The director of the movie "The Dark Knight Rises" released a statement today calling the Colorado shooting a "senseless tragedy." Christopher Nolan then went on to say something I believe is so true:

"I would not presume to know anything about the victims of the shooting, but that they were there last night to watch a movie. I believe movies are one of the great American art forms and the shared experience of watching a story unfold on screen is an important and joyful pastime. The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me."

People go to the movies to escape the reality of their everyday lives; to get lost in an often fictional story; to find excitement; to empathize with characters; to feel all sorts of emotions they often don't feel in the stress and structure of their daily routines. Today's tragedy attempts to destroy that feeling. Movies truly are one of the great American pastimes, and despite these awful events, I hope that belief remains.

In one of the deadliest mass shootings in recent U.S. history, 12 people were killed and nearly 60 were wounded during a screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado. The suspect, 24-year-old doctoral student James Holmes, opened fire inside the crowded theater. Investigators say he had an AR-15 military-style semi-automatic rifle, a shotgun and two pistols on him.

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said as a precaution, security has been increased today at 40 theaters showing the Batman movie. Kelly said the gunman painted his hair red and called himself the Joker. The suspect is in custody and a motive is unclear.

President Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney canceled campaign events today. Mayor Bloomberg reiterated his stance on tougher gun control laws, and called on the candidates to "stand up and tell us what they're going to do about it." What do you say?

What's your reaction to the shooting in a Denver suburb today? Do you support tougher gun laws? What questions do you want answered in this tragic event? Will it affect your decision to see the new Batman movie in theaters?

Send your thoughts using the link above.

The news of the tragic shooting at a Colorado movie theater showing the latest Batman movie is indeed an absolute horror.. Innocent people coming out to see a movie are now dead and injured -12 people died,with nearly 50 other people seriously injured. The deranged maniac who committed this heinous crime must be punished to the severest extent of the law. He should be given the death penalty -how could he deserve anything less for what he did? It seems that there is a callous disregard for human life ,and total loss of moral values in this country. Our society seems to be coming apart at the seams,and that certainly is not a very good thing at all. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families and friends of the dead and injured as well as for the dead and injured. Justice must be swift and severe for this 24 year old man who committed this awful crime.

John
Fresh Meadows

I'm sorry I can't actually call in on this as I will actually be seeing the movie at the time. I am very, very nervous, but, I will not let my fear drive me to hide. I imagine due to the length of what i'm about to say it will not air, but it is my hope that my message will at least be read by some in the NY1 newsroom.

I think the whole thing is unreal. We can't even enjoy movies anymore? This violence needs to end. Guns don't belong in the hands of anyone other then military and law enforcement officials. The 2nd Amendment people will argue for their rights. Well, the second amendment was created in an era much, much, much different to today's. Times change, laws should change with the times. Protecting oneself with a gun from another gun is absurd.

The sole purpose for this device, a gun is to inflict harm on another, either in a violent act or an act of self defense. There is no other purposeful use for it on this planet. I am sick and tired and angry of hearing about gun violence in this or any other country. A 3 month old was shot at this theater, a 3 month old!

You can train and train to you're blue in the face, but that won't do a bit of good if someone who is untrained gets their hands on a weapon. The world as a whole needs to make these weapons obsolete.

Remember when we were all kids and watched shows about "the future" and how we were supposed to be living in a utopian peaceful society? What happened? We're still killing each other like savages for no good reason. This needs to end. There's a whole ideology that we should, as a species be capable of peace and good but we keep finding ways to prove that we are not, and part, maybe a big part, maybe not, but part of it is due to the fact that people feel it is their duty to punch holes through others if they're offended or angry. That is simply not right. These weapons belong only to law enforcement and military, and thats it. You don't solve violence by enacting more violence. Guns should not be the answer to Guns, thats absolutely moronic.

And the media blaming the pop culture sector of society? I'm really tired of it. If someone reads a comic book with a violent scene in it and goes out and causes harm, that is not the fault of the comic book. Or the movie. Or The TV show. Or The Music. Or The Video Game. Its the fault of the perpetrator. Books and movies don't kill. People do. And if any one of these self described media psychologists knew what they were talking about before they read a 4 paragraph story on web-m.d. and declared them self an expert in the field, they'd know that the ideology behind heroes is to protect the innocent. Hell, Batman doesn't use guns specifically due to the fact that its what "created" him. I happily admit that I read comics, watch tv and movies and listen to music. Does any of it make me wanna go out and act violently? Not at all.

This act was carried out by a lone, crazed lunatic. To blame a piece of fiction on his actions is, in essence blinding ourselves from the fact that somewhere along the line, the system, whatever system it may be, failed him, and us. Now we are fearful. Instead of placing blame on groups who had nothing to do with it, lets look at how we can prevent someone from ever getting their hands on a weapon ever again. The violence needs to end. Not tomorrow, not 3 weeks from tomorrow, it needs to stop NOW.

This cannot be the face the world sees when they think of our country. Its been our face for far too long. And I for one am tired of it.

Luke Crisalli, Grant City

First off condolences go out to the victims and their families, it is a real mirror on our society when people can't go to a movie without fear of random violence. As for the reaction here in the city, it just plays into the current administrations fear mongering and of course the Mayor and Police Commissioner will use this to further their own agendas. Since this was a white, college education male from a "good home" all of the policies and tactics the Mayor and Kelly like to use would have been useless in this case. Because this wasn't some inner-city Black or Hispanic young man they are going to look far and wide for a reason why one of their perfect robots went haywire and killed innocent people. Gun control doesn't seem like it would have stopped someone like this since he was clearly not a dummy and his house is still wired up with explosives that they haven't been able to disarm. Canada has as many guns as we do in America and rarely has these kind of problems, and no one ever asks why. Clearly we lack any system of identifying and treating people with dangerous mental illnesses, but can get a hold of body armor, guns, gas masks and tear gas grenades. The answer is that people in this country still hate and fear people of other colors and backgrounds enough that they feel the need to have guns, and everyone can tap dance around that if they won't but it won't change a thing.

Now this guy is going to become the televised monster of the week, and the circus can begin. Authorities like Kelly have already started calling the shooter the Joker, so they have a clown for their three-ring circus already. The pundits and politicians have already started circling the carnage like vultures and at the end of the day this will just die out when the news cycle gets bored. And somewhere down the road it will happen again, and in usual United States fashion everyone will rush to put a band-aid on a gaping wound. People like this aren't created in a vacuum, and if it takes a village to raise a child then this country is raising monsters.

RL
The Bronx

I absolutely support tougher gun laws. The only guns that should be out there should belong to police departments and security firms and prison guards. Getting guns is as easy as buying food in a lot of places. They get into the hands of insane people. This tragedy would have been prevented if guns weren't readily available. How much longer do we sit back and watch as deranged people take their issues out on our vulnerable society? We must do something to prevent the general public from ever having to go through something like this again. Prayers and thoughts are with the families affected by this psychopath.

Jessica Arden Heights

As per usual, I predict there will be a plethora of laws proposed, if not enacted, to control the sale of guns. Or ban them.

As if this will somehow stop incidents like happened in Colorado. Just remember this:

If guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns.

Modernized by me: and also the cops who also frequently get out of control.
But no one ever says after a Sean Bell type shooting that the cops should be disarmed or be regulated.

Joe
Port Richmond, SI

I bet they wish they had stop & frisk in Aurora, CO. I'm waiting for DVDs from now on.

Jimmy from the Bronx.

I wonder if a cop stopped, questioned and frisked this guy, would this have happened? Probably not.

Mel, Staten Island

The 2nd Amendment permitting for individuals to own guns and to form a militia is outdated.

Perhaps it is reasonable for a person without criminal or mental health issues to own a gun. Also, people should be able to have a rifle for target and hunting.

There should be NO reason for automatic weapons or the larger magazines which are often used in these cases. Also no weapons, bullets, etc. which are commonly thought of as "cop killers" or a danger to law enforcement.

How is the gun lobby so powerful that no elected officials except a wealthy big city mayor like Bloomberg the only one willing to speak out against this?!!!

Rob from UES.

This guy wouldn't have been on Bloomberg's and Kelly's Stop-and-Frisk radar. Doesn't quite fit their profile, does he?

Frances
East Village

To be sure - absolutely NO ONE has the right to fire their gun at someone for any reason other than self defense. What happened in Colorado is a travesty and this lunatic should have the book thrown at him.

But, I fear that Bloomberg will use this as an excuse to continue to illegally deprive LAW ABIDING New Yorkers their Constitutionally protected right to keep and bear firearms. No law abiding citizen should be deprived of ANY rights guaranteed by our Constitution.

Victor
Manhattan

It's sad, and my condolences to the relatives of those who died, wishing the injured
persons a speedy recovery. I feel lots of people are frustrated over things like
not being able to obtain a job. People are going nuts ! It's sad but how come
persons are being able to obtain THOSE TYPES OF DANGEROUS GUNS ?

Ruthann
Queens

It is very sad to hear about this shooting and my sympathy goes out to the victims. My question, since this is a major act of violence is why is this being called a Massacre and not terrorism?! I feel that the media here only use the term Terrorism with a certain group of people and the public should know that Terrorists such as this 24 yr old man bears no race or geography.

Nora
Forest Holls, NY

Finally a sensible person who is not riddled by political correctness. Melanie from Wakefield, I applaud your intelligence and common sense.

And, though in a perfect world a total ban on guns would work, this is not a perfect world; I really don't believe that this would keep guns out of the hands of criminals. They always seem to find a way around the laws.

Keith, Inwood

The president said this wasn't a time for politics, but when is it going to be the right time to talk about the gun problem in America? When this happens again? The president gets an F when it comes to working on gun control.

Emilio, Harlem

So Republicans have no problem having everybody register to vote and demand presentation of a state issued ID to vote - even though voter fraud (error) is 0.00004 percent !

But background checks and 24 hour waiting periods for gun purchases ?
NO NO NO

Where are the priorities of our elected officials ?

Jerry

It is becoming a scary world if you cannot even watch a movie in peace. what next shootings at the beach, sporting events, etc. They should install metal detectors where a mass amount of people converge. Obviously the world is getting worse as time goes on.

Paula from Staten island

The fact this nut got guns so easily and on the internet shows this country's gun laws are just as nuts. Get all the information from him and give him a lethal injection next week and then change the gun laws to make them impossible to get.

Thomas

The fact that somebody is allowed to purchase 4 guns over a 60 period is appalling! Assuming a background check was done with each gun, shouldn't 4 guns sound an alarm to somebody? Also, ammunition should NOT be sold on the internet... that is just insane.

Kimberly
Jackson Hts

The fact this nut got guns so easily and on the internet shows this country's gun laws are just as nuts. Get all the information from him and give him a lethal injection next week and then change the gun laws to make them impossible to get.

Tom in Mt. Vernon

Often after a tragedy we try to find a way to make sense of the loss and fix it but gun control is not it. We had a mentally ill man who would have found any way he could have to harm people legally or otherwise. The gun is a tool that serves hero and villain alike. Gun control only affects law abiding citizens and it will not eliminate the black market arms which are far more powerful than civilian versions. If you want to see yourself protect your home with a bat against a group of criminals armed with AK47’s that is all the gun control will achieve.

Rafael
Briarwood, NY.

We keep seeing these terrible tragedies in America and the discussions on why they happen and how to stop them. For an English person it seems so simple. If you don't want people to shoot each other don't let them have guns. In a civilized society only very few people need them. America is out of step with the rest of the world in insisting that everyone has aright to bear arms. I've just heard someone on your program say guns don't kill people. He is right, people use guns to kill people. Get rid of them. He had 4. Who needs 4? Don't just control them. Close the gun shops,get rid of the guns or get used to the tragedies.

Anthony

I suspect after this incident that some corporate lobbyists will be pushing for movie theater security "security theater".

These things will unfortunately happen occasionally around the world, regardless of gun laws.

This is a horrific outrage, but calls to make sure incidents like this "will never happen again" would result in an unsupportable change of basic American values across the country.

Like Chris Rock says, "Some folks are just crazy."

John
East Village

This shooting in Colorado was a senseless tragedy -- my heart goes out for all those involved. However, let's not use this to cheer on the STOP & FRISK procedures used by the NYPD as the answer to all as I have heard here tonight. First of all this shooter would never have been stopped as he was in costume as well as others at the theatre and in addition to that point -- he was not a minority.

Lisa

The second amendment has been too oppressed. If more guns were strapped to the side of the average American, tragedies like this would be stopped by a citizen far quicker than any officer could arrive.

Jared

the shooting that took place is very sad my comment is 2 the last call who said police should stop and check ppl I say no why cuz all police in every state only target blacks and Spanish people if that law was in affect he still would have walk in there and did what he did

Charles
Bklyn

I recall the late Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan from New York had an idea for a law related to the control on the sales of ammunition. For a person to be allowed to purchase that many rounds of ammunition someone in the firearms industry whether online or at a retail location should be required to alert the Federal and local Authorities. With access to a database for such information to be reported and investigated, maybe this tragedy could have prevented.

John, Oakwood

There should be stricter gun laws but not so much so that it violates our rights. For instance there is no reason why an average citizen should have a fully/semi automatic rifle, a handgun should be suffice as far as I'm concerned in order to protect your home. Hunting rifles are also fine but fully/semi automatic rifles is where you should draw the line. As far as it effecting my movie going experience it doesn't affect me because this guy was nuts period. Using the whole ”Joker” stitch BS is just a sick joke of his to blame it on the media, kinda like the witch hunts of the 80's in heavy metal music.

Adrian

It is very telling that the statement from the family of James Holmes did not express that they were shocked by his actions. Be assured that it will come out that he has been severely mentally ill for years, most likely from childhood.

Just look at the latest photo and his high school picture. His eyes have that strange, abnormal look in his eyes that the severely mentally ill have. If he sat next to me on the subway, I would change cars.

That people do not have knowledge on how to deal with a severely mentally ill family member or they want to pretend it doesn’t exist, is the real problem. If there had been some attention given his mental illness, he would not have been allowed to buy the guns legally. Of course he could buy guns illegally, but it would have been an obstacle.

I am firmly for gun control but the vast majority of people who carry guns harm nobody.

Simone - Manhattan

We as a country need to get real with gun laws!!!! I am tired of hearing we have gun laws. Our country needs to ban assault weapons and hand guns. Whether it a kid in Brooklyn or a maniac in Colorado there is know need for the everyday citizens to have weapons of this type. These weapons should only be used by the military. If you hunt you can have 1 licensed rifle and if you get a new one the old needs to be turned in a destroyed. STOP the INSANITY!!!!!!

Tom

Charles in Stuyvesant Town: Since this occurred now, at the time when there is a Presidential race going on, the Secret Service should take care: This is eerily similar to how John Wilkes Booth killed President Lincoln - in a dark theater, with a gun, and both men even used a noisy part of the show. Coincidence?

"X" SAID IT THE BEST ; "CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST".

BOOM

First, I would like to thank President Obama for making the HUMAN statement; "...hug your children a bit tighter...", and not politicizing the tragedy in Colorado. Secondly, I would like to ask Mayor Bloomberg to remain quite. I do understand that he is for stronger gun control, and I thank him for that; yet this is the end of his THIRD TERM! If he had placed as much effort behind GUN CONTROL as he had behind TRAFFIC CONTROL, he could have started a real movement.

And most importantly, please educate NY1 viewers!!! Stopping a person from buying guns online; making them have a background check; and NOT SELLING AUTOMATIC WEAPONS and DRUM clips online (or at all) is CONTROLLING the sale of guns; it is not taking away your Constitutional rights.

EDWARD from BROOKLYN