'Normal people' are actually not the majority of conceal carry owners. I know tons of them, most are serious gun enthusiasts and great shots, and at least half the ones I know are ex-military, had parents who were police or military, are spouses of cops, etc. Roughly 1 in 30 people in Ohio have concealed carry permits now, and the number has been rising sharply for the last three years, more than doubling. So don't assume had people been allowed to bring guns in to the theater it would be a decent-ish chance 1 person might have had one, think more like there's have been a 2-4% chance any given person there would have, with odds of a crowded 1-200 person showing of a movie that by R-rating mostly would have adults putting it at anywhere from 2-10 armed persons.



Not ideal but hardly bad shooting conditions, if you can see the person, you can shoot them. People described him in accurate detail, more than enough to draw a bead.



I really doubt most people even were effected by the tear gas, a theater is a big spot with a lot of volume, and again, if you can see him, you can shoot him, and they saw him. Quick note though, movie tear gas is not real life tear gas, about the only times it terribly fucks you up is prolonged exposure when it really starts sticking to you and your various internal bits, or when the dosage is massively concentrated. I've been tear gassed a disgusting number of times, I can't think of it ever impacting my visions worse than a bad day of allergies... which I definitely have had to put up with on gun ranges since some of those places are pollen death traps and once the dust and gunsmoke starts kicking in... yuck. I really doubt anyone who wasn't with a couple yards of the canisters got more than 'allergy level' effect, not even severe, tear gas goes right with concentration, a 10x10x10 unventilated room is going to be absolute suck if you throw a canister in, a 20x20x20 would be 1/8th the suck. One say 50 wide by 100 long by 25 high, a fairly small theater, the effects is going to 1% of that original case... except that theaters have really good ventilation. And that's not a big theater, in fact it's one that not going to have any spots in it that qualify as a hard shot with a pistol.



Kevlar vest only protect the stuff right under it. So the gun in front of you, the hands holding it, your head, your groin, your forearm holding the gun or not, your thighs... also kevlar ain't that reliable. More, getting hit while in one, if your're not braced and ready for it, is going to feel like someone walking up to shake you hand fisted you in the gut instead. It is going to feel like a major league pitcher just bounced one of you. BEsides the fact that most people duck and flinch when being fired at, even when missed, which generally makes them shoot less, and that body amror doesn't cover you everywhere and isn't 100%, every bullet it going to feel like someone clocked you one.




Well it wasn't simple, but more guns would almost certainly have made things better. You're wrong, anyone saying it is wrong, and any 'expert' saying it needs to be asked 'does that include you?' and if they say yes they need firing. A crowded theater is not place for a firefight, but that only applies to hostage situations, if the bastard is gleefully shooting everyone then a firefight will almost certainly reduce casualties even if the shooter isn't killed or wounded.