Colorado shooting: Cinema's policy hurt customers

There are laws against prostitution, illicit drugs, felons in possession of firearms, illegal aliens in possession of firearms and on and on. All the laws don't stop any of these activities, they only force the persons involved to go to more desperate and dangerous lengths to do as they choose and to ignore the law. The recent tragedy visited by the community of Aurora, Colo. would never have been stopped by the most oppressive and draconian of firearm laws. The immense black market underground will always exist to fill the needs of even the most depraved individuals. Only law abiding citizens obey the law anyway.

When I first heard of the shooter in that cinema, killing and wounding so many, my first thought was, where were the law abiding gun owners' guns? Apparently. that theater had a no firearms policy. The law abiding citizens complied and entered without the guns they often carry lawfully.

The shooter knew he had a defenseless room full of helpless targets because of their cinemas policy.

The anti-gun lobby and their cohorts in government have been quick to jump on the soapbox and call for all kinds of stricter gun laws. Like more laws would keep evil at bay. Yeah, right. I'd like to think that if a typically law-abiding gun owner would have carried into that theatre that night, and put a bullet between the killer's eyes. The country's prosecutor would refuse to file charges, and if he did, any jury would find him innocent.

But that's just me, an armed society is a polite society.

Jon Smith

Moses Lake