The man accused of storming the White House Correspondents’ Dinner spent years quietly acquiring his arsenal, purchasing a shotgun from a Torrance, California, firearms dealer eight months before the attack and a semi-automatic pistol two years earlier, according to a law enforcement intelligence profile reviewed by Bloomberg.
Cole Tomas Allen, 31, bought a Maverick 12-gauge pump-action shotgun from Turner’s Outdoorsman in Torrance in August 2025 and an Armscor semi-automatic pistol from CAP Tactical Firearms in Lawndale in October 2023, the profile shows.
Preliminary evidence suggests Allen was targeting administration officials, Blanche said, though he declined to provide specifics. Allen is not cooperating with investigators.
The attack will likely put new scrutiny on train security. Unlike air travel, passengers are not required to declare firearms on Amtrak. Blanche said investigators have not yet determined how Allen transported the weapons across state lines but pushed back on calls to tighten protocols.
“I don’t think the narrative here is about changing laws,” he said.
Allen faces two federal charges: using a firearm during a crime of violence and assault on a federal officer with a dangerous weapon. Additional charges are expected, Blanche said. He is scheduled to be arraigned Monday in federal court in Washington.
