Countless violent acts occur around the word daily, from the clashes in Syria to pirates taking hostages off the coast of Eastern Africa. Despite the gruesome character of these actions, there is nevertheless a motive behind them- either a difference in ideological opinions or some kind of financial payout. The truly evil actions come from individuals who seem to have no rationale behind their killings- such as the massacre which occurred on Friday, July 20th in a movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado.

James Holmes was a 24 year old student studying neuroscience at the University of Colorado. He entered the Century 16 multiplex about 20 minutes into the midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises, completely clad in protective gear and wearing a riot helmet. He had three weapons with him- two Glock pistols and a semi-automatic rifle. In addition, he had thousands of rounds of ammunition. When Holmes came into the auditorium, he threw gas canisters into the crowd, after which he opened fire. During the time he fired the first few shots, it was reported that many people believed the shooting sounds were a part of the movie because a particularly violent scene was on the screen. However, soon it became clear that the gunfire was occurring in reality.

James Holmes’ rampage killed at least 12 people, injuring 58 more. Of the 58 injured, 5 are still in critical condition. When Holmes appeared in court for the first time on July 23rd, he had a dazed and sleepy appearance. There was a lot of debate surrounding his appearance, with some professionals saying that he was heavily sedated, some claiming he was in the midst of a psychological breakdown, and some simply saying he was tired.

Many people in America and across the world are interested in James Holmes’ defense team. In his Monday hearing, Holmes was accompanied by Tamara Brady who is the chief trial deputy working for the Colorado defender’s office. The other individual defending Holmes is Daniel King. Both lawyers were involved in a number of high profile death penalty cases.

For example, Tamara Brady represented Jose Luis Rubi-Nava in 2006 when he was accused of dragging his girlfriend behind his car by the neck. She advised her client to plead guilty in order to avoid the death penalty. Instead he got life in prison without the possibility of parole.

On the part of Daniel King, he has recently represented Sir Mario Owens, a man who was standing on trial for murder and killed two witnesses in order to prevent them from testifying. Owens was found guilty in 2008 and is currently on death row.

One of the most contentious issues with the Aurora shooting is the ease with which Holmes acquired his weapons. He purchased all of them online without any problems. However, even if James Holmes was to buy the weapons in person, he would have likely passed the background check just the same. Holmes was a regular man by any standards, with friends and past girlfriends. He had a clean criminal record and was considered to be a studious academic. The only potential sign of an introverted nature was the fact that he did not use any form of social media- such as Facebook, Twitter, or Google Plus. While this has the potential to illustrate that he does not maintain long term relationships, he is not alone in refraining from social networking.

James Holmes’ rampage has left many individuals doubting American gun laws and regulation. This man attained powerful weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition without any problems. Although the second amendment states that all citizens have a right to bear arms, some politicians are speaking up for greater gun control. For example, many individuals are suggesting that high capacity ammunition magazines should be banned, stating that they are not necessary for hunting or self-defense. Nevertheless, there are many signs showing that a large portion of the public does not want this action to be taken. In fact, the weekend after the shooting saw a 43% increase in gun sales over the previous week because people were worried that legislature would be enacted to prevent easy gun purchase. Moreover, more people are currently enrolling in concealed weapon training certification, signaling that this incident has led to more Americans being armed, and not less.

For more information:

Court documents relating to James Holmes: http://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/District/Case_Details.cfm?Case_ID=152

Charges against James Holmes: http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2012/images/07/30/colorado.trial.pdf?hpt=ju_c2

Second amendment (and interpretation): http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment02/