Kamala Harris Cites Gun-Free Theater Shooting as Grounds for More Gun Laws

Democrat presidential hopeful Kamala Harris used the weekend’s seventh anniversary of the Aurora movie theater shooting to push for more gun control.

She did not mention the theater at which the July 20, 2012, attack occurred was gun free, which means it had 100 percent gun control at the time that 12 people were shot and killed.

Harris tweeted:

It’s been seven years since the mass shooting at the Aurora movie theater in Colorado, and Congress hasn’t done enough.

No matter where you live, you deserve to feel safe. We can keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

All we need is a president willing to act.

— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 20, 2019

Following the Aurora theater shooting, Crime Prevention Research Center founder John Lott zeroed in not simply on the fact that the theater was gun free, but that the gun-free status was likely the strongest draw for the killer. Lott noted there were numerous other theaters close to the killer’s apartment, but the gun-free status of the Cinemark theater set it apart:

Out of all the movie theaters within 20 minutes of his apartment showing the new Batman movie that night, it was the only one where guns were banned. In Colorado, individuals with permits can carry concealed handgun in most malls, stores, movie theaters, and restaurants. But private businesses can determine whether permit holders can carry guns on their private property.

Most movie theaters allow permit holders carrying guns. But the Cinemark movie theater was the only one with a sign posted at the theater’s entrance.

In addition to the face that the Aurora attack was another proof of the danger of gun-free zones, it should also be noted that the attacker acquired his guns legally: He passed background checks to acquire his firearms.

So we had a situation where the attacker had no criminal record, and could therefore legally purchase guns, yet law-abiding movie goers were mandated to be gun-free. How can more gun control be a solution in this scenario?

AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.