Theater Shooting Raises Questions About Gun Laws

Twelve people died and almost 60 were wounded. The 24-year-old shooting suspect is being held in solitary confinement, as the community searches for answers and ways to prevent such tragedies in the future.
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There is something eerily familiar about this story: the socially isolated gunman with possible mental illness, the misunderstood early warning signs and the innocent victims who were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

The shooting of 19 people at a Tucson-area supermarket in 2011, the murder of 32 individuals on the Virginia Tech campus in 2007 and the Columbine High School massacre in 1999 have prompted the questions: how do communities cope with public spectacle crimes, what role does mental illness play and what effect do such incidents have on gun laws and the upcoming election?

Mental illness and the community

	Soon after the shooting, there were reports of Holmes' hair being red and that he called himself "The Joker" when he was arrested. "The Joker" is one of Batman's enemies in the fictional Gotham and has brightly colored hair.

At his first court appearance, the gunman, James Holmes, seemed dazed and vacant, prompting speculation that serious mental illness played a role in this tragedy.

"He's not in this courtroom mentally," former FBI profiler Brad Garrett told World News. "He's elsewhere. He's in some alternative reality that he's created.”

Both the killers at Virginia Tech and in Tucson were found to have mental illness, opening up a debate about whether more funding for public mental health resources could prevent people from committing such violence. 

What to do about guns?

	Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, a Democrat, said the massacre has reignited a national conversation about gun control, including in his state which is considered to have relatively lax restrictions to obtain a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

Whenever a public, deadly, gun-related incident like the one in Aurora occurs, those in favor of increased gun regulation are quick to blame the killings on lax gun laws that allow potential killers to obtain weapons.

At the same time, those opposed to gun regulation argue that if more people were armed, an audience member may have been able to stop the killings early on.  The debate is complicated by millions of dollars spend by organizations such as the National Rifle Association to protect the Second Amendment to the Constitution that guarantees the right to bear arms.

In the days after the shooting, the Colorado Bureau of Investigations approved around 40 percent more background checks for firearm purchases than the same time the week before. This indicates that there are many who feel the need to take personal protection into their own hands. 

Politicians react to the tragedy

	Mr. Obama and his Republican opponent Mitt Romney temporarily pulled political advertisements from Colorado, an important swing state in the upcoming election.

When news of the July 20th shooting broke, both President Obama and his Republican challenger Mitt Romney suspended their presidential campaigns to respect the victims.

However, in a speech to the National Urban League on July 25th, the president said that “common sense” steps could help to prevent another tragedy.

“I believe the majority of gun owners agree we should do everything possible to prevent criminals and fugitives from purchasing weapons," said Obama. "That we should check out someone’s criminal record before they can check out at a gun store. That a mentally unbalanced individual should not be able to get his hands on a gun so easily.”

In an interview with NBC News, Romney criticized this approach by saying, “we can sometimes hope that just changing the law will make all bad things go away. It won't.” Instead, he said, “Changing the heart of the American people may well be what's essential, to improve the lots of the American people."

Heroes emerge

	The University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora treated 23 of the people injured in the mass shooting; 10 remain there, seven hurt critically.

President Obama visited the University of Colorado Hospital where he met with families of the victims and survivors.

"Some of the stories are remarkable,'' Mr. Obama said. "You see some young people who just 24 hours ago or 36 hours ago, it wasn't clear they would make it. Their eyes are open and they are talking. It reminds you that even in the darkest of days, life continues. People bounce back, and people are resilient."

Allie Young, 19, and her best friend Stephanie Davies, 21, were just feet away when the attacker opened tear gas canisters. Allie stood up and was shot in the neck.
Stephanie had the presence of mind to drop down next to her, apply pressure, and call 911, even as the attack was continuing and even as her friend told her to run and escape. After the SWAT teams arrived, the President said, she carried her friend across two parking lots to an ambulance.

"I don't know how many people at any age would have the presence of mind that Stephanie did or the courage that Allie showed," Mr. Obama said. "As heartbreaking as it is for the families, it is worth us spending most of our time reflecting on young Americans like Stephanie and Allie....Out of this darkness, a brighter day is going to come."