My son is 13. He and a friend went to the movies the other afternoon, at the San Francisco Metreon. I was at work; I wasn’t a bit worried. They’re good kids, city kids, they travel around on Muni and BART, hang out with their friends after school … and what’s safer than a movie theater?
It’s apparently random, and the guy who killed at least 12 people in Colorado is probably crazy, and you can’t decide to keep your kids locked up in a bulletproof room all day just because a nutcase 2,000 miles away went crazy at a Batman show. People get killed riding bikes, too, and Michael rides everywhere.
But I’m not the only one who thinks that this massacre could have been prevented — or at least, the severity of it could have been prevented — if it wasn’t so easy to get high-powered assault-style weapons in this country. Here’s a press release from state Sen. Leland Yee:
My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this horrific tragedy and their families. These events are shocking to all of us and sadly remind us of the carnage that is possible when assault weapons get into the wrong hands. It is imperative that we take every step possible to eliminate the types of senseless killings witnessed in Aurora, Colorado. We must limit access to weapons that can carry massive rounds of bullets or that can be easily reloaded. SB 249 is a step in that direction and should be approved by the Legislature as soon as possible.
Here’s US Senator Dianne Feinstein (who knows a thing or two about gun violence):
Today is a time for grieving but my hope is the country will also reflect on the roots of gun violence that has again visited terror on an American community, claiming the lives of more innocents.
Here’s LA Times columnist Paul Whitefield:
We don’t need to disarm Americans. But neither do we need to arm Americans with assault rifles. We can respect the 2nd Amendment — and respect the right of young people to go to a theater without having to survive a fusillade normally reserved for the battlefield.
And here’s me:
Nobody needs a AK 47. Nobody needs to be able to carry around a weapon that has the kind of firepower that it takes to create this level of terror and carnage. And for those people who want to argue that an armed populace would prevent this kind of thing, imagine if half a dozen pistol-packing civilians started firing through smoke grenades at a guy wearing body armor in a crowded theater. You want the body count any higher?
This, my friend and trolls and gun lovers, is just insane.
UPDATE: Damn, those federal regulations make it hard for an honest citizen to buy a gun.
I have a Gander Mountain gift card in my wallet. Seriously. Wonder what I should do with it.