9NEWS met with Mapes Friday at his attorney's office. Mapes says the night of the Aurora theater shooting, he was at the Thornton Cinebarre Theatre. An officer asked to see his concealed-weapons permit. Everything was checked out.
"That's one of the things with the law - cooperate with law enforcement at all times, which I did," Mapes told 9NEWS.
However, on July 29 - more than a week after the Aurora theater shooting - Mapes walked into the same theater with a gun strapped to his waist. Police evacuated the theater as they searched for Mapes in the cinema. He was arrested and booked over the weekend. He was later released.
Mapes was arrested for 'investigation of a possible dangerous weapon.' According to Thornton Police, the law states that a person with a concealed carry permit cannot "display or flourish a dangerous weapon in a manner calculated to alarm another person."
Mapes says he may not counter-sue for the damages that he has suffered over the last few days. He says he has been in the news and his phone has been ringing off the hook since the incident.
He says he's been to this theater over that last few years at least 30 times - always with a gun on his hip - and never had a problem.
"I got my concealed-weapons permit in 1993 and have been carrying since then," Mapes told 9NEWS.
He says that he has had hundreds of hours on gun and safety training and attends one to two courses a month.
"I carry because I am trying to be responsible for my own self defense," Mapes told 9NEWS. "People say I'm being insensitive because it's right after the shooting. Well, if you're worried about copycats, then I would be kinda foolish to leave my gun at home."
Unless the charges are dropped he will be in court again on Sept. 3.
"It's kind of ridiculous that I'm charged with a crime, because I didn't do anything wrong," Mapes told 9NEWS. "I haven't gotten much sleep this week. I'm depending on what side you are on, I'm either a hero or a scumbag across the nation - across the globe. I mean, people in Korea and England are commenting on this."
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