SAN
DIEGO (CBS 8/ AP) – The owner of a San Diego
pawn shop says he remembers the suspected gunman in the Colorado movie theater shooting visiting his
store to ask about weapons.
David Casper, the owner of Hillcrest
Pawn Brokers, says he has no record of 24-year-old James Holmes buying any guns from his store, but he
does recall the suspected mass murderer coming into the shop more than once
over the last six months to a year.
"I, and a couple of the employees,
recognized him immediately," Casper
said. "He has been in the shop and we know that he has looked at firearms in
the shop."
Casper says in the state of California there is a
ten day wait on firearms. It requires a customer to fill out paperwork and
submit to a background check before a purchase.
Holmes' only prior record with the
police was for a speeding ticket in 2007. Casper
says that clean record would not have triggered any red flags for retailers running
a background check.
"There's no way to tell if somebody's
mentally ill unless he's analyzed by a professional," Casper said.
"My reaction as a firearms dealer is
first sadness for the families. But my worry is that there are literally
thousands of gun laws on the books already and they're not protecting the people
as it is. I think it would be ignorant for them to think that more gun laws
will protect them further."
Authorities say the four weapons
recovered after the shooting rampage were purchased by Holmes from retail gun
stores in Colorado
in the last two months.
Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said
nearly 7,000 rounds and multiple magazines for those weapons also were
purchased online. He said all of the
weapons and ammunition were possessed legally.
A federal law enforcement officer
said Holmes bought a Glock
pistol on May 22 at Gander Mountain in Aurora.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the probe into the
shootings is ongoing.
Gander Mountain said it is "fully
cooperating" with the investigation.
A Missouri online seller of tactical police
gear told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that it sold more than $300 of equipment
to Holmes on July 2.
