Aaron Snyder, the man killed at the state Capitol last week, was turned away from a Fort Collins gun shop in late March after he admitted he had struggled with delusions and depression.
Snyder wanted to rent a handgun and learn how to shoot it at Rocky Mountain Shooters Supply on March 30, but he was rejected after he noted a history of mental illness on the store’s background check form, said the shop’s owner, Tim Brough.
Snyder also told the store manager, Bill Cates, he needed to learn to shoot because he “was the divine leader of the nation and as such should know how to use a gun.”
Cates suggested Snyder come back at a later date and take a handgun safety course first so Cates could determine whether he had severe problems.
Snyder later successfully purchased a handgun from Sportsman’s Warehouse in Thornton.
Snyder, 32, of Thornton, was fatally shot last week by a state trooper after he motioned toward a gun he was carrying. He had alarmed officials when he entered the governor’s office and proclaimed that he was the emperor.
Staff writer Christopher N. Osher can be reached at 303-954-1747 or at cosher@denverpost.com.
