Who Will Defend Your Children From Psychos?

I stood stunned, as did countless others as the tragic events unfolded around the shootings at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. Twenty-four year old James Eagan Holmes, undoubtedly a sick and twisted individual, opened fire in a crowded movie theater killing 12 people and wounding scores more.

What really struck me about this incident is that not a single person stood to oppose him. Not a single concealed carry permit holder, in a state with one of the highest concealed firearms permits rates in the nation, returned his fire. Then it occurred to me that this theater, owned by Cinemark, was likely following the same trend as my local Westates theater and preventing the carrying of firearms by licensed concealed carry holders.

Don’t get me wrong; I am not some crazy vigilante with an itchy trigger finger spoiling for a gun fight. I have been trained by some of the finest firearms instructors in the world. I have been screened by the state police, the FBI, and a host of other government agencies. I have trained cops, feds, civilians, movie stars, politicians, and news personalities for more than 18 years. I pray to God that I never have to shoot anyone. But I do carry a gun every day wherever I go.

Several months ago, I noticed a sign on the door of our local Westates movie theater, the sign in the photo above, that prohibits carrying firearms in their theaters. They are a private company and can make whatever rules they want on their premises. I don’t have to go to their theaters, and I don’t. I refuse to place myself in a dangerous confined space with no means of defending myself or others against a madman who doesn’t care about rules.

When James Eagan Holmes dressed in body armor and a gas mask armed himself, he didn’t care that Cinemark had a policy against carrying firearms into their theater. He also didn’t care that shooting people is against the law. No matter what rules or laws existed, he was determined to go on a rampage to kill, maim, and terrorize as many people as he could, and rules and laws be damned.

In an incident just three days prior, 71-year old Samuel Williams defended the patrons of the Palms Internet Cafe against two armed criminals by drawing his concealed firearm and shooting them several times. One of these criminals was pointing a gun at the back of a patron’s head when Williams shot him. The patrons of the Palms Internet Cafe were all saved, and none were even injured.

Were I in a movie theater and this kind of shooting took place, I would fire back. I have trained for this, I practice this, I routinely place multiple shots in rapid succession on a head sized target under stress so I can respond to just this kind of incident. I teach others to do the same. I shove them while they are engaging a target to simulate shooting while rushing crowds run by them. I blow smoke from a cigar in their face while making them run and shoot simultaneously to simulate shooting with distractors and noxious substances assaulting their senses. I scream at the top of my lungs while they engage multiple targets, yelling confusing commands to simulate the chaos that can occur in an active shooter situation. This is what I and others committed to protecting the flock from the wolves do on a regular basis.

James Eagan Holmes was wearing body armor. If I hit him in the chest with several rounds, he would have gone down. At the very least I would have drawn his fire. He would have been shooting at me instead of randomly firing on the children in the theater. He would have been very occupied in dealing with another threat rather than shooting defenseless moviegoers.  This would have put me in very grave danger of death or serious injury. It would have made me his primary target. It might likely have gotten me killed, but it would have allowed others to escape. I am okay with that. That is why I carry a gun. That is why I am a sheepdog. I am prepared to lay my life on the line to defend the sheep from the wolves.

But Westates movie theaters won’t let me.  They have created a free fire zone where armed criminals can rain down terror and death unopposed. See, as a sheepdog, I obey the law. But I also avoid placing myself in free fire zones. So, when the death and destruction come knocking on the door of the theater, when your children are at risk and taking incoming fire, I won’t be there. I will be watching a movie safe at home on DVD. And later on, when I hear about their death, I will weep, and I will pray and I will wish to almighty God that I could have been there to stop it, and I would gladly exchange my life for their fresh and endless potential that was snuffed out because of a sick minded individual and a stupid senseless policy.

Dan Kidder