Aurora Movie Theater
On July 20, 2012, a man inside an Aurora, Colorado Cinemark theater propped an exit door open while he went out to his car to retrieve weapons and related equipment. He returned to the theater during the movie and began firing at the patrons. Twelve people died as a result.
There has been some speculation as to why this particular theater was chosen. Certainly, the fact that it was showing the new Batman film was a major factor, as the shooter had dyed his hair red in a poor attempt at a "Joker" imitation.
But there may be a little more to it than that. This theater wasn't the closest one to his apartment, and it wasn't the largest one in the vicinity showing the film. One would think that to someone bent on mass-murder, the potential death count would be a significant factor.
The theater did have one significant distinction, however. It was the only one with a sign posted at the theater's entrance prohibiting guns on the premises.
The shooter was certainly concerned about his own safety. He had spent $15,000* over a number of months to buy gear and ammunition, obtaining protective equipment that included a gas mask, throat guard, and a groin protector. Early reports suggested he was wearing a bullet-proof vest, but that later turned out to be merely a load-bearing vest (to easily carry ammunition). The equipment choices suggest he was more worried about hand-to-hand combat than firearms; couple that with the fact that he immediately surrendered to police (who had guns) upon their arrival.
A number of the men in the theater used their bodies to protect their loved ones from the bullets; some of them died from their wounds. Some of the casualties were active members of the military.
Questions:
If the military people had been carrying a weapon, would the outcome have been different?
Would having a gun handy to target the shooter be preferable to your only option being the use of your body as a disposable bullet shield?
*It's not clear at this writing how a 24-year-old unemployed student could afford to spend thousands of dollars for weaponry and armour, though it is speculated that he was receiving the standard $26,000 annual federal grant for Doctoral students.
