Since James Holmes killed 12 people and wounding 58 others during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" people have been nervous about going to theaters. Add to this violence the fact that there have been multiple robberies at Midnight showings of The Dark Knight Rises in Mexico as well as people causing panic in crowed theaters by yelling things out during the movies and one has to ask if you need to protect yourself when going to the movies.
Well this is a question that has been brought up a lot in the media as of recent.
The Denver Post reports that James G. Mapes was arrested at a Thornton, Colo. movie theater for wearing a holstered weapon on Sunday night. Thornton is 25 minutes from Aurora, Colo.
"I was a threat to no one," Mapes told the Post. "I didn't threaten anybody."
Mapes said he has a concealed-weapon permit. He was arrested after someone told police Mapes had a handgun in the movie theater.
"We are an open-carry state," Thornton police spokesman Matt Barnes said. "We look at the open-carry law and how it relates to this incident. He felt he was exercising his right to bear arms in an open-carry state, and we are currently reviewing that with our prosecutors."
This arrest comes on the heels of WSMV's story about three people who allegedly brought guns into a movie theater Friday night during a showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Cookville, Tenn.
The question that now lies with us is allowing common citizens who have permits to carry concealed firearms to do so possibly a deterrent? Or is it possible that just the sight of a gun in a movie theater is going to cause a panic that could cause people to become hurt?
This is the debate now raging in the United States and abroad. I personally am curious to see what the CBM community thinks about this topic. We have seen a few people voice their opinions more on the matter of defending The Dark Knight Rises, but lets step past that and focus on the larger picture. Weigh in with your thoughts below.