Century 16 Movie House, Aurora, Colorado

[W. Gray]

We are no strangers to the Century 16 movie theater in Aurora, CO, where 12 people were killed last night.

It is situated in the parking lot of the Aurora Mall.

We saw our last movie there.

For the life of me I do not understand why folks would take their small children to a midnight screening of a movie.

[larryJ]

While waiting for my CT scan this morning, I was watching all the news about this on the TV there.  Just terrible and I agree.......why were there young children there?  I understand this movie was rated PG-13!  Why would the theater even allow small children in?

If I were a policeman it would take every ounce of energy and intestinal fortitude not to shoot the guy on the spot when he is armed.

Sorry, this stuff makes me angry.

Larryj

[Warph]

Totally sick bastard to do something like this.  

Hope your CT turns out fine, Larry.
...Warph



Official: Shooting suspect was former med student
7-20-2012 AURORA, Colo. (AP)

A former medical student in a gas mask barged into a crowded Denver-area theater during a midnight showing of the Batman movie on Friday, hurled a gas canister and then opened fire, killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others in one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history.

When the gas began to spread, some moviegoers thought it was a stunt that was part of the "The Dark Knight Rises," one of the most highly anticipated films of the summer. They saw a silhouette of a person in the smoke near the screen, first pointing a gun at the crowd and then shooting.

"There were bullet (casings) just falling on my head. They were burning my forehead," Jennifer Seeger said, adding that the gunman, dressed like a SWAT team member, fired steadily except when he stopped to reload.

"Every few seconds it was just: Boom, boom, boom," she said. "He would reload and shoot and anyone who would try to leave would just get killed."

The suspect was taken into custody and identified by federal law enforcement officials as 24-year-old James Holmes. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Authorities did not release a motive. The FBI said there was no indication that the shooting is tied to any terrorist groups.

Holmes had an assault rifle, a shotgun and two pistols, a federal law enforcement official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation.

FBI agents and police used a hook and ladder fire truck to reach Holmes' apartment in suburban Denver, Aurora police Chief Dan Oates said. They put a camera at the end of 12-foot pole inside the apartment, and discovered that the unit was booby trapped. Authorities evacuated five buildings as they determine how to disarm flammable and explosive material.

Victims were being treated for chemical exposure apparently related to canisters thrown by the gunman. Some of those injured are children, including a 4-month-old baby who was released from the hospital.

Aurora police spokesman Frank Fania on ABC's "Good Morning America" said he didn't know yet if all the injuries were gunshot wounds. He said some might have been caused by other things such as shrapnel.

The movie opened across the world Friday with midnight showings in the U.S. The shooting prompted officials to cancel the Paris premiere, with workers pulling down the red carpet display at a theater on the famed Champs-Elysees Avenue.

President Barack Obama said he was saddened by the "horrific and tragic shooting," pledging that his administration was "committed to bringing whoever was responsible to justice, ensuring the safety of our people, and caring for those who have been wounded."

It was the worst mass shooting in Colorado since the Columbine High School massacre on April 20, 1999. Students Eric Harris, 18, and Dylan Klebold, 17, opened fire at the school in the Denver suburb of Littleton, about 15 miles west of Aurora, killing 12 classmates and a teacher and wounding 26 others before killing themselves.

Friday's attack began shortly after midnight at the multiplex theater at a mall in Aurora, the state's third-largest city.

The film has several scenes of public mayhem — a hallmark of superhero movies. In one scene, the main villain Bane leads an attack on the stock exchange and, in another, leads a shooting and bombing rampage on a packed football stadium.

It was the final installment of the "Dark Knight" trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, starring Christian Bale as Batman. The series has a darker tone than previous Batman incarnations. It is the follow-up to "The Dark Knight," which won Heath Ledger a posthumous Oscar for his searing portrayal of The Joker.

The gunman released a gas that smelled like pepper spray from a green canister with a tag on it, Seeger said.

"I thought it was showmanship. I didn't think it was real," she said.

Seeger said she was in the second row, about four feet from the gunman, when he pointed a gun at her face. At first, "I was just a deer in headlights. I didn't know what to do," she said. Then she ducked to the ground as the gunman shot people seated behind her.

She said she began crawling toward an exit when she saw a girl about 14 years old "lying lifeless on the stairs." She saw a man with a bullet wound in his back and tried to check his pulse, but "I had to go. I was going to get shot."

Witness Shayla Roeder said she saw a young teenage girl on the ground bleeding outside the theater. "She just had this horrible look in her eyes .... We made eye contact and I could tell she was not all right," Roeder said.

Police, ambulances and emergency crews swarmed on the scene after frantic calls started flooding the 911 switchboard, officials said. Officers came running in and telling people to leave the theater, Salina Jordan told the Denver Post. She said some police were carrying and dragging bodies.

Hayden Miller told KUSA-TV that he heard several shots. "Like little explosions going on and shortly after that we heard people screaming," he told the station. Hayden said at first he thought it was part of a louder movie next door. But then he saw "people hunched over leaving theater."

Officers later found the gunman near a car behind the theater. Oates said there was no evidence of any other attackers.

Holmes was a student at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver until last month, spokeswoman Jacque Montgomery said. She did not know when he started school or why he withdrew.

At least 24 people were being treated at Denver area hospitals.

"Warner Bros. and the filmmakers are deeply saddened to learn about this shocking incident. We extend our sincere sympathies to the families and loved ones of the victims at this tragic time," the studio said.

[patyrn]

Unbelievably horrific!!!!!!!!!

[Diane Amberg]

So incredibly horrible. I was worried about a secondary and sure enough he had booby trapped his apartment. GRRRRR. As far as little ones in the audience....think about it. How old was the parent? A 17 year old kid "parent" might not have any more sense.  Waldo, glad you and yours are alright, but I couldn't quite see you going to that opening.

[Bullwinkle]

      Perhaps the result of liberal educators ? Or just a nut job.

     Seems a bit fishy to happen this close to an election. Now the polititians and the media making hay with it, gun control, pulling campaign ads, doesn't smell right to me. Just sayin.
   
      Bad deal for the families.

[frawin]

If Obama gets reelected we will be in for a real battle to even own a firearm let alone carry it. I have my CC and I carry it as do my sons. If someone had been carrying in this Movie house maybe this idiot would not have killed as many innocent people.


Disinformation Continues as U.N. Arms Treaty Takes Shape

In New York this week, the U.N. Conference on the Arms Trade Treaty continued trying to draft a treaty to impose worldwide controls on small arms, including civilian-owned firearms.

The NRA has made clear its opposition to any treaty that includes civilian firearms, and continues to note that a majority of the United States Senate stands with American gun owners in opposition to such a treaty. We have led the effort to mobilize opposition to the treaty in Congress, and not only a bipartisan majority of the U.S. Senate, but also 130 House members, have voiced strong opposition to the treaty. Ignoring that reality, U.N. conferees are working to regulate not only civilian small arms, but also ammunition and firearm parts.

Anti-gun treaty proponents continue to mislead the public, claiming the treaty would have no impact on American gun owners. That's a bald-faced lie.

READ MORE >>


New Federal Report Shows Right-to-Carry Boom

A new report this week by the U.S. Government Accountability Office confirms that the number of Americans exercising the right to carry firearms for personal protection is skyrocketing.

GAO investigators gathered information from state authorities nationwide about the number of permits issued, eligibility requirements for those permits, and the extent to which states recognize permits issued by other states. The researchers also conducted a more in-depth review of nine selected states. While information on eligibility requirements and reciprocity is easily available online (for example, on NRA-ILA's "Gun Laws" page), some of the statistical information in the report is remarkable.

With hard numbers or estimates from all but three of the 49 states that have laws allowing for issuance of carry permits, the GAO reports that there were about 8 million active permits in the United States as of December 31, 2011. That's about a million more than previous estimates by scholars.

[jarhead]

Finally heard back from Cpl. Groves, my first squad leader in Nam. He lives 3 miles from the theater in Aurora. His grand-daughter had friends there but none of them were hurt--thankfully. I just can't fathom what goes on in a persons mind to walk into a theater and kill and wound so many innocent people. I do know what kind of punishment I would have for the deranged killer---and it includes det cord and blasting caps !! You need further explanation contact Warph---he can fill you in on the details.

[larryJ]

I totally agree, Jarhead, but there would have to be some heavy pain inflicted before the det cord and caps.  This guy gonna sit in some cell, getting his three squares a day while the lawyers and courts drag it out.  Or, the courts will rule he was not in his right mind and put him in an institution, which is most likely.  Someone should post pictures of those people he killed on the walls of his cell so he will be constantly reminded of them. 

ARRRRRGGGGHHH!

Larryj

[jarhead]

Larry,
Det cord around every other finger---and his genitals---then around his neck---by the time you get done with the first few he will have felt pain before the necklace is set off with a 5 minute fuse so he has time to think about his ill ways .
What is causing all of these murderous sprees, Doc ? I hear they blame it on violent movies and video games. I don't know. Hell we grew up watching the Three Stooges hit each other in the head with hammers and poke each other in the eyes and every Saturday night Matt and Paladin shot someone but that didn't make me want to go out and shoot a bunch of people.