Legislators have tried to ban 100-round ammo-drum magazines similar to the one that was used in Aurora.
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In the end, criminal laws have a dual function. They seek to prevent crime, but they also send a message: This is where we draw the line. We do not permit this in our society. We think it is excessive. In this case, there is absolutely no rational or sporting reason for an individual to have a semiautomatic weapon or a gun clip that can fire 50 to 100 rounds at a time. Recent polling by Frank Luntz indicates that despite the NRA's official positions, vast majorities of gun owners favor stricter background checks--including a ban on the sale of guns to persons on the government's terrorist watch list--and gun-safety training, especially for those seeking permits to carry concealed weapons.
As the President said, we need to have a conversation about these gun laws and the mental-health system--and a larger conversation as well about how we stay coherent as a society, how we establish our common bonds and maintain a sense of community in a time when all the technological signals are pointing us toward a relentless, unmitigated individualism that could slowly lapse into social anarchy. I suspect, though, that in the current atmosphere, any reasonable conversation about the logical limits of our freedoms, and where our civic responsibilities should begin, is well beyond the reach of these two candidates and these two parties.
THE VICTIMS.
THE 12 WHO DIED IN THE AURORA MASSACRE
Jessica Ghawi
Ghawi, a 24-year-old aspiring sports journalist, described herself as Southern and sarcastic
Alex Teves
Teves, 24, successfully protected his girlfriend, covering her during the barrage
A.J. Boik
Eighteen-year-old Boik had recently graduated from high school in Aurora
Micayla Medek
Medek's parents told the Los Angeles Times that the 23-year-old had been saving money to travel abroad
Alex Sullivan
Sullivan was attending the film as part of a 27th-birthday celebration days before his first wedding anniversary
Jon Blunk
Blunk, a 26-year-old veteran, saved his girlfriend by shielding her before he was shot
Gordon Cowden
Cowden, 51, was the oldest victim. He took his two teenage children to see the movie
Rebecca Ann Wingo
The 32-year-old mother of two went to the movie with a friend, who survived
Jesse Childress
Injured in the theater, Childress later died in the hospital. The 29-year-old was an Air Force reservist
John Larimer
Larimer, 27, was a Navy cryptologic technician stationed at Aurora's Buckley Air Force Base
Matt McQuinn
McQuinn, 27, was killed while protecting his girlfriend, who was shot in the knee but survived
Veronica Moser Sullivan
Just 6 years old, Veronica was the youngest victim