The criminal in that case selected a theatre that had a posted policy stating that no firearms were to be taken into the building. Colorado is a concealed carry state...but, individual businesses can prohibit their customers from carrying a weapon into the establishment.
Nobody in the theatre tried to oppose, at all, this criminal. People all hid behind seats or ran. Nobody tried to oppose him and he went about his criminal task until he finished and then went out into the parking lot and quietly waited for the police to arrest him.
It is my opinion these criminals do what plays well. They study each others actions and they study how the newspapers react. Ninja suits play, tac gear plays etc. The Denver Post had an illustration of what the theatre criminal wore and carried. It looked like an illustration for an action figure, or one of those illustrations you saw of how spec ops people are equipped with all the cool equipment named. The papers have a role in these things that they should answer for in my opinion.
It wouldn't matter if all the ARs disappeared tomorrow. Anything a criminal used would be played up by the papers and immediately be labeled lethal cool. It could be a lever action rifle and it would be displayed on the action figure illustration, the effect would be the same.
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