is very common for people to buy anywhere from 1,000 to 5,000 rounds. Also in the last 3 to 6 months, ammo prices have steadily increasing. Hence the need to stock up. This is especially true of shooters that shoot several hundred rounds a week.
Sadly, there was nothing that would have stopped Murderer Holmes. That is the problem with smart people bent on perpetuating this kind of act. They take their time and plan, plan, plan.
Suppose Murderer Holmes could not buy military style rifles. If it was me, I would have had 6 to 8 pistols around my waist. Would buying that many pistols throw up a red flag? No. I would buy different manufacturers and different caliber hand guns. See how easy it is for a person to get around laws? If I could think of that, then so could Murderer Holmes.
Because of this mass shooting, people will state we need more gun control. Such as??? Look at Chicago ILL and Washington DC. Both cities have very tight ( and very illegal according to the Supreme Court) gun control laws. Look how well that is working for them. I'll say it was a shame there weren't a couple of armed citizens that could have shot at Murderer Holmes. Alas, Murderer Holmes thought about this scenario and used smoke bombs to help keep a citizen from getting a bead on him along with the patrons all trying to get out of the theater. As I said, Murderer Holmes was tactically smart. Sadly, he was smart.