Police: Arsenal of guns seized from Biddeford (Maine) man who saw Batman movie with loaded weapon

[Maine-ah]

This will probably stir the shit some more....but - really WTF?!

BIDDEFORD, Maine — Maine State Police seized an arsenal of weapons from a Biddeford man who told police he brought a loaded gun to a showing of “Batman: The Dark Knight Rises” in Saco on Saturday night, according to Department of Public Safety spokesman Stephen McCausland.

Timothy Courtois, 49, was arrested at about 10 a.m. Sunday after state police Trooper Phillip Alexander clocked Courtois’ Ford Mustang traveling at 112 mph on the Maine Turnpike. Other motorists had called police to report the vehicle was speeding southbound on the turnpike with its hazard lights flashing.

Inside the car, police found an AK-47 assault rifle, four handguns and several boxes of ammunition, McCausland said Monday afternoon.

A search of Courtois’ home at 344 Elm St. in Biddeford later that day uncovered more guns, including a machine gun, rifles, handguns and thousands of rounds of ammunition.

http://bangordailynews.com/2012/07/23/news/portland/police-arsenal-of-guns-seized-from-biddeford-man-who-saw-batman-movie-with-loaded-weapon/

also found in the car was news paper clippings from the shooting on Friday, and he stated that he was on his way to shoot a former employer in Derry, N.H. Plus they searched his house and found more weapons and thousands of ammunition. The rest is at the link.

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We have guns in this house. We will keep them, but there has to be some compromise on gun laws and regulations.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

1. I wonder if the machine gun was legally possesed... ?

[Maine-ah]

2. I'll keep an eye on BDN for updates

which probably won't happen for a while....he apparently didn't have a CCP, so I'm guessing he didn't obtain the other weapons legally...but we'll have to wait and see.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

3. Machine Guns are pretty tightly regulated... lots of paperwork and fees to own one (legally).

He sounded pretty irresponsible to me as well which is why I was wondering if he owned the item legally or not.

[cthulu2016]

4. "he stated that he was on his way to shoot a former employer"

Best excuse given to a policeman for speeding, ever.

[nc4bo]

5. sigh.........

does any human being need so many weapons for?

Good God!

[dmallind]

6. Terrible journalism. Other than sensationalism wtf has a movie to do with it?

What's wrong with "Police catch would-be assassin as he speeds to kill ex-boss"? It's sensationalist too but at least it sensationalizes the relevant bits only.

As far as the conclusion, what viable, and constitutional compromises spring to mind? Background checks wouldn't do this; psych-screens are unlikely to have either unless administered after whatever stimulus caused the loon(s) to want to play shoot-em-up in reality anyway - and which loon plans these things years in advance? Semi-auto AK's and AR's have perfectly legit recreational uses and are not particularly powerful. Mass shootings with std capacity magazines are as common as those with hi-caps. A shade-tree machine shop can build a 1911 from common steel grades from scratch (other guns too obviously - just a lot more engineering drawings for 1911s out there than most) and millions of people reload ammo.

About the only things I could think of wouldn't stop the newly-minted psychos on a random spree either. Sure we could pass laws that force (technically allow, as right now non-FFLs are legally barred from NICS) private sales to use checks, but that ignores the currently law abiding. We could impose waiting periods without a restraining order to demonstrate immediate need, but all that does is slow down people who don't have a gun already and won't be loony any more in a week. We could (although constitutionally tricky) register and insist on insurance and proficiency certificates for all gun buys but again - that doesn't stop any of the recent betes du jour mass shooters as they were not criminals before their sprees. I could support doing any of those, but doubt it would do much but inconvenience perfectly safe people.

Restricting CCL or guns per month, gun-free zones and the like are feel-good twaddle as they posit a person willing to kill, but unwilling to break much lesser laws. Personal "ask his neighbors" screens are too subjective and of questionable constitutionality, and how many killers are described as a "quiet guy who kept to himself" anyway? Enough so it is a cliche. Outright bans are hopelessly naive, disarm only the safest and most responsible, and likely to trigger - pun intended - massive unrest if not outright rebellion.

What out there is likely to work, and possible (let's be wild and forget the 2A for a moment here)?