Following a mass shooting at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado on July 20 that left 12 killed and 58 injured, teenagers have raised concerns about movie theater safety.
“I feel a little nervous to go to the movies now,” University High senior Vivian Le said. “Especially after the shooting at the Dark Knight premiere, I especially don’t want to go watch that movie.”
In the shooting that occurred around 12:35 a.m., a 24-year-old suspect walked into the movie theater, threw a gas mask and started firing. Of the 58 in the hospital, around ten people are said to be in critical condition. Other teenagers say they have concerns on the safety of the movie theatre in general.
“I always thought movie theatres were a little ‘sketchy’ because of the darkness but I did not imagine anything like this at all,” Woodbridge High sophomore Yujin Lee said. “I cannot even imagine how the victims and their families feel now.”
Warner Bros Studios released a statement saying the company has donated “substantial” amounts of money to the victims and their families. In addition, Time Warner has declined to release the movie’s gross income out of respect for the victims.
Some believe, however, that fears of the movie and a reoccurrence of the tragedy are unfounded.
“This has happened once so I’m pretty sure it will not happen again in any other location,” Woodbridge High senior Stacy Hong said. “Hopefully, no one will have to endure this tragedy again.”
Most say they still plan to go watch the movie and focus on the real purpose of a movie.
“I’m still going to go watch it,” Lee said. “I’m going to go with my friends, try to forget about what happened (in Colorado) and focus on having a good time enjoying the action.”
I really liked the way you incorporated alot of people’s thoughts into it. It really helped me get a insight to how others thought about it.