Well, turns out I was right from the start.
He had no intentions of shooting anyone.
Walmart panic caused by gun rights 'test'
Of course... If you are caught running around with guns and 100 rounds of ammunition, you sure would tell everyone you had the intention to shoot as many as possible, no? You just thought better of it at the last moment.
The truth is, we'll probably never know.
Assuming he had no intent to shoot anyone, what motivated him? And don't give me the low IQ, high testosterone nonsense. This was, so shortly after the El Paso Walmart shooter, a calculated move. So, what was it?
Tell you what I think: They are acting on some ideas out of "Siege", a book by neo-Nazi James Mason. Part thereof hopes for gun rights exercises so brutal or provocative as to lead to gun confiscations, which they hope would spark a civil war, which in turn would give them the opportunity to kill off scores of "commies" and minorities, and take their country back (MAGA!). So shortly after El Paso, there was an opportunity to create a high-profile incident without firing a single shot. Doesn't that look like an effective use of "resources" toward that aim to you?