SALT LAKE CITY (ABC 4 News) - Police say that James Holmes had four weapons on him during the movie theater massacre in Aurora, Colorado. He was in bullet proof gear with wo 40 caliber handguns, a 12 gauge shotgun and an AR 15 rifle. ABC 4 News went out to a Murray gun range to see the power of these weapons.
We caught up with Curtis Booth and his friend Chad Beach at "Get Some Gun and Ammo" as they were firing an assault rifle - much like the one James Holmes allegedly used against innocent movie goers. They were letting off some steam and well aware of what had happened in Colorado. Beach says "We had a little conversation on the way up about the incident today. Its just tragic."
Booth, who owns the assault rifle, fired shot after shot to show us how powerful and accurate it can be. Beach was firing it for the first time. He says after using it he has even more sympathy for the innocent people who became targets in the theater.
He isn't the only one who feels bad. Boyd Anderson, a manager at Get Some Gun and Ammo says "I feel bad that someone had decided that he is so upset with the world that he had to take it out on innocent people."
Anderson showed ABC 4 News the type of shotgun Holmes allegedly had on him during the massacre. "It's a close quarters weapon." Then he showed us a glock handgun similar to the two Holmes had on him when he was arrested. "The tool itself can't do any harm unless its in somebody's hand."
Boyd feels awful for the victims and their families. And he says understands that Holmes purchased the guns legally over the past two months. But he wonders what could have been done. Holmes had no record and there was no way for the gun shop to know his intent. With that in mind he hopes the focus now will be on the assailant and not guns. "To take them away from the rest of us because of one idiot. That doesn't make sense either."
