Gunman Shoots Two People in a Tampa Theater for Texting During a Movie
UPDATE via Twitter:
An argument over texting during a screening of Lone Survivor ended in a fatal shooting at a movie theater in Tampa, Florida today.
A couple was texting during the film, which led to an argument with a man sitting behind them. Witnesses say the argument escalated until the suspect pulled out a firearm and shot the texting man and his wife. The husband died from his gunshot wound and the wife's wounds are reportedly non-fatal.
"Their voices start going up, there seems to be a confrontation, somebody throws popcorn, then bang, he was shot," the witness -- a former Marine -- said. "He staggered two seats over, fell on my son and I."
Another witness told FOX 13 News, "I can't believe people would bring a gun to a movie. I can't believe they would argue and fight and shoot one another over popcorn or even a cell phone."
Yeah, no kidding. Of course the NRA and the pro-gun lobby will repeat the claim that "a good guy with a gun could've stopped the bad guy with a gun" -- and what could possibly go wrong in that scenario with a shootout inside a movie theater? Indeed, the only real solution is to ban firearms in public places, especially darkened movie theaters. And to avoid a lot of screeching about the Second Amendment, let's go with state-level laws.
Sure, it'd be nice to continue to enter a theater without TSA-style security checkpoints, but gun fetishists are ruining it for everyone. It's only a matter of time before there are metal detectors and backpack/purse searches, whether by law or by franchise rules.
