Shooting heightens concern at entertainment venues
Photo
This July 19, 2012 photo shows Los Angeles County Sheriff Calvillo, left, withholding toy guns from Batman fans from Indiana, Brian Haughs, 28, right, dressed as the character Two-Face, and John Werskey, dressed as Commissioner James Gordon, while waiting for the midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises," at Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles. A gunman wearing a gas mask set off an unknown gas and fired into the crowded movie theater in Aurora, Colo., Friday July 20, 2012, killing 12 people and injuring at least 50 others, authorities said.
ST. LOUIS — The mass shooting at a Colorado movie theater rattled the nerves of some other moviegoers with opening weekend tickets for the new Batman film and led some cinema chains to add more guards. Experts say it's unlikely, though, that venues will implement even stricter security measures because it would significantly alter the experience of going to a film, concert or game.
The early Friday rampage in Aurora, Colo., at a midnight screening of the new Batman movie, "The Dark Knight Rises," left 12 people dead and dozens wounded. Authorities say the gunman apparently slipped out through an emergency exit to arm himself, then re-entered that way and opened fire on the startled audience.
The attack had a chilling effect on some ticketholders who had been eagerly awaiting what had been billed as the summer's hottest movie.
"I'm just going to keep my eyes and ears open for anything strange," 27-year-old Charlotte Kimbrell, of Belleville, Ill., said before a screening of "Dark Knight" at a theater in nearby O'Fallon. "I'll probably be sitting all the way in back today, away from the exit doors."
It was in the back of some baseball fans' minds Friday, as well.
"I think paranoia takes over after something like that and something like today, but I think for the most part, all they can do is check your bags and hope that you're not crazy," said David Karney, of Quincy, Mich., who watched the Detroit Tigers host the Chicago White Sox. "At the end of the day, if you're crazy and want to do something, you're going to do it."
The angst is understandable after the attack, which was one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history. But security experts say changes made at ballparks, theaters and concert venues after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks have gone a long way toward making them safer.
"The problem is security is never 100 percent," said Richard Sem, a longtime security management executive from Wisconsin who is now a consultant. "We look at what's reasonable, practical. You don't necessarily need Fort Knox to go to a Sunday afternoon baseball game."
A decade after the terrorist attacks, at ballparks and concerts, bag checks are now common when entering a venue. Sometimes, there are metal detector wand scans at sporting events. Some movie theaters already have random bag checks. But experts say that it can be a difficult choice to decide where to install additional extra measures, and note that it's no guarantee a patron will be safer with them in place.
"Are we going to put in security that might not work at every movie theater, at every mall?" asked Derek Catsam, a history professor at the University of Texas of the Permian who studies and writes about stadium security issues. "Think of all the places you go during the day where you stand in line or are stuck in crowds. This could happen at any of those places."
At Busch Stadium in St. Louis, where the Cardinals were hosting the rival Chicago Cubs for three sold-out weekend games, security officials were on alert Friday.
"We're concerned, we're certainly saddened and we'll be extra vigilant in our regular security," said Joe Abernathy, vice president of stadium operations.
Abernathy said there were no major security changes planned because the team feels it's already doing everything it can to keep fans safe. Police officers man stadium entrances, and there are nearly 150 security cameras at the ballpark. All bags are checked at the entrance. And costumes, in which someone might hide a weapon, aren't allowed, not even masks.
Fans have generally embraced the changes. Butch Cox, a fan at Friday's Cardinals-Cubs game, said, "If they wanted to strip search me, I could care less. If it's for the better, I'm all for it."
Richard Ballentine, of Valrico, Fla., who watched the Tampa Bay Rays host the Seattle Mariners on Friday, said he was worried that the Colorado attack would lead to airport-style metal detectors at movie theaters and stadiums.
"I'm actually of the opinion that most of those checks are a waste of time. They're reactive instead of being proactive," Ballentine said. "... The truth is terrorists will look at the things that we're doing to try to provide security and they'll look for other places that are weak spots, and they'll just adapt."
Brian McCarthy, of the National Football League, said security procedures are under constant review and are sometimes adjusted.
Last season, the league provided handheld metal detectors to its 32 teams — part of a massive security effort at NFL games and one fans don't seem to mind because they're less intrusive than pat-downs, said Bob Calderon, who oversees public safety at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.
"They'd rather be safe than sorry," he said. "We try to reach a happy medium."
Officials at St. Louis-based Wehrenberg Theatres Inc. met before dawn Friday to consider what to do after the shooting. The chain manages 15 cinemas in Missouri, Illinois, Minnesota and Iowa. But they noted that security measures were already in place. Wehrenberg's vice president of marketing, Kelly Hoskins, said the chain already uses off-duty uniformed and civilian-dressed police and does random checks of handbags for movie-goers.
"Sometimes you don't want it to feel like a police state," Hoskins said. "You don't want to increase security to an uncomfortable level."
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Associated Press journalists John Affleck and Barry Wilner in New York, Jay Reeves in Birmingham, Ala.; Fred Goodall in St. Petersburg, Fla., Jim Suhr in O'Fallon, Ill, and RB Fallstrom in St. Louis contributed to this report.
Jul 26, 2012 at 3:24 p.m.
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Did this guy have mental illness his entire life or did something happen to send him over the edge? None of us really know the answer to that question and I would hope poeple would be bright enough not to form their own opinion of what they think happened and pass judgement. I don't believe anything that comes out of the media today because if they don't know the answer, they make it up as they go so they are the first to break the story and retract it later when the truth comes out. Am I sticking up for the guy, Hell No! I'm simply stating we don't know the actual truth about this guy or his history and it seems like the posts on here are getting way off target and some are acting like they know exactly what was going through this guys head.
Unfortunately in life, bad things happen to good people for no reason what so ever. Its the nature of life and living in a free society. Whether this guy used a gun, bomb, grenade, rocket launcher or what ever else you can come up with, something happened to spark this guy to go over the edge and in a bad way. When that happens anything we touch daily can be used as a weapon to commit murder. Imagine what a 4x4 pick up truck could do in a heavily crowded area? The choice was made to kill and it was his decision to do so.
Jul 23, 2012 at 7:01 p.m.
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kettle...., or it's a government plot to keep you from using all your brain power. Seems to be working.
Jul 23, 2012 at 6:25 p.m.
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Or gazettefan, perhaps the gov is controlling you to be a disinfo shill for them? Yeah, that's much more likely.
Jul 23, 2012 at 4:03 p.m.
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kettle..... and Ezoner might be put-ons.
Or maybe the government is controlling them in order to take our attention off the ETs.
Jul 23, 2012 at 2:18 p.m.
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You lefties are funny. Possible culprits here: sports, psychological problems, lack of concern and/or negligence on the part of friends and family, "lack of opportunities." All totally absolving the guy of responsibility.
This makes sense because liberals don't see people as individuals, but as cattle to be managed by smarter people like themselves.
That's why the "system needs to be revamped," presumably by smart people who have such high-minded thoughts, again, likely with very little input from us stupid cattle who can't be expected to be held accountable for our own actions.
Jul 23, 2012 at 1:41 p.m.
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Ezoner, good point. But more likely is that they took advantage of his organic psychosis or actively induced it. Did you see what this guy looked like in court today? This is not the demeanor of a normal individual. He looked like a zombie. And yes, the government is completely capable of doing something like this. Problem, reaction, solution. Now we wait their "solution."
Jul 23, 2012 at 1:31 p.m.
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Ezoner, gather all your proof together and submit it to the proper authorities.
Jul 23, 2012 at 12:42 p.m.
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I see a number of comments about the guy being crazy or nuts or whatever. What if he was perfectly normal, and the government is using him somehow, in order to push through or gain acceptance of the UN Treaty that would strip away private citizens of their constitutional right to arms. The reality is the governments of the world do all kinds of crazy things, think about soem of the tactics of WWII and what was done to conceal D-Day. Think about -- what is the government willing to do to convince Americans that they should lay down their arms.
The reality could be that this guy was normal... Where would he get the $15k-$25k as a grad student to purchase the arms and protection. This stuff isnt cheap.
Jul 23, 2012 at 12:21 p.m.
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sigma..., ALL your comments reveal that you are so overwhelmed by the mere fact of being alive that for you everything caused the shootings.
Jul 23, 2012 at 9:47 a.m.
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And you, Sigma40, should perhaps try to educate yourself on what constitutes PSYCHOTIC behavior. Taking up "new interests?" Are you kidding me? We are talking psychosis here, not having a "bad week." Thanks for proving my point regarding the need for mental health education.
Jul 23, 2012 at 9:11 a.m.
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kettleblack - So if one has a bad day or a bad week or month, I have friends that mood swing like crazy. Are we supposed to call the cops or the FBI on them? Unless you live in a box you'd know that people act different all the time and all people are different. Lots of people suffer from depression, some its self inflicted and are just down all the time. Some are down because they work too much, ...etc. the list goes on. I have friends that take up new interests also. One friend recently gained interests in firearms since the CC law was passed. Is it a warning sign that people have new interests? No... Its normal... You need to get out more.
Jul 23, 2012 at 9:05 a.m.
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People need to get real about MENTAL ILLNESS. I'm sure this accused individual was most likely acting strange and dropping behavioral red flags all over the place. No one picked up on this? Where were his parents, his teachers, fellow students? Come on, if you have a kid with a fractured leg you take them to the hospital. If you have a kid with a fractured sense of reality.... you do the same. May be, if more people educated themselves, especially parents, on signs and symptoms of mental illness (schizophrenia), etc., there would be less of these situations occurring due to intervention beforehand. Sadly, the stigma of mental illness and the denial by parents who may view a child's psychotic behavior as an indicator of their parenting skills will most likely keep these tragic events status quo.
Jul 23, 2012 at 9:04 a.m.
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What we (as society) dont understand is that we train them to be like this. Its called sports. The strongest is the best and gets praised and no one wants the weakest and they are worthless. So as long as we continue to worship sports and push them on kids we will have a weak vs. strong scenario. I see a "sports" section in the newspaper every day.... Why do I not see a bunch of academic sections or career sections that other people do? We define people by their ability at all ages. Turn on TV and you have slim model looking people... well if you are a fat pudgy kid your esteem is shot down by just watching TV, and then go to school and expect to be equal when you already know what perfection is? (TV based). You have kids that are in shape and good athletes... we reward them by praising them and having tons of people come watch them play. If you are the frail kinny nerd or the fat kid... You dont have the same options, no fame, no attention, and that bothers some kids. Its not pointed out but they are indeed limited to what options they can and are capable of...by the normal system. Kids doing well in sports get a big head, if you send a supermodel into a room with a bunch of ugly fat people they will naturally feel even better about themselves. Its human nature. So if you want to end all the bullying... the entire system needs to be revamped... and you will probably have better luck at curing world hunger than that because we dont change... humans are deathly afraid of change.
Jul 23, 2012 at 8:28 a.m.
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skippy..., crystallize your plan for stopping them on paper, then submit it to the proper people.
Jul 23, 2012 at 5:44 a.m.
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http://denver.cbslocal.com/2012/04/22/2-...
Jul 22, 2012 at 10:20 p.m.
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Sigma, I also said try to stop them, And no I don't have a crystal ball. But at least trying to stop them will thwart some from hapening.
Jul 22, 2012 at 10:18 p.m.
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Sigma, you have obviously been out of school for too long. It is not weak Vs.Strong, it is liked Vs. Unliked. If you are over 40 it may have been about weak Vs. strong. It is about who is wearing designer stuff and who is not, it is about whos parents are rich and whos are not. It is about how you look. Kids are brought up to value things and looks, more than a human and feelings. Why don't you go to Craig HS for a day. I ceratinly hope you are not implying that because you are poor you are weak.
Jul 22, 2012 at 9:48 p.m.
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Stop them? Do you have a crystal ball? And also picking on kids in school defines the weak and strong. Every specie of animal including humans practice this. So unless you can give a kid an adult education on how things are before they go to school....good luck stopping basic instincts.
Jul 22, 2012 at 9:34 p.m.
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Truth, Maybe if your theory is correct, and I do agree that there are things that break the camels back, is they should stop telling people that when they get out of school with a certian degree, that they will be making 80,000 a year. They will in reality start at 40,000 and after about 5 years be making 60,000, and 80,000 at 10 years. You still have to prove yourself to the company. They are confusing our young people with a fairy tale. How then would you explain the kids that shoot up schools from being picked on. I have never heard of a popular kid in school shooting it up. The camels back is the being picked on. It really doesn't matter, he did this because he wanted to do this. It is a tradgey and I feel for the victims and their families. I love how peoplelike to figure out why they did this, and then try to prevent it in the future. These are random events that have very subtle thing that one can see. Only the person who is doing this know when where and why. Don'tkill me here, I think that we should try to stop them
Jul 22, 2012 at 8:43 p.m.
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truth.., you wanted it to happen, and you know it. You worship your new king with comments here.
Jul 22, 2012 at 6:57 p.m.
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MBHammer- You must be thrilled to have found someone who you feel can think for you..Good luck, he/she thinks I'm saying I'm glad this happened.
Jul 22, 2012 at 5:16 p.m.
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gaz, I knew there was a good reason for truth1.
Jul 22, 2012 at 5:03 p.m.
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GA, all truth... is revealing here is that he's glad it happened. Really, he's using this to "justify" his whinny, ignorant, alienated politics.
truth...., please tell us you're a Canadian.
By the way, truth..., don't try and distance yourself from Sigma.., you're both the same.
Jul 22, 2012 at 5:02 p.m.
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GA, all truth... is revealing here is that he's glad it happened. Really, he's using this to "justify" his whinny, ignorant, alienated politics.
truth...., please tell us you're a Canadian.
Jul 22, 2012 at 4:13 p.m.
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Maybe half of them but certainly not all of them.
Jul 22, 2012 at 4:06 p.m.
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This guy KNEW it was the last thing he was going to do, those others figured on going on and on..Thats the difference.
Jul 22, 2012 at 4 p.m.
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I never disagreed that it was "mental instability"..Like I said, lots of factors but lack of opportunities sometimes is the straw that breaks the cames's back.
He couldn't get a job to use his skills for good so he used them for evil..He probably committed himself to use his skills either way, as wrong as it was.
Very few think that way but some do.
Think Bonnie and Clyde for a distant example.
Jul 22, 2012 at 3:48 p.m.
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In other words, those others did it as "extracurricular" and this guy did it as his life's defining moment.
Jul 22, 2012 at 3:40 p.m.
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GoodAmerican- What all those others did they mostly did over extended periods of time and in secret and most with sexual motives, very much different from what this guy did.
Not really the same things.
I didn't say it was JUST because he didn't have a job either...Lots of factors, but the opportunity for gainful employment or lack thereof does wonders for/to lots of people.
Think about this: This guy didn't even seem to want to get away after the shooting.
Jul 22, 2012 at 3:20 p.m.
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Oh, yes, gfan, "courts of law" have really solved all problems, haven't they?...LOLOL
Jul 22, 2012 at 3:17 p.m.
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People don't really want to THINK about this stuff because Americans have wanted to live in their own happy-go-lucky, brainless, perfect world of fulltime entertainment for the last 30 years believing that being able to "vote" for Republicans and Democrats makes it all good.
Someone could decide to do this anywhere anytime.
Like I said, its a sheer miracle this doesn't happen far more often with this USA 2012 mess everyone has to deal with.
Jul 22, 2012 at 2:56 p.m.
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gfan- I'm really surprised at you admitting your inability to carry an argument, saying I'm in "Oprah nation", part of a "game", blah blah, whatever......and just plain giving up by saying "its metastasizing".
.
Sigma isn't too smart either..He/she asked on another post "why should we care about children who are not our own" as if no one should care about stopping a molester.
..Just great, eh??
Jul 22, 2012 at 2:36 p.m.
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It's metastasizing.
Jul 22, 2012 at 2:33 p.m.
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So this theater had the only 12 people die in America that day? Thanks to the media to making this guy a superstar, yes, even last night at the bar people were laughing and saying how awesome this was.....in the entertainment aspect. 2 different bars I overheard conversations similar. If they were dying or mad at everyone and wanted to go on a shooting spree, where would they do it? While it is completely messed up, this way of thinking is clearly not all that unordinary based on what ive seen in a brief time. With the overpopulation we have increasing, all the new and current laws, fines, fees, penalties...etc.. we are just manufacturing more and more people with a mindset that could be disastrous. We are all victims of our own society.
Jul 22, 2012 at 2:19 p.m.
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truth..., you really do reside in Oprah nation.
You people who live in Oprah nation have a problem with proportion when it comes to clear thinking.
What's cause for worry is how many people there are who think like you. People who are deficient in distinguishing truth from delusion.
Ask yourself why your "explanation" would not be used or acknowledged as mitigating in a court of law.
But most of all, ask yourself why the friends and family of the murder victims would think that you, yourself, have a severe problem. Not to mention the ones who were shot, maimed, and crippled, but survived.
Jul 22, 2012 at 12:46 p.m.
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It is truly amazing and a miracle that this doesn't happen FAR more often in this USA 2012 mess that people have to deal with.
Jul 22, 2012 at 12:27 p.m.
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gfan- I must also say I'm surprised at your use of "you people"..That is not an intelligent phrase at all.
Jul 22, 2012 at 12:08 p.m.
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gfan - There is absolutely no way you can "prove" he was going to do this had other circumstances in his life been different or had some intervention.
And, he's not the "king" of any people, just a highly disturbed person..Again,likely a "straw that broke the camel's back" situation.
With no opportunity to use his skills for good, he used them for evil.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:57 a.m.
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truth..., your blame-game "explanation" is only a milder version of the killer's "explanation" for what he did.
What he did proves that there is no way he was going to live out his life without doing something horrible -job or no job.
Really, really give it some thought. If anything external to him contributed to what he did, that thing is the same kind of distortion of cause and effect that you're exhibiting here. He took as support the kind of thinking that you and many others attempt to pass-off as explanatory. He wanted to be the king of you people.
From what you said, he succeeded.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:56 a.m.
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MBHammer- I'm proud of you, now you're starting to think for yourself.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:55 a.m.
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Gosh, we are all living on the edge? Watch your neighbors.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:53 a.m.
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Oblamer- I didn't say it wasn't rooted in deep psychological problems, yes, it probably is......but lack-of-opportunity is sometimes the straw that breaks the camel's back.
Or, another way of saying is, LOTS of people with psycho problems are in-check because they have something gainful to do....BUT those opportunities are severely limited in the USA 2012.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:48 a.m.
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MBHammer- Wow, I'm really surprised that you think your thinking is correct.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:43 a.m.
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truth1, My thinking is correct, you are not used to opposition.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:35 a.m.
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Oblamer- Long way from shoplifting to this....probably just boredom....This guy didn't do this out of boredom.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:33 a.m.
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Some jobless, hopeless people kill themselves, some kill themselves and others and some just kill others..This guy did the latter.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:29 a.m.
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MBHammer- You need to think a little deeper and use your own mind instead of others minds.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:27 a.m.
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gfan- Not everyone is affected the same by same cirumstances.
I still contend that if the guy had a gainful career he would not have done this and that the opportunity for that in this country has been reduced astronomically over the last 30 years.
I contend that the cause of a LOT of crime is lack of opportunity because our politicians choose self-interest over anything else.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:25 a.m.
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gazettefan, Thank you. truth1 needed that.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:17 a.m.
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truth.., if you think someone murders and wounds people as a result of being unemployed you are wrong -what about all those other unemployed people?. The enormity of what he did clearly shows that the cause was somewhere else -somewhere much deeper in his psyche. As a matter of fact, whatever his problem was, it is more sanely attributed to a severely distorted idea of cause and effect.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:17 a.m.
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Playing basketball usually doesn't create livelihoods the way paid work does.
Jul 22, 2012 at 11:09 a.m.
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truth1, kind of like the diversionary nighttime basket ball courts to reduce crime?
Jul 22, 2012 at 10:43 a.m.
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For 30 years, Democrats and Republicans have done nothing but pander to their own personal interests while destroying the opportunity for jobs and careers...This shooter was mad he couldn't get a good job with all his education..If he could have been actively involved in a career he possibly would not have done this.
Jul 22, 2012 at 10:28 a.m.
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Massive media attention to such events is not going to change. So, it is up to each individual to understand that counter-productive over-focus on bad things creates the belief that those bad things happen more often than they really do. And that such belief distorts reality.
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