Answers for Aurora

I don't have them, at least not any that will bring satisfaction.

Gun control must be the answer right?  Wrong.  All criminals have one universal thing in common, they are willing to break the law to accomplish their goals.  Be it money, fame, or maybe, like Alfred said "they just want to watch the world burn."  Regardless of what motivates individual criminals, they are all willing to break the law to accomplish their objectives.  Making guns illegal only takes them out of the hands of those who respect the law.  Laws do not dictate the behavior of the lawless.

Ahh well if it's not gun control, then we must need more legally armed citizens. Wrong again.  The sad truth is the vast majority of concealed carry permit holders have received no training beyond the course needed to obtain the permit (what a joke that class is).  Of the few who do actively practice with their firearm of choice, most consider popping off some rounds at the gun range every other week is sufficient training.  In a smokey theatre filled with wildly panicking human beings, and untrained citizen with a gun is far more likely to hit an innocent bystander as he/she is to hit the attacker.  

Then you have the select few the less than 1% of permit holders who actually train daily.  Not just with their firearm, but with their entire system.  The mind, the body, and the hardware.  It's not enough to be a good shot if you don't see danger coming.  It's not enough to see danger coming if you don't have the instincts, bread through training, to react to it.  It's not enough to react to the danger if your equipment fails you, and it will, at the worst possible moment.  These few cannot be the answer either, at least not all the time.  There are simply not enough of them to go around.  I will discuss what all goes into being that sub 1% at another time, this is not their story.

So what is the answer?  First let me give you a quick rundown of concealed carry and why it might have stopped this rampage before it reached its zenith.  However, I will go one step further and tell you why it likely would not have.  Bear in mind the laws I reference are generally very similar from state to state, but I speak from an understanding of my local state's laws (not Colorado's).

A concealed carry permit holder is not obligated to engage anyone ever.  They are in fact very limited in when they can use their firearm.  As a general rule, in a public place, you must be defending against a direct and immediate threat to yourself or your family.  A responsible, trained person, understands that in a situation like the Aurora theatre, your first obligation is to get your family out safe.  If you can do that without engaging the gunman then you do it.  You get them out to safety and you have done your job.  Not very heroic right?  That depends on your point of view, but it is not your job, as a civilian, to defend anyone but yourself and your family.  Permit or no, gun or no, if you can get your family out of there without engaging the gunman you do it.  There are those among us who chose not to carry the means to defend themselves against an armed threat.  I support their choice, but I won't risk my family to save them.  The police and military have the obligation to defend those who cannot or will not defend themselves, as an armed civilian your responsibility is to your family.

That being said, if you were in the aisle or near the line of fire and could not get your family to safety without exposing them to fire, then you get them to whatever cover you safely can (if any) and engage the gunman.  It is at this point where the trained fall back on instinct and the untrained falter.  You have everything working against you, firepower: advantage gunman, planning/terrain: advantage gunman, cover/panicked human shields: advantage gunman, willpower/training: this is your only chance to influence the outcome and survive.  If you don't know how to draw your gun from a seated position, if you are not comfortable with your holster and how it works, if you cannot avoid tunnel vision that prevents you from seeing the innocent victim who is about to step into your line if fire, if you cannot squeeze rather than jerk the trigger, if you cannot hit a target the size of a CD at a range of 10 yards the first time every time, then you are trusting blind luck to keep you and your family alive.

Could such a man have stopped the killer before he finished his spree?  You bet.  Is it likely? No sir.  I would however say that one of the trained and experienced few, could have stopped him, in fact would have been likely to have stopped him, except for one thing.... Those few avoid places that do not permit firearms, therefore you would not find them in that theatre.

The fact is there is no answer.  Someone that hell-bent on violence will find a way to accomplish it.  The best you can hope for is that you are able to see it coming and get your family out safe, or worst case scenario engage and stop it if it's heading your way.  If you want to survive sometimes you have to be a little paranoid.  Don't sit right next to the exit (where you have zero reaction time to someone walking in and opening fire).  Don't patronize establishments that prevent you and your fellow citizens from bringing the means to protect themselves.  Don't allow yourself to become so transfixed on any one thing (movie screen, stop light etc) that you fail to maintain awareness of your surroundings.  These things improve your chances, but there are no guarantees in this world. 

Of course, there are those who will go above and beyond.  Men and women who put themselves in harms way to help others.  They are not always soldiers and/or police, even out of this tragedy we begin to hear stories of heroism.  I am a firm believer that good men cannot stand by and allow evil to prevail.  Not having been there it's difficult to make a judgement call about what should have or could have been done.  As for me, I believe I would have escorted my party to safety, and then evaluated the next move.  Ever mindful that one panicked movie goer in the wrong place at the wrong time would mean the difference between stopping a killer and sharing a cell with him.