It’s almost an article of faith among gun-control opponents that James Holmes went on his rampage in an Aurora theater because it was the only one close to his apartment that didn’t allow patrons to carry guns on the premises. Indeed, gun control opponents have almost reflexively shared an article by Fox News’ John Lott that argues Holmes chose the Century 16 at Town Center because he believed those in attendance would be “sitting ducks” to be assaulted by a heavily-armed man. Well, it turns out that talking point has been comprehensively debunked by none other than Holmes’ own diary.
Mark Follman of Mother Jones was among the first to view the diary when it was released last week. He happened to notice five pages in which Holmes laid out his plans in painstaking detail. He debated whether to attack a movie theater or an airport, and ultimately selected a movie theater because there would be too much security at an airport. While casing the Century 16, Holmes concluded the south side of the complex would be “optimal.” He narrowed his choices to theaters 10 and 12, and ultimately selected theater 10 because it was likely to have “many initial persons packed in (a) single area.”
What’s very telling is what wasn’t mentioned–the Century’s ban on guns. Indeed, it doesn’t look like this policy had anything to do with Holmes’ planning at all. For instance, when he selected theater 10, it wasn’t because of any supposed belief that those in that theater would be sitting ducks to be assaulted. It was because there were only two exits–thus minimizing the likelihood that anyone would get out alive. Follman also found something else–Holmes knew he was going to jail. There was a police station within roughly three minutes of the Town Center. He also wrote that he was “99 percent certain” that he would be arrested
Last year, a Mother Jones investigation found no relationship that mass shooters picked their targets because they happened to be “gun-free zones.” However, this diary is the strongest evidence yet that banning guns doesn’t make you more likely to be assaulted by a nut with a gun. I’d pay money to see the reaction on Lott’s face if he ever saw Holmes’ diary. Would he still be willing to say the Aurora victims were assaulted because they had the bad luck to be in a place where no one was allowed to carry?
