Moviegoers at the Saco Cinemagic in Maine are counting their blessings today. According to the Portland Press Herald, a man who was today stopped by police for speeding was found with an arsenal in his trunk, on his way to shoot his former boss. He confessed to taking a loaded gun with him to a weekend screening of The Dark Knight Rises but not using it.
As movie theaters across the country start looking into their security measures, and amending their policies with regard to cosplay, will this narrow miss in Maine affect what patrons can bring into the theater with them? This man's gun was in his backpack, he was not in costume. Even under the new policies, he would not have been refused entry.
Most people only hide reduced priced snacks in their bags. I know that the right to bear arms is fiercely defended. I know that it is more than likely that a lot of the people I pass in a single day are armed. So why does it unnerve me that I could be in a confined movie theater with someone carrying a loaded weapon? Am I merely being reactionary in light of the Colorado shootings, or should I start petitioning for metal detectors at my local theater?
