The movie theater shooting in Lafayette, Louisiana occurred in yet another place that banned permitted concealed handguns. The shooting occurred at the Grand Theater. It’s “conduct policy” openly bans the carrying of guns, just like where the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shooting occurred. While The Grand Theatre company owns three theaters in the area, none of the other local movie theaters that are owned by other companies initially appear to have a similar policy (Lafitte Cinema 4, Crowley Cinema IV, The Queen Cinema (confirmed with telephone calls)).
A detailed discussion of how other mass public shootings have kept on occurring in gun-free zones (see here and here). See also here for more recent information.
UPDATE: Many are pointing to the failure of the background checks for this killer. With these killers planning their attacks far in advance, anywhere from 6 months (Charleston and Aurora attacks) to over 2 years (Newtown and Santa Barbara), it is hardly clear why one would expect background checks to be something to depend on. So here is the ultimate question: what is the backup plan if background checks fail? Getting rid of gun-free zones is one serious option.
The pattern is pretty clear. The INSTANT one of these mass murdering psychos meets armed resistance their fantasy bubble is popped and they turn their gun on themselves.
Columbine – Harris and Klebold gleefully ran around the school murdering students until the police show up and they stopped to kill themselves.
Sandyhook – Lanza gleefully ran around the school murdering students until the police show up and he turns the gun on himself.
New Life Church – In my hometown of Colorado Springs Matthew Murray murdered people with impunity until he was confronted by Jeanie Assam and the next thing he does is go down on one knee and eat his pistol.
Clackamas Town Center – Jacob Roberts murders two people and is confronted by Nick Meli’s G22 (who didn’t have a clear shot at him) and bam, Roberts takes his own life.
Which brings us to the Lafayette shooter who apparently had planned to escape but since the police got there too fast he ran back inside and offed himself.
The answer is clear, the faster that armed people can respond to these types of shooters, the faster the shooting comes to an end (often with the shooter taking his own life). And the fastest way to assure that there are armed people to respond is to stop disarming law abiding citizens.
@Mike Biles
“Sandyhook – Lanza gleefully ran around the school murdering students until the police show up and he turns the gun on himself.”
The shooting lasted barely three minutes. Newtown police first entered the school approximately ten minutes after the first 911 call and approximately fourteen minutes after the shooting had started. This was about five minutes after the last shot was heard. you can read it here:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/11/26/nyregion/26newtown-report.html
I think the narrative we see in the media is false and distracting. If you look at the three recent shootings in Charleston, Chattanooga and now Lafayette, all had mental health issues. The first two were drug users. The Lafayette shooter was likely off medication he needed. But the media insists the Charleston murder was a racist. Done, end of story. (lucky they haven’t linked Gold’s Gym to hate symbols) Chattanooga was a radicalized Muslim, and end the story there.
Why is it that crazy does not define the story and their actions? Whether it’s a tree hugger, pro or anti-abortionist or save the whales advocate, if someone goes nuts, there is no reasonable or logical justification for their actions. Also if they are insane, what sane person accepts the insane persons reasoning for their actions?