12 killed in Colorado shooting at Dark Knight Rises premiere - Part 1

[Cobblepot]

but to use this incident, and others like it, to outlaw guns and piss on the rights of responsible gun owners everywhere is irrational and irresponsible.

Why would any civillian have the need for "rights" to carry a machine gun?

There's is a speed limit in the US right? It's there for a reason.
There's laws against drug abuse right? It's there for a reason.
There's laws against drinking for minors right? It's there for a reason.

The only reason there's nog guncontrol in some states is for the financial gain of companies.

 

[The Strategos]

You know, somehow I think people always link comic-book-geeks with murderous wackos so in a way I don't think it'll hurt Batman too much.
As to the guns, it's a ridiculous hangover from when you were trying to get us to leave you alone and every citizen needed a gun so that they could be called up to fight. I mean, who in there right mind needs an automatic weapon for any other reason than killing people?

 

[Spuzz]

Regarding Holmes' answering machine message, that gun range owner was quoted as saying:

“In hindsight, looking back -- and if I’d seen the movies -- maybe I’d say it was like the Joker --
I would have gotten the Joker out of it,” he said.

That is one of the funniest things I have ever heard. It's similar to saying:

"I've never seen an elephant, but If I had, I would definitely say that thing over there looks like an elephant."

 

[Godzilla2000]

This story has me quite disturbed how easily killing tools are to come by and that the people who sell this equipment can live and justify with themselves the lie that no one would abuse the usage of guns in this country:

Colo. shooting suspect used Internet for arsenal
http://news.yahoo.com/colo-shooting-suspect-used-internet-arsenal-081816335.html

Unless you are in the military or the police and are required to carry a weapon on you at all times, I do not trust any civilian that has a passing fancy for guns in real life. My dad was a rifle enthusiast, he was also an avid hunter and he never ever dragged out his guns unless he was going to go hunting for game. He would always keep them locked away in his gun cabinet and let no one touch them at all. People who are blase about carrying around dangerous projectile based weapons really scare me.

My main issue with people that own guns that are not meant for game hunting, like anything automatic or semiautomatic is how apathetic they are to the senselessness of owning these types of weapons. I am 100% against anyone owning anything but your typical hunting rifle because other than the testosterone driven macho bragging of owning certain unnecessary guns what can you use them for? Sure, you can say that you can blow away someone with a hunting rifle just as much as you can with a semiautomatic, but just think, what types of guns are legal to use for hunting game? If it's not legal to use to hunt the four legged creatures like deer and rabbits then civilians should not be owning them at all.

 

[natey2k4]

I keep checking this thread regularly. Almost like my head telling me it's not real and that I hope to open this thread - with no deaths and no victims. I know there is nothing I could do, but everytime I see this, I wish I could have helped.

It's things like this that really drive me to become a police officer - all the police officers on scene made a difference of something that could have been much worse.

 

[natey2k4]

Goddammit... I don't care how crazy he claims to be, once again, I have to protest that this had nothing to do with Batman! At most, I think the shooter had the idea as an addition to his insanity plea, but seriously, if someone did this in TASM, and they found Spidey comics in their apartment, does that make it their influence?

Weren't there reports that the shooter the police he was The Joker?

 

[Spider-Man Luvr28]

The largest mass shooting in U.S. history might have been much worse, had the alleged assailant's gun not jammed, according to reports.

James Holmes was due to make his first court appearance Monday since allegedly killing 12 people and wounding dozens, nine critically, during a midnight screening on the opening night of "The Dark Knight Rises" Friday in the Denver suburb of Aurora, Colo.

Holmes is accused of entering the theatre with three guns, including a semi-automatic assault rifle with an extended magazine.

When that gun jammed, he was forced to use a pistol, potentially saving lives, the reports say.

There are also now indications Holmes may have gotten away that morning, if not for observant SWAT officers who noticed something off about his tactical gear.

"There was one particular piece of equipment that he had on him that was out of place, and I am so proud of my officers that they spotted that right away and challenged him," Aurora Police Chief Dan Oates said on the CBS News broadcast "Face the Nation" Sunday.

That piece of equipment was a non-regulation gas mask. Holmes was arrested at the scene.

Oates said there's no mistaking his intent.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57477596/colorado-massacre-could-have-been-worse-reports/

 

[Godzilla2000]

So if I'm gathering this correctly the only real motivation the shooter had was that he thought he was the Joker and that he wanted to add a little anarchy in people's lives?

 

[terry78]

After seeing the movie, I'm wondering exactly what scene he came in and decided to start shooting. It would bug me if he actually decided to choose a certain moment in the film so people would not be as aware.

 

[Godzilla2000]

A lot of the witnesses were saying that initially they thought it was just part of the show until everyone started panicking. I'm guessing if he chose a particular time to enter the theater it would have been during a scene with lots of action in it judging by people's delayed reaction to his gunfire.

 

[marvelman2006]

My problem is the media in all of this, they have run this story into the ground and then some. Within the first day into saturday morning we pretty much knew why and how he did it. Now they have stretched the story so far there actually interviewing people who sold him crap in convience stores or people who walked by him in the nieghborhood. Theres not much more to report on him til his trial Im afraid but you know CNN, foxnews, NBC will bang us over the head with this tragedy til it becomes a national day of remembrance. Maybe just let it go or die down until he is actually on trial to give the families time to grieve.

 

[danoyse]

After seeing the movie, I'm wondering exactly what scene he came in and decided to start shooting. It would bug me if he actually decided to choose a certain moment in the film so people would not be as aware.

A news special on CBS did a timeline thing the other night and actually showed a few minutes of the movie from some theater screening at around the time it happened. One of those "At 12:39, the audience watching this scene..."

It was the scene where Bruce was looking up Catwoman's file in the Batcave and he was speaking to Alfred.

Not sure how accurate that is, since they have just took a shot of the scene that was 40 minutes into the movie itself, and not 40 minutes after the showing started...the trailers would have messed around with what scene it was actually on.

 

[Leenie]

So if I'm gathering this correctly the only real motivation the shooter had was that he thought he was the Joker and that he wanted to add a little anarchy in people's lives?

You know what? If that's what the media is implying and jumping towards, then they should just flat-out call this monster a terrorist.

If he wanted to introduce anarchy, that's violence with the intent to send a political message, no? Is that not terrorism?

 

[Godzilla2000]

This article is pretty touching:

Vigil for Colo. victims draws Columbine survivor
http://news.yahoo.com/vigil-colo-victims-draws-columbine-survivor-092048085.html

 

[Godzilla2000]

You know what? If that's what the media is implying and jumping towards, then they should just flat-out call this monster a terrorist.

If he wanted to introduce anarchy, that's violence with the intent to send a political message, no? Is that not terrorism?

I'm just surmising that that's maybe what the shooter was thinking based upon what I've seen in the media. I remember how shocked everyone was when it was revealed that Americans had been behind the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Homegrown terrorism was unheard of at that time, with the media initially blaming Middle Eastern terrorists for that despicable act of violence. I think I had explained this earlier in this thread in that maybe this guy is just a small cog in a larger homegrown terrorist threat. I think all these militia groups you hear about, these "survivalists" need to be monitored constantly to prevent anymore harm to honest, hard working American citizens regardless of gender and ethnicity. Even a group like Scientology which claims to have its own Navy and trains people to be soldiers, should be considered terrorist threats and a threat to national security.

 

[Kelly]

I'm just surmising that that's maybe what the shooter was thinking based upon what I've seen in the media. I remember how shocked everyone was when it was revealed that Americans had been behind the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. Homegrown terrorism was unheard of at that time, with the media initially blaming Middle Eastern terrorists for that despicable act of violence. I think I had explained this earlier in this thread in that maybe this guy is just a small cog in a larger homegrown terrorist threat. I think all these militia groups you hear about, these "survivalists" need to be monitored constantly to prevent anymore harm to honest, hard working American citizens regardless of gender and ethnicity. Even a group like Scientology which claims to have its own Navy and trains people to be soldiers, should be considered terrorist threats and a threat to national security.

What have you seen that would make you think he is part of a larger group?

 

[Kelly]

My problem is the media in all of this, they have run this story into the ground and then some. Within the first day into saturday morning we pretty much knew why and how he did it. Now they have stretched the story so far there actually interviewing people who sold him crap in convience stores or people who walked by him in the nieghborhood. Theres not much more to report on him til his trial Im afraid but you know CNN, foxnews, NBC will bang us over the head with this tragedy til it becomes a national day of remembrance. Maybe just let it go or die down until he is actually on trial to give the families time to grieve.

I'm not saying that we need to know all of the specifics of this case, I certainly would rather not......but as far as the stores he went too, etc....that is a huge part of the police investigation, and very important to putting the whole story together. Doesn't really matter how small it may seem to us, it is a very important element to the police....but again, not exactly something I need to know about...

 

[Kelly]

So people are trying to pin this on Batman now?

As in "blame it on the movie"? I haven't seen that....you will have those that will always go right to blaming violence in movies, video games, music....etc. But, for the most part, people seem to realize that this guy does not know exactly what is reality and what isn't...and it really could have been any movie....just happened to be this one that he seems to have latched on to.

 

[mrvlknight21]

Why would any civillian have the need for "rights" to carry a machine gun?

There's is a speed limit in the US right? It's there for a reason.
There's laws against drug abuse right? It's there for a reason.
There's laws against drinking for minors right? It's there for a reason.

The only reason there's nog guncontrol in some states is for the financial gain of companies.

First off, what are you describing as a "machine gun?" The AR-15? Most people call fully automatic weapons "machine guns." Its my understanding that this was a basic semi-auto Ar15.

Guns have uses and obviously self protection is one of those uses. There are laws against certain things related to guns and other things that require certain licenses and such. Those laws/licenses are there for a reason. Guns are perfectly safe until you put them in the hands of a lunatic or someone who desires to commit crimes with them (or someone who is simply ignorant and irresponsible).

After seeing the movie, I'm wondering exactly what scene he came in and decided to start shooting. It would bug me if he actually decided to choose a certain moment in the film so people would not be as aware.

Well, how would he know ahead of time? I mean, this was the midnight premiere, right?
Just wondering this aloud. I mean, I am sure there are ways (pirate video, if it premiered in Europe first and he got a copy, whatever).
It just doesnt seem likely to me.

 

[Godzilla2000]

What have you seen that would make you think he is part of a larger group?

Well, I don't think that the shooter himself is part of a larger group, but the website he got his supplies from, which is completely visible online, usually caters to these militia groups and "survivalists" that like to stockpile dangerous weapons in the belief that this is the End Times. I think the FBI really needs to start cracking down on and start tracking people with known connections to these sorts of groups if they haven't already. Guys like Timothy McVeigh, one of the Murrah Building perpetrators was a man that was into this sort of a thing and very unhappy with the government. Many of these militia groups share the same type of hatred for the Obama administration, which has the potential to erupt into another terrorist level act that McVeigh and Nichols plotted out as a message to the government for Waco and Ruby Ridge. Considering that the topic matter in The Dark Knight Rises has very strong politically driven themes I wouldn't be surprised if the shooter was in contact with men in militias and was lead to where he could gather himself a fine cache of ammo and weapons. Like I said, anything not legally used for game hunting should not be owned by anyone who does not need it. If you aren't a cop or an in service soldier you don't need anything but a hunting rifle.

 

[Kelly]

First off, what are you describing as a "machine gun?" The AR-15? Most people call fully automatic weapons "machine guns." Its my understsnding that this was a basic semi-auto Ar15.

Guns have uses and obviously self protection is one of those uses. There are laws against certain things related to guns and other things that require certain licenses and such. Those laws/licenses are there for a reason. Guns are perfectly safe until you put them in the hands of a lunatic or someone who desires to commit crimes with them (or someone who is simply ignorant and irresponsible).

You do not need an AR15 for protection, that is ridiculous....those weapons were built for one reason, and one reason only....for military to kill.

 

[mrvlknight21]

You do not need an AR15 for protection, that is ridiculous....those weapons were built for one reason, and one reason only....for military to kill.

Many people hunt with AR15s. Others like to plink and shoot recreationally with them. Still others take part in fun competitive shooting events and competitions.
Again, there are many uses for many firearms.

 

[marvelman2006]

I'm not saying that we need to know all of the specifics of this case, I certainly would rather not......but as far as the stores he went too, etc....that is a huge part of the police investigation, and very important to putting the whole story together. Doesn't really matter how small it may seem to us, it is a very important element to the police....but again, not exactly something I need to know about...

Exactly my point, I heard on the radio on CNN on sunday when I was driving to watch the TDKR and they were interviewing someone who walked by him on a regualr basis, just walking by him with no interactions ever. Im thinking why is that on tv and like you said, its just for police. The main points of this case have been hit on already by the media and now there out of talking points so there gonna run with this newly released video of him from years ago and have on doctors trying to explain his body movements from when he was 18 for crying out loud. It all just screams "were out of info on tv ". But its the media Im talkiing about here, dragging meaningless nonsense onto tv is what they do best.

 

[Kelly]

Many people hunt with AR15s. Others like to plink and shoot recreationally with them. Still others take part in fun competitive shooting events and competitions.
Again, there are many uses for many firearms.

What do they hunt, and what is left of what they hunt? I come from a family of hunters, and NONE of them would even think of using an AR15 or anything like it...that's stupid.

 

[Sundancer]

As in "blame it on the movie"? I haven't seen that....you will have those that will always go right to blaming violence in movies, video games, music....etc. But, for the most part, people seem to realize that this guy does not know exactly what is reality and what isn't...and it really could have been any movie....just happened to be this one that he seems to have latched on to.

You beat me to it. I was going to say "Wait!" Let's see what CD's he has and games he's been playing!"