Bad things

There was an episode of CSI a while ago where someone was killed in a movie theater. That was the first time it occurred to me how vulnerable a person is while engrossed in a film. Engrossed in anything, really, but the noise and darkness contributes to how easily one can be attacked.

I forgot all about this until last Friday, for obvious reasons.  My heart goes out to all of the victims and their families.  It saddens me that people like the shooter exist in this world.  The scariest part to me is he doesn't seem to be insane, abused, or any other "good" reason for being a murderer.  It appears he did this because he could. 

I'm not completely sure what I want to say about all of this yet.  I'm exploring it as I type, so please bear with me:

1. I hope he gets life in prison.

2. I hope the victims and their families are given proper grief and PTSD counseling.

3. I am embarrassed to admit this, but when I first heard about the shooter I was hoping he was white.  If he was black or hispanic, there's no doubt in my mind we would have a race war on our hands, especially during this election year. The idea terrifies me.

4. I am extremely disappointed in the comments I am reading on Facebook and elsewhere.  Everyone has opinions.  I get and respect this.  What I don't get is why everyone thinks they are being attacked.  The people in the theater were attacked, not you.  If you want to have an intelligent discussion about your stance on gun control then be respectful and LISTEN. 

I do not understand guns nor the need to own them. I live in New York City and I feel safe without one, so I don't get why anyone else in the country needs to carry.  Who exactly is threatening your safety?  Let's say I did have a gun and someone broke into my apartment.  Would I be capable of killing them?  Do I WANT to be capable of killing them?  I hope I never have to find out.

My stance - you want to own a gun go ahead, but you should have sufficient training and a psychological evaluation before it's in your posession.  Once you receive a license and the gun is registered, your information should stored in some sort of weapons database (an idea I read this morning).  Big brother, my ass. If you have nothing to hide, you should have no problem with logging your arsenal.

5. This is nothing new...the media absolutely sucks. Keep the guy out of the press and keep the cameras out of the courtroom for once.  Don't sensationalize this schmuck. This is why I refuse to write his name.  He doesn't deserve the attention.  HE BETTER NOT GET A BOOK DEAL EITHER.

The end.