How interesting! John Lott has done some investigating, something our mainstream media can’t be bothered with doing if a story deviates from their anti-gun template, and he found that the lunatic killer that killed those folks at the Batman movie premiere didn’t choose the closest theater complex to carry out his attack. He didn’t choose the second closest movie house.
In reality, it was the only movie complex within twenty minutes of his residence that banned lawfully carried firearms by private citizens. The “no guns” signs on the doors made right-to-carry license holders unwelcome. The murderer, however, didn’t care about a silly sign in the window, just as he wasn’t constrained by a civilized society’s proscription to murder and attempted murder.
And, as Mas Ayoob notes, “When you make potential rescuers unwelcome, do not blame those potential rescuers for not being there when the disaster happens, and the death toll mounts because what could have stopped the killing has been banned from your establishment.”
Here’s excerpts from John Lott’s piece as published at FoxNews:
…With 12 dead and 58 wounded, the July 20th shooting at the Cinemark Century 16 Theater in Aurora, Colorado was sure to result in a lawsuit. On Friday, the first suit was announced, claiming Cinemark has “primary responsibility.” The theater did have responsibility for the attack, but not for the reasons that the lawyers bringing the case think…
So why did the killer pick the Cinemark theater? You might think that it was the one closest to the killer’s apartment. Or, that it was the one with the largest audience.
Yet, neither explanation is right. Instead, out of all the movie theaters within 20 minutes of his apartment showing the new Batman movie that night, it was the only one where guns were banned. In Colorado, individuals with permits can carry concealed handgun in most malls, stores, movie theaters, and restaurants. But private businesses can determine whether permit holders can carry guns on their private property.
Most movie theaters allow permit holders carrying guns. But the Cinemark movie theater was the only one with a sign posted at the theater’s entrance.
A simple web search and some telephone calls reveal how easily one can find out how Cinemark compared to other movie theaters. According to mapquest.com and movies.com, there were seven movie theaters showing “The Dark Knight Rises” on July 20th within 20 minutes of the killer’s apartment at 1690 Paris St, Aurora, Colorado. At 4 miles and an 8-minute car ride, the Cinemark’s Century Theater wasn’t the closest. Another theater was only 1.2 miles (3 minutes) away.
There was also a theater just slightly further away, 10 minutes. It is the “home of Colorado’s largest auditorium,” according to their movie hotline greeting message. The potentially huge audience ought to have been attractive to someone trying to kill as many people as possible. Four other theaters were 18 minutes, two at 19 minutes, and 20 minutes away. But all of those theaters allowed permitted concealed handguns.
So why would a mass shooter pick a place that bans guns? The answer should be obvious, though it apparently is not clear to the media – disarming law-abiding citizens leaves them as sitting ducks…
For the life of me I don’t know why anyone would even go someplace and support them when they don’t support the Constitution of the U.S.
Once again Professer John Lott comes through for America. His research is totally valuable to the general public. His work is worth it’s weight in gold. What a man he is. Thank you professor Lott.