I moved to Colorado about ten months ago.And though I am a native Texan, Colorado is my adoptive state. In my 31 years, 18 were in Texas and 12 were in Illinois, so that should tell you something. I love this state and the people in it. Just as the people of Texas are my people, the people of Colorado are my adoptive people. Recently, my Colorado people have suffered through forest fires. And now they’ve suffered through an horrific tragedy. My upbringing has been between one of the most conservative states in the union and one of the most liberal, as far as gun laws go. So I have a lot of friends on both sides of the gun issue that want to share their thoughts. And you know what? You can shut up about gun control for a day or two.
[Edit: July 26]An introduction to what you’re about to read
I wrote this article around midnight last Saturday. I live 20 or 30 minutes from Aurora. I know the theater. What happened wasn’t a piece of news, it was an event where live. By midnight, Saturday, my friends in Illinois and Texas had already decided the fate of gun control for this country. I was fed up.
I am a web developer by trade. My blog averages 30 or 40 hits a week and suddenly, I was getting hundreds of views on this article. Business Insider picked it up and wanted to interview me. Because I am weary of what the media will write, I wrote the follow up article “I’m a hypocrite…” where I explained the reason I own an AK-74 was for fun and proposed that mandatory training should be the only regulation we need. Fox News emailed me this morning and posted my blog post on their site (with an incorrect title). And now I’m averaging 150 hits a minute.
What I wrote was a reaction to both the arguments for gun control and for concealed weapons. Both arguments have flaws and I wanted to rationalize the issues with both. If you’re looking for my position, it’s the one where I have a 9mm Sig on my hip and an AK-74 in my hands.
And yes, I know an AK isn’t an assault rifle. I’m not an expert.
My wife served six years in the Air Force, including time in wartime Bosnia. I applied to three different branches; I am unable to serve due to a medical condition. Saying that I don’t love the country, 2nd amendment, or freedom isn’t nice and it isn’t true. Now… please put yourself in the context of a Saturday night in a suburb of Denver and keep reading.
[end of edit]
You can shutup about gun regulations and gun bans
I own an assault rifle, two handguns, and a shotgun. And of course, I purchased them all legally. I have a college degree and I don’t have any criminal history beyond speeding tickets. If you’re looking at a background check, I’m no different than James Eagan Holmes. Compare resumes and you’ll pick him; he had a better GPA than I did and actually pursued a higher education than I have.
The difference between James Holmes and me is that one of us walked into a theater and murdered people. One of us wanted to make our home into a giant bomb to kill our neighbors. One of us values human life. There’s no law on the planet that will change how a man values the life of another. Outlaw online sales, assault rifles, guns, liquids over 3 ounces, and he still would find a way to murder.
You can shutup about how concealed carry fixes everything
Colorado isn’t much different from Texas as far as gun laws are concerned. In fact, Texas is the only state in the union where open carry is illegal ( the ability to carry a gun in public for all to see). Concealed carry is legal and fairly easy to obtain in the state of Colorado. In fact, my wife and I went through the class. Our course was taught by a police officer and firearms instructor; he was rarely qualified to educated us on conceal carry rules and the actual gun laws in Colorado.
So here’s a few things you should know:
- It is perfectly legal to conceal a firearm in a movie theater in Colorado if you have a license
- Colorado concealed-carry classes aren’t required to be taught by law enforcement
- Colorado concealed-carry classes don’t require that you demonstrate proficiency with a fire arm
- Colorado concealed-carry classes don’t require that you even shoot a firearm
You can shutup about how things would have been different if someone had a gun
I’ve fired and used guns my whole life. I don’t claim to be an expert or even overly proficient. And though I have shot a few thousand rounds in my life, I don’t think that would matter for me or others in this situation. So here’s what you soon-to-be heroes with conceal weapons permits should know:
- You’re not Jason Bourne, Jack Bauer, or Bruce Wayne. Situational awareness takes training that you don’t get as a civilian. You won’t recognize a threat until it’s too late.
- Unless you’ve trained with the exact weapons system you’re carrying,
you’llyou could miss. It takes hundreds of hours with a firearm to really be proficient. Do you know what you’d do if it jams? Can you reload before the last round leaves your chamber? How many rounds in your magazine? Have you even practiced drawing your weapon if it’s concealed? Now think about doing this in a firefight. - Proficiency deteriorates without practice. When was the last time you fired your gun? Police and military practice regularly for their jobs. You do it irregularly for fun.
- A thousand hours on the range aren’t the same as a hundred seconds in a real shootout. Can you recognize the threat, obtain a site picture, and neutralize the target with a gun pointed at you? Police and military don’t just learn how to do this once, they actually train in these situations.
- There’s a solid chance you won’t even pull the trigger. There is huge psychological trauma associated with taking a life. Estimates are that between 1/3rd and 1/4th of guns on the battlefield in WWII were never shot. There are even police officers and soldiers who have been killed because they didn’t have what it took to kill.
- Even if you train with your gun, you do it until you get it right. Police and military do it until they don’t get it wrong. You’re just not ready like they are to use your gun. Your reaction may not be the same as someone who’s trained for this.
I really don’t care what you think could have been different
Real people died. This isn’t the time to run your mouth about politics and gun control. And while my friends are alive and well, some of their friends and family aren’t so lucky. This is real to me.
So yeah…I’m betting that 100% of people getting shot would like to have a way to protect themselves. Not one person there was thinking, “I wish it were harder to get an assault rifle…maybe we should repeal the 2nd amendment.” They were running for their lives and praying for deliverance. Every person there wanted a way to end the violence. This is about surviving a shootout, not repealing guns.
I don’t give two craps what you think you would have done if you were there. You weren’t. Hundreds of others were. They could have been armed, and maybe some were. Just a gun isn’t enough. Even if you’re police or military, there’s a difference between training for this and experiencing it. Unless you’ve experienced a fire-fight, shut up.
Just shutup about Colorado
I live in the Denver area, and not very far from Aurora. On July 20th I woke up with the news and was scared for the lives of my church family. I’m not affected nearly in the same way these victims are. But I may meet these victims and their families. My wife may go to work with people who were there. Families of victims may visit my church. This isn’t something that happened on the news. This is something that happened where I live.
I could have been there. I could have had a gun. I could have done something.
But I wasn’t there.I wouldn’t have had a gun (because I don’t have my license yet), and I don’t have a clue what I would have done.
So all I can do is shutup and pray. So should you.
[July 24, 2012: UPDATE: I’m a hypocrite. Rob Wile from Business Insider had a 45-minute interview with me on the subject of gun control]
[July 24, 2012: UPDATE: here’s a follow up blog post I wrote which summarizes my interview with Rob: ]
[July 25, 2012: UPDATE: Here’s the article on Business Insider]
[July 26, 2012: UPDATE: Fox news asks permission to repost part of the blog, and subsequently the world hates me. ]
[July 25, 2012: UPDATE: On account of the factual issues and general thoughts of what’s been written, I’ve written a small summary of corrections for you to review]
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Mr. Tayor,
‘The’ theater was a ‘no gun zone’. This means a citizen, all of those citizens, were not legally permitted to defend themselves.
We will never know if any lawfully armed citizen would have been able to prevent or minimize the the loss of life. We will never know because no one was permitted to be armed.
If a 71 year old man can face down two criminals in a cafe I’m fairly confident that one or more lawfully armed citizens in ‘The’ theater would have changed the outcome of that tragic night.
Have faith in your fellow citizen, we are capable of great things in the darkest of hours.
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So the idiot who wrote this drivel owns an assault rifle. This means that his rifle is a select fire weapon that allows him to choose safe, semi auto, and either full auto fire or three shot burst. The last two methods of fire means he went through all the BATFE required background checks, FBI background checks, paid the transfer tax and had his anus examined so he could own this weapon. I’m thinking he owns a semi auto rifle that looks “scary” to people who have no knowledge of firearms. You know, black synthetic stock, military look, but no more leathal than a “hunters’ rifle with a soothing appearing wood stock with a nice grain structure and polished sheen. I’m so sick of hearing about “assault rifles” from people who wouldn’t know one if they got knocked upside the head with one.
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Mr. Taylor, good post. I disagree with some of what you said but it was a tough time, you wrote what you believed, and you stood up for it. Don’t worry about the details and don’t let the bastards wear you down. I get the part about how it is real for you.
I carried in Colorado for three years. If you are going to carry, keeping your head and evaluating the situation are critical skills. So is knowing when to depress the trigger and living with the consequences. There is a man in Denver who provides training that includes the law, psychology, and weapon competence — better than I got in the Army. He has good credentials. If you want his name, please drop me an email.
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Frank, I think you need to sell your guns! Your views are ignorant. Woulda, coulda, shoulda, put all that aside. If you elect to own a gun, you should know how, and when to use it. It is the responsibility of every gun owning American, to be able to use their guns if the need arises. The ordinary citizen will be there, don’t count on the police! You can kneel and pray as you die, but I perfer to pull, shoot, and protect. I’ll pray when it’s all over!
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Speak for yourself on what you would have done. First. All cinemark theaters PROHIBIT FIREARMS on their property. Maybe you are not proficient enough to fire on this guy but there were numerous Military personnel in this theater that could have easily made that shot in the instance where the average citizen may not have, however there are many citizens that have had training, many are combat veterans. You making the assumption that only untrained idiots CCW and would be unable to act, is idiotic.
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Your thoughts are provocative on many levels, from muzzle to muzzle combat to constitutional debate. As I understand it, the 2nd Amendment in the US Bill of rights is not unprecedented. It was largely influenced by the English 1689 bill of rights, which was worded to prevent a recurrence James II’s attempt to disarm Protestants. 100 years later, when we ratified our constitution and having just engineered a violent and bloody separation from England, there was valid and present concern that the people retain the means to resist the state. I suggest you read the discussions and debates between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists pertaining to balance between the state and the mob. The individual right to bear arms was afforded to influence that balance and was hotly debated at the time. It ain’t about duck hunters or ATM holdups. It’s about empowering the will of the people to counter the will of the state.
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Amen, common sense!
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If government is going to get involved in ‘gun control’ it should mandate that everyone who (legally) purchases a firearm be required, and supported by government, to train with the weapon at a range at least once a month for two hours. preferably more often.
You buy a gun. Government makes sure that you can use it.
That is, if government is going to be involved in gun control at all.
Which I don’t think is a good idea. At all.
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You actually said this “Can you recognize the threat, obtain a site picture, and neutralize the target with a gun pointed at you?” This proves that the writer knows nothing. Any training tells you that you cannot out draw a gun that is already pointed at you. You dive for cover. Your multiple assumptions about how people with CCW’s would panic is bizarre. Your lie about how the theatre allowed guns into the establishment for CPL holders is another nail in your coffin of of a dead blog. I CALL B.S. ON THIS WHOLE ARTICLE! You sir are an anti-second amendment proponent. I smell a rat.
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So why EXCATLY do you own an assault rifle? You said everythign else except the “why” part
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We can agree on one thing, you obviously are not an expert or, arguably, even an amateur. If you know an AK is not an assault rifle, then why do you call it one? I fully support the opinion that you should sell your firearms as soon as possible. You clearly are a danger to yourself and others.
Are you aware that in studies, it has been shown that on average, a CCW holder outperforms trained police officers on firearm proficiencies? The police do it because they must as part of their job while gun owners do it because they enjoy firearm sports.
Here’s a fact for you. According to the National Crime Victims Survey conducted by the DOJ there are more than 100,000 successful defensive gun uses (DGU’s) annually. Independent studies put that number closer to 1-3 million per year because most of the time the perp is scared off by just brandishing a weapon so no crime is ever reported. There is no way to know how many lives are saved by DGUs but it must far exceed the 12K non-suicide gun deaths of which 80% are gang/crime related and include shootings by law enforcement.
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The fact that you say anyone with a different opinion than you can just “shutup” shows just how narrow minded and ignorant you are. People with your attitude is whats wrong with the political discussion in America today.
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I am a reader from Europe. I have little understanding for the discussions here. Why do you people need weapons for anyway? Self protection? Really? You need a Killing-device for self protection? Did just anyone think about compromise like pepperspray or electric devices or anything that would not be able to kill a person in milliseconds?
And please don’t talk about hunting. People here do also hunt. My father is a licensed hunter. Rifles for hunting are to be transported in special bags which are noticeable. There is no way at all to go on the street or into a building with that kind of package and for the police not to be present in matter of some minutes.
You are right, if somebody really has the desire to kill, there will always be a way. It’s not about erasing criminality for good (as that’s not possible) but minimizing the possibility of such tragedies. And no selling of guns would definitely help, I thing you all will agree on that. So firstly I cannot understand how people here are talking all about gun control, better training of useage of guns (which is even more insane), or what one should have done at the moment of the shootout (use own guns and shoot back). I haven’t read even one post with the idea to eliminate guns for good!
Also the ignorance of the blog bothers me. Telling the people “not to talk about” this and that. Like there was no way to minimize the chance of a shootout. But there is! And people have to tell their opinions for solutions to arise. It’s just that the solutions are looked for at the wrong corner.
I feel really bad for the victims of the shootout. Please bare this in mind.
I just don’t understand how you are still able to keep your many guns after this. Destroy them! Buy pepperspray instead.
Looking forward for your answers.
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I just read your piece with great interest. You do not in fact know the first thing about guns or their use in the real world. In fact, I do not believe you actually own any guns, or you would know that you do not own an assault rifle.
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Amen Common Sense!
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Ridiculous. You’ve projected your own limitations into every citizen in the country. You have know idea the capabilities of a skilled marksman especially against a derranged individual unskilled with his weapon. Many amateurs could have taken him out. In this particular situation as is the case with many shooting spree nuts they are barely even introduced to their weapon. Statistically most gunfights happen at a range of 7 meters or less. Thats 21 feet. Accuracy amongst novice gun range shooters would be more than ample for that scenario and common sense tells us those uncertain or unable to actually kill would have those thoughts prior to drawing their weapon and likely not engage the shooter. I am not saying what I would have done in that situation because no one knows unless they are there but the notion that everyone but a police officer would fail is absurd at best. Ask any gun range owner. Many police officers shoot their weapon a couple times before qualifying once a year and a refresher course every 18 months. Many police officers cant shoot worth a damn and go a large part of their career never drawing their weapon. When I first qualified to carry in Texas they showed us a training video of three TX DPS officers unloading on a guy in a pickup on the side of the highway. Over 50 rounds spent by the officers and 1 winged the suspect in the arm. Your ownership of a weapon does not qualify you to speak for or of the abilities of everyone else who does. And you made no mention of the probability that this coward would have been less likely to even attempt the act had he felt the audience would have been full of law abiding gun owners.
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interesting, but full of crap.
i think i would have been more understanding and actually taken some of the information under consideration had you stopped short of shooting accusations about the situation.
however, given the fact you ignore that some of us actually do have CCW’s as well as actual firearms training, i can not sit here and read this for anything other than a standard typical facebook posting…nothing worth reading, move on type of post.
so from my take, you want all of us to shut up because we were not there? and yet in your wisdom, you feel compelled to have your say, and not let others…
i for one am very versed in the CCW world and “target” practice as you so state many are not. just because you are less trained does not offer you the observation to say others are not. one does not have to be a law enforcement officer, military, or hunter/gatherer to be proficient with a side arm, nor know the difference of when and how to use said sidearm either.
you make assumptions based on your life, which is not the correct thing to do, let alone telling everyone else to shut up about it. (Aurora)
be mindful of what you post and say, as you may one day be in a situation where one of those “shut up” people just may save your ass.
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I agree with your main point, that a tragedy like this shouldn’t be politicized, by either side. I think it very inappropriate to use this tragedy to push a gun control agenda, or the opposite. But it’s already been done, and it will continue to be done.
I disagree with a few sub-points. I hold a Virginia CCP, and I’ve received very extensive tactical training that’s far better than non-SWAT police training. That includes classes from ITI Armor Group, Gunsite Academy, DLOC, FLETC, and Pat Goodale’s PFT. I train frequently with my standard CCP gun, and I’m confident that I or any one of my similarly-training friends COULD respond effectively to a similar situation. Please recognize that many non-LEO civilians have advanced training.
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Heartily agree with most of the articles points and especially the theme.