At least 12 dead and dozens injured, several seriously.
One gunman and one crowded theater.
The specter of copycats.
Bay Area residents turned on the T.V. news Friday morning to see live shots coming from Aurora, Colo., where James Holmes, an suspected gunman reportedly wearing a gas mask and a bulletproof vest, opened fire during a midnight showing of Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, a movie expected to gross $200 million this weekend.
At a noon news briefing, Aurora Police Chief Daniel Oates confirmed that a total of 71 people had been shot by the gunman at the packed screening. President Obama, speaking at a rally in Fort Myers, Fla., said that the tragedy hit close to home for many Americans.
“My daughters go to the movies — what if Malia and Sasha had been at the theater?” said Obama.
The Aurora shooting has changed the mood of the country. Martinez Patch published an early review of the Batman movie, and, in light of the Aurora tragedy, a commenter suggested we take "KABOOM" out of the blog's title. We certainly did.
Soft targets
Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks of 2001, Americans have been on various levels of alert. Anyone with an ounce of cynicism has recognized that theaters, malls and school events — so-called soft targets because they are gathering locations with little security — are ripe for domestic terror or deranged madmen.
The Friday morning massacre at the Century 16 in Aurora took place 19 miles from Columbine High, where two teenagers killed 12 and injured dozens before killing themselves in April 1999.
All such events — not just the local ones — remind us of how vulnerable we are. But should they change the way we live? And, if so, how?
Should metal detectors become as standard as popcorn machines at movie theaters? Should there be armed security? Should there be no more dress-up at the theater, which apparently allowed the Aurora gunman to enter with a handgun, a rifle, a gas canister and a gas mask?
What do you think should change in light of the Aurora tragedy? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
After Columbine we reacted in fear and I believe over reacted in a way that increased copycat crimes. Please don't put up metal detectors at movie theaters and everywhere. They will still find a way if they want to create more pain and fear. Then they win. Thoughts to the families of this horrible crime.
I dare say that had Malia and Sasha been at the movies that night, the outcome would have been much different, because there would have been more than one person armed. I wonder how many people would have been shot had Malia and Sasha's Secret Service detail been seated with them. Many fewer than 71, I would wager. When the shock of the tragedy wears off, it is time to consider the realities of life and society. For the past several years we have grappled with the balancing act between freedom and security, with government seeking to respond to calls for greater safety and security, at the predictable cost of liberty...the Patriot Act being the centerpiece. There are three types of people. Wolves, sheep and sheepdogs. Murderers like this shooter are the wolves. The rest of us are either the sheep or the sheepdogs. Many would like to restrict sheepdog status to those upon whom it is bestowed by government, but that leaves a severe shortage of sheepdogs. Sheepdogs are born, not authorized. We can't all get Secret Service protection. Who would want to live in a society where we could?
LTC(Ret.) Dave Grossman, RANGER, Ph.D. http://www.gleamingedge.com/mirrors/onsheepwolvesandsheepdogs.html I love this allegory but, I am disturbed by the items this civilian was able to purchase, lawfully, without a red flag being raised. Shin guards, throat guards, riot helmet, smoke grenades and gas mask to go along with his bullet proof vest and the hundreds of rounds of ammunition. We can Monday morning quarterback this ad nausea, which is what the Onion sought to point out in yesterday's post. By all initial accounts this heinous act was perpetrated by a brilliant mind bent on inflicting massive loss of life and causalities. While I firmly believe in the right to bear arms, that right should not extend, in my opinion, to semi-automatic weapons. Nor should a civilian be capable of purchasing the types of items typically available to true sheepdogs. I disagree with the idea that an armed theater goer could have affected a different outcome, as in less loss of life and casualties, not in this scenario.
What happened in Colorado is clearly unimaginable but let us face the facts that there are crazy lunatics out there. Ask The Brady Campaign about this as they track these weapons. There ARE things we can do. We can demand that law enforcers are the only ones allowed to have these. Sorry, to vent but I'm sick of the dang policies and politics and the brush off from both the candidate and the president.
Many have theorized about the effect of trained, armed citizens in such situations. They imagine scenarios that don’t materialize where concealed weapons permits are the norm. The record is clear. Armed, trained citizens prevent and deter gun violence. The Wild West shootouts imagined by detractors are fantasy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BJgL2yXAJY As with Oikos and Aurora, it seems that these “deranged” shooters fear death. This is why armed criminals often think twice when armed resistance is factored in. They prefer cringing, defenseless victims, which our wise rulers in the California legislature have provided for them. Did the Aurora shooter consider the “No Concealed Carry Allowed” sign in front of the theater when choosing his “soft target?” We may never know.
I am a disabled combat veteran and I do know my way around guns, bombs, things that go bang as well as shooting people - and more importantly WHEN NOT to use such weapons or pull the trigger. The Brady bunch... named for the National Vegetable - what a bunch of malcontent pantywaist babblers of bull(beep)! We as a nation are STRONG as long as our citizens have the right to keep and bearing arms. Those countries who DON'T allow this ... their people are SUBJECTS - not citizens! Learn the difference. When only police have guns - it's a police state... which reminds me - did you read the story the other day about some cops busting in the door or a suspected drug dealer in the wee hours of the morning - the occupant, hearing the door being smashed in, attempted to defend himself and the cop shot him dead.......OOPS! WRONG ADDRESS. WRONG GUY... sorry! Yeah right! Is it the Police who we really want to trust ALL our freedoms? At which time they become nothing more government operatives... NO THANKS! Let's keep things as they are. Where police are there to enforce the laws of the land with the help of it's citizenry.
It was Thomas Jefferson who said, "An armed society is a polite society". Well said!
The three cities in the United States with the tightest restrictions on gun ownership by ordinary citizens are: you guessed it...