Thursday night's mass shooting at a multiplex movie theater in Aurora, Colorado, left 12 people dead and another 59 injured.
The gunman, James Holmes, 24, reportedly used a semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun and a pistol as he walked up and down the packed aisles, stopping to reload and picking off frightened patrons as they attempted to flee.
One of those inside the theater, Jennifer Seeger, told the Associated Press: "He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed."
Holmes was apparently prepared to kill many more, as police have reported the shooter was carrying 6,000 rounds of ammunition.
While every aspect on the alleged shooter's life will be analyzed by the mainstream press in the days to come, the MSM will undoubtedly overlook the fact that the Century 16 movie theater had a firm policy against firearms, even for those who have concealed weapons permits.
WorldNetDaily reports that the theater's parent company, Cinemark Holdings Inc. has a strict 'gun-free' policy at all of their 459 theaters across the U.S. and Latin America.
Given this, the similarities between this and the Virginia Tech massacre are striking and a bit maddening.
The shooting spree orchestrated on April 16, 2007, by Seung Hui Cho and the incredible carnage wrought by that one man, was a tragedy that did not have to occur. Regardless of his motive or grim determination, had one or two students or teachers been armed, his murderous attack in Tech's Norris Hall could have been stopped before 32 innocent lives were lost.
In 2006, a Va. Tech student was disciplined for carrying a gun on campus, even though he possessed a concealed weapons permit. Va. Tech officials were quick to point out that their school was a "gun-free zone." That assertion has not only proven to be naive but deadly as well.
In January 2006, House Bill 1572 was introduced in the Virginia General assembly. The legislation would have allowed students who possess a concealed weapons permit to carry their guns anywhere on campus. Most schools in Virginia have policies against students and faculty carrying guns on campus, Va. Tech is of course one of those schools. Unfortunately, the bill failed to pass through the Committee on Militia, Police, and Public Safety.
Va. Tech Vice President Larry Hincker gave the following statement shortly after the aforementioned measure died in committee: "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty, and visitors feel safe on our campus."
One wonders if Mr. Hincker has the courage to sit down with every family who lost a son or daughter that spring day and explain that statement?
As much as the liberals are interested in trying to understand the painful life that supposedly leads someone to commit mass murder, they are just as uninterested in trying to understand how a well-armed citizenry can make these mass shootings a thing of the past.
-In October 1997, Mississippi teenager Luke Woodham killed his mother and then drove to Pearl High School where he killed two students and wounded seven more. Assistant Principal Joel Myrick ran a quarter of a mile to his vehicle and returned with his .45 pistol. Myrick confronted the teen aged killer and detained him while waiting for police to arrive. Woodham was attempting to leave the high school and planned to drive to the local middle school and continue his killing. Myrick's actions undoubtedly saved the lives of many children that day.
-In January 2002, a Nigerian student named Peter Odighizuwa shot and killed three people at the Appalachian School of Law in rural Virginia. His shooting spree was ended when fellow students Todd Ross and Ted Bessen went to their cars and retrieved their own guns. The pair returned and ordered Odighizuwa to drop his weapon and held him until police arrived.
-In February 2007, at a Salt Lake City mall, an armed off-duty police officer shot and killed a young Muslim named Sulejman Talovic. The officer (Ken Hammond), prevented a massacre as Talovic was found with a backpack full of ammunition, a shotgun, and a pistol. Before Officer Hammond ended the shooting spree, Talovic murdered five people.
Currently, Utah and Oregon are the only states in the union which allow teachers and staff to carry weapons in their schools. It is no coincidence that there has never been a school shooting spree unleashed in either of those states.
In 1975, handgun ownership was banned in Washington D.C. Since that time, violent criminals have basically over-taken our nation's capital. From 1976-2005, an astounding 8,278 murders were committed in that city and guns were used in nearly all of them. The lawless state which has become our nation's capital is a great example of how armed thugs will always take advantage of an unarmed populous.
In 2008, the Supreme Court heard the case of the legitimacy of the D.C. handgun ban. A majority of the Justices saw the ban as having been in direct conflict with our Constitution and the ban was overturned. Chief Justice John Roberts let everyone in the courtroom know his opinion that the ban was unreasonable when he posed the question: "What is reasonable about a total ban on possession of handguns?"
What the anti-2nd Amendment activists deem a 'gun-free zone,' is actually seen by violent criminals as a 'free-fire zone.'
The fact of the matter is that criminals are emboldened by gun control laws.
The old adage always holds true..."laws are only for the law-abiding."
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