Gunman kills 12 in Colorado movie theater

[Roadhawg]

WTF is wrong with people...

(CNN) -- A heavily armed gunman tossed tear gas into the darkness of an Aurora, Colorado movie theater Friday and then sprayed the audience with gunfire during an early morning screening of the new Batman movie, killing 12 and wounding 38 others, authorities said.

One of the injured was just 3 months old, according to hospital workers.

Police arrested a man believed to be the shooter in a rear parking lot of the theater, Frank Fania, a police spokesman, told CNN. The suspect was not immediately identified. Police said he was a man in his 20s from Aurora.

"He did not resist. He did not put up a fight," Fania said. Police seized a rifle and a handgun from the suspect, and another gun was found in the theater, he said.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/20/us/col...ing/index.html

[BBatesokc]

And most theaters don't allow conceal carry - let alone open carry. Like fish in a barrel.

[OKCTalker]

And most theaters don't allow conceal carry - let alone open carry. Like fish in a barrel.

A conceal carry instructor told me you might get fined if you took a weapon into a prohibited place, but no-one would know unless you produced it to counter a threat to life. At that point who is going to complain if you carried where prohibited?

[Just the facts]

A conceal carry instructor told me you might get fined if you took a weapon into a prohibited place, but no-one would know unless you produced it to counter a threat to life. At that point who is going to complain if you carried where prohibited?

See George Zimmerman, or better yet Bernard Goetz.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernhard_Goetz

Bernhard Hugo Goetz (born November 7, 1947) is an American man best known for shooting four alleged muggers on a New York City Subway train,[2][3][4][5] resulting in his conviction for illegal possession of a firearm. He came to symbolize New Yorkers' frustrations with the high crime rates of the early 1980s. The incident occurred on a No. 2 train in Manhattan on December 22, 1984. It sparked a nationwide debate on race and crime in major cities, and the legal limits of self-defense.[4]

Goetz fired an unlicensed revolver five times, seriously wounding all four. He was dubbed the "Subway Vigilante" by the New York press, and was both praised and vilified in the media and in public opinion.

He surrendered to police nine days later and was eventually charged with attempted murder, assault, reckless endangerment, and several firearms offenses.

[BBatesokc]

A conceal carry instructor told me you might get fined if you took a weapon into a prohibited place, but no-one would know unless you produced it to counter a threat to life. At that point who is going to complain if you carried where prohibited?

I guarantee you produce a legally carried gun in a prohibited place - regardless if you are countering a deadly threat - you will face charges. You might get a slap on then wrist, but you will most likely lose your future ability to carry a weapon in public.

A DA would be a fool not to charge someone in that case.

[onthestrip]

I guarantee you produce a legally carried gun in a prohibited place - regardless if you are countering a deadly threat - you will face charges. You might get a slap on then wrist, but you will most likely lose your future ability to carry a weapon in public.

A DA would be a fool not to charge someone in that case.

I have my concealed license but never asked this question when I was taking the class. Any idea of what type of charge you'd receive if you did take your concealed gun into a prohibited place and take out a guy like this? I know the public would praise you but legally it would be a different story. Has this scenario ever happened.

[BBatesokc]

I have my concealed license but never asked this question when I was taking the class. Any idea of what type of charge you'd receive if you did take your concealed gun into a prohibited place and take out a guy like this? I know the public would praise you but legally it would be a different story. Has this scenario ever happened.

This is one reason I got my conceal and carry and my CLEET license - more flexibility on where I can carry.

I'd have to lookup the exact charge but probably two or three violations would apply. Most likely you'd simply face the loss of your C&C license and some sort of deferred sentence.

[Roadhawg]

I just can't figure out why somebody would do something like this. There's been a lot of cases lately where some nut job has opened fire on a group of people. If you hate the world that bad then just go live in the boonies or off yourself, not a bunch of innocent people or kids. I'm not sure how much a concealed carry would have helped. A dark theater and mass panic, might have caused more injuries or deaths

[Just the facts]

I just can't figure out why somebody would do something like this.

Don't try to figure out the logic of crazy people. Sadly, we have a society that glorifies violence (see Batman Rising – people paying to see other people killed and tortured because it is 'entertaining') and violent people are empowered to become even more violent.

[Maynard]

DARK KNIGHT MOURNING

[wallbreaker]

Sick sick sick sick sick. There's no way to put this to words...

And I think it makes it, is that this happened so (geographically) close to Columbine.

[Martin]

ok... i know i'm looking at the small issue while ignoring the big story... but who takes a 3-month old baby to a midnight movie premiere? -M

[Just the facts]

ok... i know i'm looking at the small issue while ignoring the big story... but who takes a 3-month old baby to a midnight movie premiere? -M

The same type that took the 6 year old and 9 year old. We have a screwed up society that loves their violence. I wish more people would say to themselves - you know, maybe we shouldn't watch this sort of stuff because it is kind of having a bad effect on us as a people. Not to worry Hollywood, Batman Rising will still make $200 million.

[BoulderSooner]

The same type that took the 6 year old and 9 year old. We have a screwed up society that loves their violence. I wish more people would say to themselves - you know, maybe we shouldn't watch this sort of stuff because it is kind of having a bad effect on us as a people. Not to worry Hollywood, Batman Rising will still make $200 million.

i have much less issue taking the 3 month old to the movie than i do the 6 and 9 year old

[Just the facts]

i have much less issue taking the 3 month old to the movie than i do the 6 and 9 year old

Then you are missing the bigger picture. No worries though, millions (of all ages) will go see "Violent Death Part 2" when it comes out. After all, it’s entertaining.

In case no one has figured it out - I am trying to point out that millions of people see violence (and the more graphic the better) as entertainment. We even give awards to the makeup guy that does the best job of making it look real.

[FritterGirl]

The same type that took the 6 year old and 9 year old. We have a screwed up society that loves their violence. I wish more people would say to themselves - you know, maybe we shouldn't watch this sort of stuff because it is kind of having a bad effect on us as a people. Not to worry Hollywood, Batman Rising will still make $200 million.

You are acting as if this were a new phenomenon. It isn't. We have a gun-loving culture, pure and simple. And our love for violence, including "violent" sports (boxing, football) has been around for centuries. As the rowdy pioneers of this world, we have created a society that idolizes a "shoot 'em up" mentality. It's not just Hollywood that drives that. We buy young children "G.I. Joe" toys and have them go out and play "soldier." We teach children that "killing the bad guy" is always the best solution. We develop bullies by teaching children that "first is always best" and that if "you don't win, you are a loser." We teach children that people who are "different" (skin color, sexual orientation, mental disabilities, different accents, different religions) are inherently bad, and stand by willingly when those who are "different" are readily mocked and degraded as not being worthy of our society. We cling to an "eye for an eye" mentality that wants to vilify people and their actions before we look at the larger picture. Hollywood and the gaming industry have certainly contributed greatly to this, but our cultural love for violence dates many years prior, and unless there is a monumental shift away from our staunch individualism, and we allow ourselves to look at society in a broader stroke, this will continue, and it will not be the worst incident.

Guns are not the answer, even those held by responsible citizens with multiple certifications.

[BoulderSooner]

You are acting as if this were a new phenomenon. It isn't. We have a gun-loving culture, pure and simple. And our love for violence, including "violent" sports (boxing, football) has been around for centuries. As the rowdy pioneers of this world, we have created a society that idolizes a "shoot 'em up" mentality. It's not just Hollywood that drives that. We buy young children "G.I. Joe" toys and have them go out and play "soldier." We teach children that "killing the bad guy" is always the best solution. We develop bullies by teaching children that "first is always best" and that if "you don't win, you are a loser." We teach children that people who are "different" (skin color, sexual orientation, mental disabilities, different accents, different religions) are inherently bad, and stand by willingly when those who are "different" are readily mocked and degraded as not being worthy of our society. We cling to an "eye for an eye" mentality that wants to vilify people and their actions before we look at the larger picture. Hollywood and the gaming industry have certainly contributed greatly to this, but our cultural love for violence dates many years prior, and unless there is a monumental shift away from our staunch individualism, and we allow ourselves to look at society in a broader stroke, this will continue, and it will not be the worst incident.

Guns are not the answer, even those held by responsible citizens with multiple certifications.

garbage

[venture]

garbage

Well that was a little rude.

I respect where Fritter is coming from, but I don't agree with every point. However, humans by nature are violent. Instead of having gladiators in an arena now we have football.

Responsibility comes down to the individuals though. This is going to raise the discussion on gun control of course but also violence in society. It'll get people worked up and at the end, there will still be 12 people dead for no reason. At some point we will need to evaluate to see if the general public really should be able to acquire guns like those used in shooting (AK-47) or if they finally need to be limited to your basic shotgun/rifle used for hunting. I come from a hunting family that supports the 2nd Amendment, but reason has to come into play at some point.

As far as violence in entertainment and society. We can scream and yell to tone it down, but society wants more. They love conflict, drama, and violence. I can't really say much considering I do enjoy my CSI, Game of Thrones, Dexter, and other shows that aren't all that tame. However I'm not really drawn to them for the violent part, but the story lines that go along side them (especially in GoT).

To each their own. This is going to be an emotional time for many and especially in their responses. Next time try to be more respectful in your reply.

[FritterGirl]

garbage

Pray tell, then, where is your grand solution? I don't see you offering any refutation, simply a pithy one-word answer that in its own way only serves to prove my point. Violence starts with our thinking that violence is okay. It's not.

[Spartan]

garbage

This is incendiary of you. FritterGirl was making a good point, and this is all you have?

So anything other than "America is #1!!!!" or "There is nothing wrong in America, we are a perfect country the way we are," is garbage.

[BoulderSooner]

You are acting as if this were a new phenomenon. It isn't. We have a gun-loving culture, pure and simple. And our love for violence, including "violent" sports (boxing, football) has been around for centuries. As the rowdy pioneers of this world, we have created a society that idolizes a "shoot 'em up" mentality. It's not just Hollywood that drives that. We buy young children "G.I. Joe" toys and have them go out and play "soldier." We teach children that "killing the bad guy" is always the best solution. We develop bullies by teaching children that "first is always best" and that if "you don't win, you are a loser." We teach children that people who are "different" (skin color, sexual orientation, mental disabilities, different accents, different religions) are inherently bad, and stand by willingly when those who are "different" are readily mocked and degraded as not being worthy of our society. We cling to an "eye for an eye" mentality that wants to vilify people and their actions before we look at the larger picture. Hollywood and the gaming industry have certainly contributed greatly to this, but our cultural love for violence dates many years prior, and unless there is a monumental shift away from our staunch individualism, and we allow ourselves to look at society in a broader stroke, this will continue, and it will not be the worst incident.

Guns are not the answer, even those held by responsible citizens with multiple certifications.

having winners and losers in sports and in school in no way teaches or develops bullies......... i'm sure you would rather give trophies to every kid and maybe every student "deserves" the same grades .... winning and losing happens in life each and every day whether it be in a job interview, asking a girl out on a date, or trying to get a promotion. teaching kids about winning and more importantly about losing is very very key.

maybe you teach children that different is bad .. but "we" don't

the death penalty is good for those that choose to murder there is nothing in the "bigger picture" that changes that

our staunch individualism is what has made this country great for over 200 years drive to be better and succeed collectivism could be and would be the end of our great way of life

my thoughts on your post ..... or as i said before garbage

[HewenttoJared]

Violent crime has been on a steady downward trend for more than a decade. If movies like this are having an upward effect on rates then it is negligible. We live in one of the safest times and places in the entire history of man. If you're going to advocate carrying guns as a solution to a few large shootings then how about we start advocating measures to stop the things that we are actually likely to face...

[kevinpate]

If he bailed in that manner, then later he had her attention long enough for her to listen to his proposal, he's probably not in line for very much in the hell to pay department. If I heard this tale correctly, they were rather new to the area. When the shooting began, he left her, and her off-spring, in the theater. He then proceeded to make tracks for himself, and only himself.

If she'd even hear him out after that little display of care and concern, for anything other than show me where you want to kick me and have at it, then it seems more than a tad likely she'd put up with dang near anything from such a fella. One thing for certain, he wouldn't want to cross paths with my lovely anytime soon. She is not a fan.

[PennyQuilts]

ok... i know i'm looking at the small issue while ignoring the big story... but who takes a 3-month old baby to a midnight movie premiere? -M

Even worse - the six year old. At least the baby might sleep.

[HewenttoJared]

Even worse - the six year old. At least the baby might sleep.

Agreed.