Shooting at showing of 'Dark Knight Rises'

The problem is that no one would be able to predict such a danger exists. It's the same as if some other unstable guy pulls out a machete tomorrow at Publix and goes ape. Suddenly, everyone will wonder why we never thought of Publix as unsafe. Why can people buy machetes anyway?
I have to agree that there is no reason any joe blow off the street should be able to purchase an assault weapon. I also think it wouldn't hurt to ramp up security at a premiere. I mean, if Black Friday is any indicator, people sometimes lose it over the craziest and most unexpected things. People are unpredictable. Simple as that.

The problem when something like this happens is that with our 20/20 hindsight, there are oh-so-many ways we could have done a better job at saving people's lives and protecting them. It takes one incident to make you realize how very vulnerable you are....anywhere...anytime. But by that token, I could step away from this computer right now, trip on something and choke to death on the gum I'm chewing. Who could have guessed gum could be so dangerous? And it's so readily available.

I don't advocate the purchase of assault weapons by any means and I do think there is a major problem with it. NO DOUBT our healthcare is about as crappy as it can be. People have a way of slipping through the cracks and if you can't pay for something or if you insurance doesn't cover it-- Best of luck to ya! I see this every day with my sick father. He had a stroke a year and a half ago and just taking care of him and getting him the medicine he needs and the care he deserves is like pulling teeth. That man served in the military. He worked hard all of his life and for what? Well anyway, this is just a small aside.

The point is this....The only person to blame for the atrocities committed in Colorado is James Holmes. He made the choice and he committed the crime. There may come a time when we have to reevaluate these other things but lets not turn this into circus.

A single man planned this, executed this and will have to pay for this. Those who were injured or lost their lives in this senseless act should be remembered.

The movie theater is my favorite place on the planet. I'm heartbroken about recent events, but please don't let crazy people dictate your plans. I'll likely see "The Dark Knight Rises" twice. Life is unpredictable and no one knows what tomorrow will bring. Live and enjoy each day to the fullest!

Yes and no. It was his fault for killing all those people, but again he was able to stockpile a large amount of weaponry over the course of 2 months with no eyes rolled, no questions asked. He didn't summon them out of thin air, he didn't make them from scratch out of memory.. he BOUGHT them somewhere. Internet, legal and illegal dealers... somewhere that should have had records that crazy guy had more fire power than most dictatorships.

This happens with EVERY tragedy and every mass murder. Warning signs are ignored, we vow to never let this happen again, and we refuse to change anything to prevent it from happening again. Unless of course it involves dumbing down fiction, which always works.

As far as the fire arms bit. Every responsible gun owner or second amendment fan will always whine when someone else points out that someone who SHOULDN'T have had access to something dangerous has access to something dangerous. The NRA tosses a crap load of money at lobbyists and politicians any time they try to pass legislation that would actually prevent this kind of thing from always happening.

Here's the thing about that. It is within our rights to responsibly own them. They're bought for hunting, self defense, and sometimes as collectibles. NO ONE needs an assault rifle with armor piercing bullets the same that you don't need a formula one race car to drive in an area with a 35 MPH speed limit. It isn't about big scary government coming down to take your guns, it's about not letting big scary crazy person shoot up a school/movie theater/army recruitment camp/mall/college... all the same places where history repeats itself. Why wouldn't you want someone protecting your rights? That makes no sense.

But if you have to insist... think of it this way. Access to dangerous stuff is the difference between a murderous crazy wannabe super villain, and a punker flicking lit matches at kids at a school yard.

End of rant.

I've said this before, I don't understand people like this anymore or why they do these things. I hate the fact that violence this bad and people like that roam free. Of course, the biggest question is "Why?". Think about the other major shootings in the country, you think the same question.

All we can do is send prayers thier way and hope for the best.

Well, I'm not disagreeing with you entirely, Dr. T. I think that people can own certain guns for the purpose of hunting and even THOSE in the wrong hands would go terribly wrong. Still, that could be said for a car too. I could go nuts and just start running people over tomorrow.
Even so, I don't think they should have armor piercing anything available to just some guy off the street. Then again, this guy probably would have figured out a way to hurt people with or without these toys. That's the sad thing and the thing that makes me so angry.
This was so premeditated. He thought this through and planned it out and then just went out and wasted people left and right. What the heck gives anyone the right to just end someone's life like that? Because Headcase son of a blankity blank decides he's had enough of whatever is getting under his skin, he's just going to terminate another human being's existence and send these ripples of emotional pain throughout all these other innocent people's lives.
Way to make an impact. Well anyway, there's no sense in trying to figure out why people do things like this. It's something I, fortunately, do not understand or have ever felt.

There's no doubt he would have found something else to harm people with... but the argument is, homemade weaponry tends to be hit or miss. He could have made a home made bomb as well, but there's a chance it could have either been a dud, or so cumbersome that he winds up blowing himself up. If he did something in secret in his own home, no one could have stopped him.

BUT, when you buy something FROM someone, if it's suspicious there are always questions, witnesses, a paper trail or something that sticks up as a red flag. That's why you can't buy more than one container of Sudafed. It's suspicious that someone would buy several containers of cold medicine when they don't have a cold. More suspicious when it was realized that stuff is the key ingredient in meth. Crimes both large scale and minor can be stopped, even prevented by basic observations. Something SHOULD have tipped the police off that someone was stock piling weaponry (what responsible gun owner does that?). I'm sure he didn't go to the same places over and over... but to legally obtain those devices, don't they need to be registered? That clearly means he bought those illegally. And even if he did, he certainly had to pay for it. Unless he used cash, there was a paper trail. And if he used cash, it's suspicious he had that much cash at his disposal. Things aren't exactly cheap.

He'd have to fly pretty far under the radar to not leave a huge burning red flag in the middle of a Godzilla sized footprint that screamed "THIS GUY'S UP TO SOMETHING."

Him getting stuff isn't half as important as the clues that lead up to this that COULD have caught him before the attack, is what I'm saying.

You're right. That's where the whole gun control debate kicks in again. So it seems we are all in agreement that there has to be a better way to keep tabs on that sort of thing. I maintain that certain things just don't need to be made available to the public ontop of this as well.
This whole incident is a melting pot of 'should'ves' isn't it? Just like the next one will be....and the one after that and so on. 9.9; Ugh.

I think the most amusing part (forgive me, for I've had a rather bad day at work and I'm grouchy) of this debate is bandit's Red/Princess Gwen costume. I can just hear the protest now: But you don't NEED a sword and armor, Red! You can just pretend! You could put someone's eye out! ... And whoever made this stuff in the first place, given Fraggles haven't been to war for a looooooong time?

Hahahaha! Someone is going to get beach shoveled to death.

It's coming out that, while he was within his rights to buy up all those fire arms and ammo, the other stuff, gas canisters, the explosives in his home, and especially his body armor... not so much.

You know those Herman's Millitary Antiques/ Jeebs from Men in Black sleezeball type people that sell things they shouldn't, all under the table. That's clearly how he got his hands on those.

But yeah, we're going to have those couldashouldawoulda moments like EVERY tragedy we're EVER had, where everyone completely ignored huge blaring warning signs like cartoonish Inspector Gadget types, and evidence is completely bungled like Keystone cops... and in the end, EVERYTHING can be prevented.

Heck, WW2 could have been prevented if some stick up their backside art professor let a certain crazy mustached guy into art school. That's the ultimate case of preventable couldashouldawoulda.

Meanwhile, the media continues to plaster the guy's face all over the place and say his name 90 times a minute. Yeah, that's NOT what he was trying to do at all... get attention.

Yeah, the greatest gift we could give the people who WERE injured in this is to remember them and carry on without giving this guy all the showcasing he would like. In fact, if people just go about and watch this movie and live life saying "SCREW FEAR," then I think that will be the best retaliation. Treat people with kindness and respect. Still find a reason to share a laugh with someone. Turn your music up! Do something silly. Leave a little extra in the tip jar. Carry on! That's what to do.

I heard about it Red and it was...oh awful. Think about those slly creatures and this monster....kills them. That's terrible! Sure the Doozers and us silly creatures have justice of who's guilty and innocent, but someone reacting from a character that monster went crazy for...oh woe..I don't believe this. Why? Why do they do things that we never do. Where's the peace, harmony and friendship. Oh well, (sighs) so much for Perfect Harmony when interrupting it toi us (silly creatures).

Yeah, tell me about it. It's just another stunning display of inhumane cruelty and callousness. No hope for people who are wired that way. That's why we have to fight twice as hard with kindness, understanding, friendship, love, laughter, music and all of the things and people that make life worth living. Yeah, I know its hammy and cheezy to say something as Hallmark as this but it's the truth, isn't it?

"Be the change you wish to see."

Charge on! Go forth and live fully, and always stick your neck out for those in need. CONQUER fear, loathing, cruelty and evil with a little kindness. Spread it around ^_- liberally.

Pass it on!

And better health care. ; )

HAHAHAHA! RIGHT! And Gun control. All of that still applies. I guess we just have to smile while doing it.

Okay... the verdict of the trial that really doesn't need to take place (he turned himself in for one thing) is on, and the big crazy "Joker" wanna be murderer is crying.

You heard me. Legitimately sad and crying.

Gah. What a (word for cat/derogatory term for something else)! He's not even bat-crackers enough to smugly smile with no remorse for it. Why would he even do such a thing if he doesn't even enjoy the media storm around him? Not that it would make it better, but really... anyone feel bad for a mass murder nutcase? If he was going to feel that bad, WHY the freaking freak did he do that?

Jeez. What a LOSER! I hope he drops the soap in the shower... multiple times.

Well to be fair, the process of the law isn't just for him, it's for all of us. It may seem redundant in this case but if they're lax on one person we could all be in trouble.

Because he's likely not well in the head. It's bizarre the way people try to find reasons for these things. Very often the person is just insane. Real life isn't always like comic books where the bad guy wants to "take over the world." Sometimes he's just a pathetic person who can't control his own mind.

Of course I don't know this guy and everything is speculation. But I do think we need to be more aware of what can go wrong with people mentally.

I got plea bargaining confused with giving yourself up to police. D'oh!

It takes a special kind of mental atrophy to have absolutely no sympathy and have no remorse opening fire on a crowded movie theater, killing children, but then getting all "OH SNAP" teary eyed when he's in trouble. I was all expecting him to be laughing his butt off, saying "look what I have done! I exist and am important, and made people afraid to see a major film," flipping off the cameras. But to finally get an "Oh Snap" moment at the trial? The time for an Oh Snap moment was realizing how freaking disgusting his actions would have been and all the jail time or DEATH penalty that he was to face for doing it.

Every news item that pops up is ANOTHER face palm. They're saying that when he dropped out of school he tried to join a gun range, but the owner of said range rejected him for leaving disturbing messages on their phone system. I screamed "RED FLAG" at the top of my lungs when I heard that. Too bad said owner of shooting range didn't have the common sense or basic I.Q. of a piece of fruit to report those disturbing messages to the police. In a post 9-11 world, that shouldn't have gone ignored.

I don't know if you could classify him as insane. Disturbed, yes, but I don't think an insane person would have the wherewithall to systematically stock weapons, booby-trap his apartment to create a possible diversion
(and cause more collateral damage in the process), enter/exit an emergency exit in close proximity to his car, arm himself to the teeth, protect every square inch of his body, and spray the audience with bullets at the exact moment there's a shooting scene on the screen. He had to meticulously lay all this out to pull off a stunt like this. This could not have been some random act/snap.

It was hard to read his body language at times during his court appearance- is he insane or trying to get you to believe he is? If he was crying, and showed the slightest degree of remorse, I'm not sure if that would fit the profile of insanity. (Temporary, maybe, some lawyer might argue).

If he is found not to be insane, and does get sentenced to prison, he's going to be such a big target. Just like with Jeffrey Dahmer, somebody in prison will want to be famous for wasting him.

I'm sure a lot of people in this country would love to exact some kind of revenge on him. But no matter what his fate may be, it won't bring the twelve victims back, nor will it bring closure to the victims' families any faster.

(Rhetorical question time): so where do we go from here?

Fuzzygobo, I understand! That monster or a man filled with insanity or even anger has no right to kill innocent children, women, and men. If they want to enjoy a show, there are doing it for their pleasure. That monster...ugh! I lost all hope and I...don't know what to say about him anymore. It's too terrble! (cries)! Can someone hand a muffin or something? I can't hear anything this awful anymore (cries and put her tissue to her eyes). Why do I ask why? Why did that awful creature wanted to kill silly creatures...Fraggle fans....or who knows what they are. Still, war or seeking revenge is wrong. Oh well, the world does move me so, but if he is crazy, I would never go near him. Nope! Foy your information, listen before you speak, you vicous monster.