When James Holmes walked into the packed movie house in Aurora during the mid-night running of the Dark Knight Rises, he shot over 70 people, killing 12 and seriously injuring 59. Was the act that was triggered by unknown reasons made possible because of his ability to access weapons? Could the incident have been prevented if one of those present had a gun of their own?
The Dark Knight Massacre has inevitable sparked the debate of gun-control. Oddly, the debate was in the forefront of public discourse in the 1990s due to another Colorado shooting, the incident being the Columbine School shooting which took place in 1999.
Friday's shooting once again raises the tension between the constitutional right to own arms and the danger in easy accessibility to weapons. In this particular case, the alleged shooter possessed semi-automatic assault rifles, two Glock handguns, and a Remington gauge shotgun, in addition to 6000 rounds of ammunition acquired through the internet. The weapons were supposedly acquired through local gun stores. The State of Colorado is one of the states in the country that has lax-gun regulations.
The ease with which Holmes was able to procure the weapons is a valid argument for those that favor of stricter gun-control regulations.
On the matter, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg tells CNN News, "I can tell you that I don't think there's any other developed country in the world that has remotely the problem we have."
The National Rifle Association and other anti-gun regulation supporters reiterate that the possession of guns for self-protection is right granted to every American by the constitution. Arizona Senator Republican John McCain told Raw Story, "So, I think the strongest Second Amendment rights people would be glad to have an conversation, but the conclusion that this was somehow caused by the fact that we don't have more gun control legislation, I don't think has been proved."
According to a Reuters report, among the 875 million licit firearms in the world, American civilians possess 270 million, making the country the most heavily armed society in the world.
The need for stricter gun-control laws in order to prevent violence is a debate that has tugged at the nation since the beginning of its history; the Dark Knight massacre has rekindled the debate with invigorated strength. The debate can be expected to persist for the next few weeks, but with unlikely results that would greatly alter the existing regulations, since it is backed by constitutional support and a very influential NRA.
As Jonanthan Mann of CNN would said, "America stands alone in its historic and cultural attachment to guns. America stands armed."
