Another Fine Example of Republican Party DOUCHEBAGGERY!

That is all that is needed, everyone armed to the teeth and shooting guns off in every direction. The number killed would surly be a lot higher. What an idiots.

I live in Phoenix, and the dirtbag, Pearce, issued an apology in Today's Republic. However, this is far from his first foot-in-mouth moment. He is an embarrassment to our state, and the GOP. Definite Douchebag of the week winner.

The emails, filled with racism, are typical conservative rants.

When someone is firing an automatic why would anyone think to disarm him? And there would probably have been more lives lost if another person had a gun and started shooting. He probably wouldn't have hit the killer but hit more innocent people.

This man is insane.

I find it ridiculous that some of the more extreme gun supporters are trying to make the argument that "if someone in the audience had had a gun they could have stopped him." The very concept that the solution to gun violence is more guns is ludicrous, and when the circumstances of the tragic events in Aurora are reviewed, their suggestion seems like it would be almost inevitable that it would have caused more harm and accomplished nothing. The shooter had a semiautomatic weapon (among others). The theatre was dark to begin with. The film was loud. The shooter was dressed in black. The shooter was wearing a bulletproof flak jacket including a neck guard and head covering of some sort. The theatre was full of tear gas. At or even before the first shot was fired there was a panic, people screaming, moving, not knowing what to do next. In order for our "audience hero" to have accomplished anything, he or she would have needed (a) a gun (b) the expertise of an accomplished marksman (c) a clear shot without the danger of a child running across the line of fire (d) a gas mask (e) night vision goggles (f) armor piercing bullets and (g) more luck than any parent would risk their child's life on. I think we can all thank God that no one in that theatre was stupid enough to make the situation worse.

Thank you PP for stating the situation exactly as it was in that theater. I've mentioned elements of what you've stated & even I saw it was a recipe for disaster. These "armchair cowboys" with their machismo attitude would've gotten more people killed if they had been there & did what they wanted others to do.

I would definitely hide to protect myself. If I were with a child, I would protect that child. If I had a gun... I don't know, there are too many 'ifs'.

I'm sure there is someone who was there, and feels he should have done something to stop this assault, but when guns are being fired, it's a very hard time to think rationally.

When guns are being fired it's "self-preservation mode" if anything. Especially when a smoke bomb (or tear gas canister) has been set off.

While I wouldn't criticize the people in the theater, I would criticize the culture in this country that has caused good sane people to not carry protection while insane people walk around shooting people.

I question the culture of this country for allowing easy access to automatic military style assault weapons, necessitating a law abiding citizen to be armed. We were supposed to evolve from knuckle dragging apes.

Well while there is definitely a cultural aspect, criminals and insane people will always have access to deadly weapons; taking away protection from sane law abiding citizens is just going to make things worse and indeed I believe someone mentioned that in that municipality it was illegal for people to carry concealed firearms or for someone to discharge a weapon if they are not a peace officer.

Had these people been armed, I have a feeling that this guy would have gotten off far fewer shots.

I don't know the laws there regarding firearms and I do not advocate taking away the right to defend one's self. And while it is true what you say about insane people acquiring deadly weapons, why do we have to make it so easy for them?

We don't. There are multiple regulations in place already. This kid was smart enough to match the skill of a military expert when it came to explosives and weapons. He didn't need it to be legal to get them.

There are no regulations against acquiring a military assault weapon. Regarding his explosives, too bad his genius was misguided. He could have been an asset to this country, but he preferred to seek to harm the most vulnerable, children at a movie.
edit I was going to call him insane, but he is a calculating monster who might use the insanity card to get away with this.

There's aren't any regulations regarding acquiring a military assault weapon, and he purchased ammunition, by the thousands, on the Internet without raising any red flags. The fact is there aren't enough regulations in place.

Question for you - is there ANY conceivable purpose for armor piercing bullets other than to try to kill someone wearing body armor of some sort? Would any of these "sane law abiding citizens" really be less safe if their guns carried only "ordinary" bullets instead of bullets whose only purpose is to kill, and which is mostly used AGAINST law enforcement? Wouldn't it make sense to at least ASK someone who wants to buy armor piercing bullets what he needs them for?

The purpose is to prevent others from shooting at you and to stop them as quickly as possible.

Two things happen when guns are taken away from law abiding citizens, the first is that they get killed more frequently by the criminals and the second is that the government quickly goes on the attack.

The biggest reason we have guns is not to hunt or to stop criminals but to keep the government afraid of us.

Oh please, John Lott's arguments have been proven to be invalid; for one, his research methodology is seriously flawed.

Like Hitler said to the Polish People in1939. Turn in your guns and we will protect you. Well, they turned in their guns and many DIED shortly afterwards!

Where the hell did you get that quote? I knew it wouldn't be long before Hitler was brought up

I believe more people would have been killed or injuried.

Kir you are right on. If there had been a few licensed CHL's in the crowd I don't believe the body count would have been as high. There were a number of seasoned military veterans in the theater and these folks are battle hardened adn can think under fire. To Cinemark it is easier to claim the injuries and deaths on insurance than allow trained CHL's to carry in the theater. Greed triumphs over common sense.

"Automatic" Rifle? How was that rifle an AUTOMATIC? Ingorance of the topic ! The rifle was far from AUTOMATIC. Try Semi-Automatic. One pull, one round. Automatic (ClassIII) are strictly controlled in the USA. The last criminal act with a Class III Firearm occured in 1957 by a cop who used a silencer(A Class III Item) to try and kill his ex-wifes new boyfriend. Know what you're talking about before come to speak at the Adult Table. You probably think the world is FLAT and women get pregnant by kissing. Ignorance is dangerous!

I meant semi automatic. You are an idiot and your ignorance is showing. So you think it fine to have a semi automatic? Do you hunt with one?
And you should know your facts before 'coming to an adult table' as the poster below pointed out, you are uninformed.

Good sane people don't carry guns, and it seems that it's the very "culture in this country" that empowers people like James Holmes or Jared Loughner to "walk around shooting people." The solution to gun violence is NOT more guns.

That's completely false. Good sane people carry guns because they know that there are dangerous insane people out there. You're right that the solution to gun violence is not more guns, but it is who has them. Good people carrying guns to protect themselves means less violence.

Gun ownership does not mean more gun violence, take a look at Switzerland; everyone there is required to own a gun and gun violence is almost non existent. Again in this case as well, good sane people weren't allowed to carry firearms, and this guy got off a ton of shots.

It's not true that EVERYONE is required to own a gun in Switzerland, though it is true that men over 18 are generally encouraged to own one because most such men are automatically part of the Swiss militia. But ammunition sales are tightly controlled, and most members of the militia are not even allowed to keep ammunition supplies in their homes, but must go to the local militia to obtain them in times of crisis. Switzerland also bans assault rifles, most semiautomatic weapons, and most "enhanced" ammunition like armor piercing bullets.

There also is no NRA in Switzerland encouraging the general population to acquire stockpiles of guns and use them any time someone litters on your lawn, no politicians in Switzerland posting maps with gunsights on people they don't like, and no one talking about "Second Amendment solutions".

It's so funny when conservatives attempt to use Switzerland in their lame gun arguments; they don't know a thing about it.

Exactly! For some reason these contard cretins think Switzerland is like one big ass episode of Gunsmoke or Tombstone and nothing could be further from the truth.

And one con just got his but kicked by someone who knows what he was talking about

I guess Kir should know what he's talking about "before coming to an adult table"

I'm sorry, but I agree with him on this.

WOW. I am left without much to day except one can say what they could do, but unless they are faced with the situation, one does not know.
I am DISGUSTED BEYOND BELIEF!!

I know exactly how you feel. The gunman set off either a teargas or smoke canister in the theater & yet that douchebag thought there should've been a "showdown at the OK Corral" scenario.

Nobody knows how they would react in a situation like that. I have a feeling I would have crawled into the darkest, farthest reaches of that theater. Am I a coward? I don't know. I've never found myself in such a terrible situation. Therefore, I second your nomination.

Ken, I think most of us would've tried to save ourselves from that homicidal maniac. God bless all of those who tried to save others; some lost their lives in doing so.

Thanks for seconding the nomination. Russell Pearce has definitely earned that award with his callous words. I'm glad screenshots were taken since the cowardly macho cowboy took his words down & then tried to walk them back.

You don't strike me as a coward, ken. I think the most logical reaction anyone in that theatre would have had, whether they were themselves armed or not, would be to get down and try not to get shot. Given the circumstances it seems to me that there would have been a real danger of injuring more people and limited chance that the gunman could have been taken down (he was, after all, wearing body armor), so even if some people in the audience had guns, I'm glad they did not try to use them.