Shooting at Dark Knight Rises premiere in Colorado

Oh dear, here we go again. Apparently some nutter with body armour and tear gas went trigger happy at a movie theater in Denver: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/mass-shooting-at-batman-premiere-in-colorado/story-fnd134gw-1226431167005

Edit: Removed my sarcastic remark about blame, as people seem to read that blame was actually put forth. This has not been the case as far as I know.

You jest about Muslims, but I read somewhere (an unreliable source, so do not take this as fact in any way possible) that a witness said to a news team (I believe Channel 9 News) that the attacker was carrying an Iranian flag. Obviously, if he was, that means it's less about religion and more about America's relationship with Iran. Even with that in mind, horrible people will still probably blame it on Muslims and be shitty towards them. Edit: Also, could have just as easily been doing that to throw people off or whatever.

And again, I read this on a certain anonymous message board from a person who said a witness speaking to the camera said it. This could very well be a lie for all I know.

http://www.rt.com/news/shooting-dark-knight-rises-batman-denver-aurora-654/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176377/The-Dark-Knight-Rises-screening-shooting-Gunman-gas-mask-shoots-dead-10-people--including-children--midnight-screening-Batman-premiere-Denver.html?ITO=1490

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/905746-14-people-killed-after-the-dark-knight-rises-shooting-in-denver

More sources for those interested in reading about it.

No matter if he was a fan of videogames, muslim or whatever since he's just a nutter and should be locked up or put down like a mad dog.

This is just fucking disgusting. I just...I can't even...

You know, what the fuck is SO HARD about the idea of peace, love, and brotherhood that people just cannot seem to fucking comprehend? WHAT PART OF IT IS SO FUCKING HARD?

Probably neither of those is my bet.  
The "OMG! It's because of video games" bullshit doesn't actually happen that often, people on here just don't write about the countless other shootings going on out there

@Vodun said:

Oh dear, here we go again. Apparently some nutter with body armour and tear gas went trigger happy at a movie theater in Denver: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/world/mass-shooting-at-batman-premiere-in-colorado/story-fnd134gw-1226431167005

So, what do you think will be blamed first this time? Muslims or computer games? It's 50/50 these days.

You know what won't be blamed? Gun laws.

@jakob187: I'm with you. I'm guessing the guy had mental health issues but that's just a guess. What sort of sane person could do that?

@mrfizzy: He shot a baby? He actually looked and saw a baby and decided to shoot it at point blank range? FUCK, THIS, GUY.

How about a Muslim Gamer?

The only blame here should be "The Right to Bear Arms". Quite possibly the stupidest thing about America. America is one of the few first world countries where owning a gun and having experience with a gun is relatively common. I'm 25 years old and have never even seen a real, in use gun in my entire life. Let alone touched one. I'm from the UK. The only gun crime we have regularly is caused by Teenagers think they live in American suburbs in Gangs. They think Gangs are cool. Because American television and Hollywood is 50/50 on it. They show the bad side sure but they also exploit it as something cool. America is politically still fucked up and for everything amazing they do, politically they have sooo much to learn. They even have a man on national News who epitomizes Americas dumbfuck politics on a Daily basis in Bill O'Rielly. Shame that 0.01% of the nation have to give the rest such a bad rep. But they do and until things change they will continue to do so.

I heard about this as soon as the movie ended. This is horrible.

He most likely was mentally disturbed, some reports say that he was dressed up as Bane from the movie too.

Unfortunately the one thing that should seriously be looked at - the gun laws in the US - most likely won't be looked at, or changed for that matter.

This is just fucking disgusting. I just...I can't even...

You know, what the fuck is SO HARD about the idea of peace, love, and brotherhood that people just cannot seem to fucking comprehend? WHAT PART OF IT IS SO FUCKING HARD?

I saw it on the news today. He must have a mental illness.

@jakob187 said:

This is just fucking disgusting. I just...I can't even...

You know, what the fuck is SO HARD about the idea of peace, love, and brotherhood that people just cannot seem to fucking comprehend? WHAT PART OF IT IS SO FUCKING HARD?

Because the real world is full of war, hate and enmity. It produces fucked-up individuals. It's one of those self-sustaining systems. If this shit gets political (Iranian flag), I expect the victimised citizens of the USA will be even more eager to wage violence abroad as payback. And make more fucked-up individuals in Iran. Because of how they damaged us.

So in answer to your question: Because turning the other cheek is contrary to basic human nature. And it's those who are ruled by their baser instincts that pull shit like this.

EDIT: Oh wait maybe he's just crazy

Mentally disturbed he sure is in one way or another. Question is, was he just a nutjob who decides to kill people because he felt like it (It rarely occurs) or like one of the poster say, was it an attack with political purposes? Either way there's a shitstorm coming. And it's fucking terrible. Fuck this society sometimes, seriously.

I've been watching the news because this happened near me, and no one has said anything about an iranian flag... so I think it's safe to cool your jets on the muslim stuff.

Livestream: http://www.9news.com/video/9newsonline.aspx

oh for fucks sake.

He most likely picked the movie because the theater would be full. Either that or the gas cannisters and mask really meant he had a Bane-complex. Anyway, never ever let these idiots and fanatics frighten you out of your daily activities. Don't let them win.

@CatsAkimbo said:

I've been watching the news because this happened near me, and no one has said anything about an iranian flag... so I think it's safe to cool your jets on the muslim stuff.

Livestream: http://www.9news.com/video/9newsonline.aspx

watching that right now too.

@InternetCrab said:

I saw it on the news today. He must have a mental illness.

I'm a schizophrenic. Have been for 6 years now. Its been hard to deal with , fortunately i have never lost a true grip on my reality except for the one occasion. Even then i hullucinated that i was being shot at. But i can say, from those who i have talked to and the doctors i've been helped by, is that having a Mental Illness doesnt mean you are Crazy. It also doesnt mean that you are susceptible to acts of this nature. This act is caused by someone who is weak and disillusioned by things that have nothing to do with Mental Illness. But more society in general. The press and Media use Mental Illness as a stigma and a typecast in these situations. 1 in 4 people suffer from a mental illness sometime in their life. If acts of this nature were solely down to someone whom suffered with a Mental Illness then the world would be full to the brim of such stories.

@MideonNViscera said:

Too bad Batman wasn't there, eh?

This better not happen when I go see this movie.

You should be ashamed of yourself for being such an insensitive bastard. 14 dead, 50 injured and one of them was a 6 year old girl.

Oh, great....a topic about guns. I'm sure this will go well. Cue ignorance.....in 3....2..1....

@Demoskinos said:

Oh, great....a topic about guns. I'm sure this will go well. Cue ignorance.....in 3....2..1....

No, it's a topic about some asshole who shot a bunch of people. Why not educate us on the useful applications of guns?

Oh, great....a topic about guns. I'm sure this will go well. Cue ignorance.....in 3....2..1....

Anyone else think it's a bit of a shame that gamers feel so threatened by culture that when a terrible human tragedy is committed by an obviously psychotically deranged individual, the first response of a lot of people is "well, I wonder how long it takes until games are blamed for this"?

Yes, there is plenty of anti-games bias in a lot of the popular press, but that is such an insignificant part of this story. 14 people are dead. All that matters is that their memories are mourned, that their families are given support and compassion, and that this maniac is removed from society, brought to justice, and given the help he needs.

Same applies to whether or not he is a Muslim, or had an Iranian flag. Does that really matter? Does it matter if he was inspired by comic books?

@Vodun: You know its going to devolve into that.

Some men aren't looking for anything logical like money. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

@Atlas: The reason I mentioned this is because whenever something like this happens blame is placed real quick. And these days it's either Muslims or vidjagames. Just look at Breivik in Norway, at first everyone said it was a Muslim who had done it, then it was discovered it was local boy with slightly right of center ideas. Then they found out he had been playing WoW and CoD and that was a big thing...

@MideonNViscera said:

Too bad Batman wasn't there, eh?

This better not happen when I go see this movie.

14, (maybe more) people dead, what a great time to crack jokes...

I'll echo what a lot of people here have already said that Americas gun laws are a problem. You could blame this on a million things, religion, video games, political, you can give any motivation you want, but the ease of obtaining weapons was what allowed this to happen. Crazy people exist, arming them is only enabling them. The U.S. has a lot of backwards laws that made sense when the country was formed, but don't today.

@Atlas said:

Anyone else think it's a bit of a shame that gamers feel so threatened by culture that when a terrible human tragedy is committed by an obviously psychotically deranged individual, the first response of a lot of people is "well, I wonder how long it takes until games are blamed for this"?

Yes, there is plenty of anti-games bias in a lot of the popular press, but that is such an insignificant part of this story. 14 people are dead. All that matters is that their memories are mourned, that their families are given support and compassion, and that this maniac is removed from society, brought to justice, and given the help he needs.

Same applies to whether or not he is a Muslim, or had an Iranian flag. Does that really matter? Does it matter if he was inspired by comic books?

This.

And I want to add, those of you joking about this are despicable.

Terrible, just terrible. I don't know what else to say...

Every time something like this happens all manner of things are blamed: Violent movies, violent video games, violent music, gun laws... the connection over, and over, and over again that never gets dealt with is the woeful lack of resources for mental health support and treatment.

I can't help but wonder how many of these tragedies could have been averted if we had a decent system for diagnosing and treating mental illness, rather than stigmatizing it and pretending it isn't a problem.

RIP to those in Aurora... a sad day

And poor Nolan, too... this was supposed to be his big day, the premiere of one of the most anticipated films of all time. And then this guy happens, fucking asshole.

So sad. It appears he killed some kids in the process. Sometimes this world I don't know. Thoughts and prayers go out to families affected.@MideonNViscera said:

Too bad Batman wasn't there, eh?

This better not happen when I go see this movie.

You're an Idiot.

My thoughts are with the individuals and families who were effected by this horrific event.

@MideonNViscera said:

Too bad Batman wasn't there, eh?

This better not happen when I go see this movie.

This is not 4chan, show some fucking respect.

The only blame here should be "The Right to Bear Arms".

Heartbreaking, people are truly capable of horrible things

@yinstarrunner said:

@gamerpigeon said:

The only blame here should be "The Right to Bear Arms".

Not the guy who looked at a 3-month old baby and decided it was a good idea to go ahead and shoot it at point blank range? He deserves none of the blame, huh? The guns made him do it! OK man. But still, there's something that gets under my skin more than the shooting itself. Probably because it's something I have to deal with nearly every single time I go see a movie. STOP BRINGING YOUR DAMN BABIES INTO THE THEATER WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU.

Obviously he is to blame too BUT OH I DONT KNOW maybe if he wasn't able to legally own guns. Go to places legally and shoot those guns for practice. Legally be able to buy things like Bulletproof vests and Riot Helmets etc. Maybe just maybe this wouldnt have happened. And that Baby (who shouldnt even be allowed into the theatre FFS and any kid under the age of 12 for this movie) wouldnt have died. I dont care what you say, gun crime in america would be slashed 80%-90% if the right to bear arms didnt exist. I mean to think in america and man can walk into a Mall,wallmart or whatever and buy some bullets is madness. America is just the most paranoid country in the first world. Its sad really.

@yinstarrunner said:

@gamerpigeon said:

The only blame here should be "The Right to Bear Arms".

Not the guy who looked at a 3-month old baby and decided it was a good idea to go ahead and shoot it at point blank range? He deserves none of the blame, huh? The guns made him do it! OK man. But still, there's something that gets under my skin more than the shooting itself. Probably because it's something I have to deal with nearly every single time I go see a movie. STOP BRINGING YOUR DAMN BABIES INTO THE THEATER WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU.

Let's try not to be selfish for ten fucking seconds and have some sort of decency for the people who were just killed. Take your fucking Seinfeld bit somewhere else.

Thats 10 minutes away from a good friend of mine, luckily she and her boyfriend went to a different cinema on the other side of town, thats terrifying! Those poor people, on their way out to have a fun night and ambushed like that, my thoughts are with the friends and family of those involved, its literally the most sensless waste of life i can imagine.

I don't understand how anybody could not see the link between lax gun control and these incidents. I don't know what the solution is but this doesn't happen regularly in every other developed nation that has tighter gun control, it's got to be more than mere coincidence. Maybe it's an American culture thing that creates these maniacs, but giving these maniacs access to guns clearly has disastrous consequences. I hope that something is done because every time there is a shooting like this and it's just regarded as a one off it just makes me sad.

Disgusting. I'm sorry for the families and friends of the victims.

Sometimes there's no need for a scapegoat. Sometimes the people with the problems are the people that should be blamed.

Colorado still has the death penalty, so I guess this guy's going to die.

That doesn't make up for the people he killed though.

Fucking America.

@Dany: Sure, I'll just factor in the past 200 years of similar incidents, too.

That is terrible, how can someone do something like that.

This is completely horrifying news. The guy was apparently wearing armor and had tear gas as he entered the theater.

@zudthespud said:

I don't understand how anybody could not see the link between lax gun control and these incidents. I don't know what the solution is but this doesn't happen regularly in every other developed nation that has tighter gun control, it's got to be more than mere coincidence. Maybe it's an American culture thing that creates these maniacs, but giving these maniacs access to guns clearly has disastrous consequences. I hope that something is done because every time there is a shooting like this and it's just regarded as a one off it just makes me sad.

I'm European and I'm glad for our more restricted gun laws but I'd argue incidents like this one could happen anywhere. You know, where one guy just snaps and really prepares himself for such a shooting. Availability of weapons is rarely an issue for these nutcases. It's the more spontanous and smaller scale gun crimes that happen because of lax gun control, arguments between neighbors or families that turn into shootings, armed robbery etc. So yeah, more restricted gun laws most likely would improve the statistics but they probably wouldn't prevent incidents like this one.

I am Iranian, I am Muslim, and I am also a gamer. I guess that makes me the world's biggest criminal? For fuck's sake people can we please get over that shit?!

This is terrible. I will never understand the gun laws in US. Dumbest Goddamn laws of any country.