Authorities have said they do not believe an attack was imminent and are not even certain one would have occurred.
"This was a smart kid that clearly believes he was picked on and was a victim," Castor said. "He had psychological issues and began to act out on those feelings."
Cossey's 14-year-old son, who was arrested Wednesday, felt bullied and tried to recruit another boy for a possible attack at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School, authorities said. The teen previously attended middle school in the district but had been taught at home for more than a year after voluntarily leaving school.
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Acting on a tip from a high school student and his father, police searched the boy's bedroom and found the 9mm rifle, about 30 air-powered guns modeled to look like higher-powered weapons, swords, knives, a bomb-making book, videos of the 1999 Columbine attack in Colorado, and violence-filled notebooks, Castor said.
Michele Cossey bought the semiautomatic rifle at a gun show on Sept. 23 and provided police with a receipt, investigators said in court papers. The teenager said the two .22-caliber weapons were stored at a friend's house.
She was charged with unlawful transfer of a firearm, possession of a firearm by a minor, corruption of a minor, endangering the welfare of a child, and two counts of reckless endangerment and was later released on bail. She did not comment at the hearing.
The teen, who also had a brief court appearance yesterday, was ordered held at a juvenile facility while he undergoes a psychiatric evaluation.
He was charged with solicitation to commit terror and other counts, but his lawyer, J. David Farrell, stressed that all but one of the weapons prosecutors put on display were pellet guns and air rifles.
It is legal for children to possess air guns in Pennsylvania. Farrell also noted it is legal for a minor to fire weapons under adult supervision and said he didn't believe the students at Plymouth Whitemarsh were in any danger.
