[ds968]

If we have any members who live in or near Aurora, just hoping that no relatives or friends were affected by this horrible tragedy. Deeply saddened for those killed and wounded and for their families, and frustrated to no end in the knowledge that things like these do happen, and our helplessness to ever prevent them. BTW, it is not my intention by this last statement to turn it into a gun control discussion, debating that issue is pointless , always divisive and there is no right answer.. similar to putting up a thread on religion, so the sole purpose of my post is to express my feelings on the incident itself and also hope we have no one that we know here personally impacted by the tragedy.

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[rhudeboye]

Agreed. Very disturbing! Also heard his home appears to be wired with a maze of trip wires.

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[Rap]

This is akin to the threat of Presidential assassination. If some one is determined enough to try that or like the tragedy today it is almost impossible to prevent. No law or ban can prevent it. Having vigilant neighbors reporting probably won't work either. Seems the price we must pay as a free society. Mind you I am not advocating this type of violence just commenting on how distressing it is and difficult it is as a society to deal with.

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[tamathumper]

Interestingly enough, there was a time when tragedies like this would cause an outcry to arm the populace to try to prevent a recurrence, and today, I believe the outcry will more likely be to disarm the populace to try to prevent a recurrence.

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[Cloud9...68]

[quote name='tamathumper' timestamp='1342836366' post='129666']

Interestingly enough, there was a time when tragedies like this would cause an outcry to arm the populace to try to prevent a recurrence, and today, I believe the outcry will more likely be to disarm the populace to try to prevent a recurrence.

[/quote]

Interesting observation. Either way, I agree with Rap that sadly, there probably wasn't anything that could have prevented this tragedy.

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[Monstrous4Banger]

I dont want to start a debate on gun control either, I just feel its important to point out that gun control will never stop a criminal from getting a gun for nefarious purposes. The guy was a PHD with chemical knowledge of explosives, who booby trapped his house. Pretty sure he could figure out how to score a heater on the black market. Although maybe not totally preventable, but if just one other "good guy" in that theatre was armed, and had skills it seems many lives could have been spared. People who want to use guns for bad, are not effected by gun control. Only the "good guys" are. This is just horribly tragic, and these types of things only seem to be more common as our society progresses. There is something very wrong in society when these things become common place. Man, so much evil abound..some times I just wish I could be in that situation with a weapon.....boils my blood. Gunning down innocent people...I wish I could say I am surprised....I really do. What is this world coming to? Americans against each other divided.....so depressing but so real. It makes me grateful we have forums like this where people are open, and civil. A glimmer of hope for humanity some times, which I tend to have little of. As corny as it sounds that something as simple as an internet forum can do that for me. Its true.



To the ever elusive communal harmony. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/beer.gif" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Rap]

A heater. Good lord where are you from like totally 1930's dude! Lol

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[Monstrous4Banger]

Ahaha, no people still call an unregistered gun that is bought on the black market, and intended for killing a "heater".I definitely wasnt around in the 30's, I just grew up as a street kid. I was homeless, and on my own at 15. You tend to see some things, and be exposed to things when that happens. Most of the people I knew are either in prison, or dead by now. Many street kids dont see their 30's. I dont know how I resisted some of the influences when I think back, but I did. Spirituality, and religion helped. The book "Be Here Now" really influenced my life when I was about 18. I think the best thing I ever did, was stay away from hard drugs. a friend from back then recently over dosed on his methadone a couple months ago. Almost a year ago now his Uncle murdered his mother, nephew, then himself in Las vegas. The pain was too much for him, and he gave in to the drugs. He was one of the last friends I had from that time period, and we stopped talking a few years before because he just wouldnt give up the drugs. Ive helped many people kick drugs, some just plain dont want to, and there is nothing you can do for those people. its an escpae for them. This is what I mean when I say these things become common. Until then I had only heard about things like that on the news.

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[Rap]

Somehow I figured you to be younger than 75! It never ceases to amaze me at the different stories we all have and our experiences growing up. Me I was a bit of a rube till I went away to the big city. Drugs can have lots of different effects and results on all sorts of people. I watch those from Yale to jail come in everyday and the common denominator is once someone starts they don't stop. Pretty simple observation. Lots of people explain this in a multitude of ways. Generally the simplist is the most correct and easiest to understand. Although this disease is not always so simple to accept!

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[Gotter]

[quote name='Cloud9...68' timestamp='1342836821' post='129667']

Interesting observation. Either way, I agree with Rap that sadly, there probably wasn't anything that could have prevented this tragedy.

[/quote]

Actually, two things could have. The guy bought a ticket, went into the movie, sat there for a minute, left through the fire exit and propped the door open for him to re-enter after he armed himself. If the fire alarm for the door was enabled and in working order, the place would have been evacuated from the alarm going off. OR, if someone noticed he propped the door open and then ( knowing it was the right thing to do) would have UNpropped the door, he couldn't have re-entered.



The other debate that came out of this tragedy was the admittance of small children into late-night and inappropriate films. I am 100% on board the "those 6-year and 3-month old kids shouldn't be in there. For no other reason than it is unhealthy for their ears to be exposed to those dB levels at that young of an age. Never mind the violence contained in the film.....

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[Cloud9...68]

You may be right about there being a possibility that this specific incident might have been avoided if the things you describe had transpired. I think the comment reflected the fact that somebody as hell-bent on inflicting such unspeakable mayhem as this creep was would most likely have found a way to pull off his scheme at some point.

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[Gotter]

Unfortunately, that's probably true....

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[Rap]

JC I disagree with you that had someone seen a door propped open they should and could have shut it. In today's " I don't want to get involved society" or " I'm just too fat and lazy to get off my ass to do anything while I'm eating my popcorn, cheesesteak and sucking down my 22 ounces refreshment" environment, this type of response is improbable. Should it be down, yes of course. It's similar to people walking or driving past someone who has been in a car accident because they don't want to get involved, believe they have an obligation to help others or just don't have the time!

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[Gotter]

Either way, I think it interesting that it's a non-conversation in the media that the fire alarm didn't go off when he exited through the emergency door.

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[Cloud9...68]

That is strange; are you sure he exited through the emergency door? The shooter was a highly intelligent individual (at least based on his academic record). It seems strange that after all the meticulous planning he did over so many months that he would have risked aborting the scheme through a dumb mistake like setting off an alarm on a door. Is it possible that he had disarmed it earlier?

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[ds968]

I do not believe theater emergency exits doors themselves have alarms .. not sure of that, I could be wrong, but there may just be a central alarm that goes off in the event of a fire, etc.. and the door is just an exit door solely with a back-up light guidance .. ??

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[Scott Collins]

Interesting comments. "Gun control", as we often call it, is such a double-edged sword. Any reasonable person would think, "I wish I had been there with a .45 handgun. I could have stopped that guy." It's not a thought that you just throw around like it's nothing to use deadly force. But that's what I'm thinking, along with the thoughts and prayers for the victims and families. It's impossible for me to fathom doing what was done to innocent human beings, particularly children. The blood absolutely boils at the thought.



But an earlier comment seems correct to me, that only the law abiding citizen will have trouble arming himself or herself. The crook or deranged psychopath would get it through the black market, not being able to legally obtain a weapon. I also don't want to walk into the local diner with my family and have half of the customers carrying a sidearm. That's what I mean by "double-edged sword". A dispute about a check or between two customers can go from words to really bad if firearms are involved because there are right on your hip, in a crowded establishment.



Point being that we try to strike a balance with allowing the legal ownership and proper use of firearms, while trying to keep them out of the hands of people like the aforementioned mass murderer. I would have to say thought, that this person might have been deterred from this crime if as I mentioned earlier, half of the customers in the theater were carrying firearms. Not much of an answer, which is what we want right now.



Again, thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.

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[cosimo]

I agree with Scott. I am a gun control advocate more so no guns at all. Especially those that are clearly meant for mass killings. Here in Virginia you can carry a conceled gun into a bar. What were they thinking. I afraid there is no way to stop this kind of rampage. I also think it's too late for taking away the guns as there are just too many on the streets. So I guess we need to arm everyone and come what may. Although there are certainly fewer murders in countries that have strict gun control. How do explian that?

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[Scott Collins]

Just like cars, there are too many users (drivers) who don't drive responsibly. Except for the military, who needs a 100 round drum magazine for an assault rifle? That's the kind of stuff that also needs to be handled like prescription drugs.

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[vliegwielolaf1234]

[quote name='cosimo' timestamp='1342981984' post='129738']

I agree with Scott. I am a gun control advocate more so no guns at all. Especially those that are clearly meant for mass killings. Here in Virginia you can carry a conceled gun into a bar. What were they thinking. I afraid there is no way to stop this kind of rampage. I also think it's too late for taking away the guns as there are just too many on the streets. So I guess we need to arm everyone and come what may. Although there are certainly fewer murders in countries that have strict gun control. How do explian that?

[/quote]



There you go.



And it's never to late , but it may take a long time .

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