Cool Heads

There seems to be no shortage of knee-jerk reactions following the shooting in Aurora which is why this piece on NRO is so reassuring. Maybe the world hasn’t gone mad quite yet. Dave Kopel spells out the changes made to Colorado’s gun laws following the Columbine shooting that actually made it more difficult for bad people to aquire weapons while strengthening the rights of law-abiding citizens to protect themselves. Unfortunately for those killed and wounded in Aurora, Century Theaters prohibits concealed carry yet has not established any means of enforcing the ban so there was nothing to stop the shooter from entering with his weapons. Had there been armed citizens toward the front of the theater with a clear shot, the outcome might have been far different. It turns out the shooter’s vest was not body armor but a simple tactical vest so a center-mass shot would have stopped him. Dead. We wouldn’t be forced to witness his quest for fame stupidly fulfilled by the media on an hourly basis.

Colorado reacted in a measured and informed way following the Columbine shooting, let’s hope the cooler heads prevail in this latest assault on our civility.