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Theater Shooting Re-Ignites Debate Over Gun Control

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - The theater shooting in Aurora has re-ignited the debate over gun control.

Nobody wants to see what happened in Aurora, but questions about what would've helped prevent or lessen the tragedy remain at the center of a highly charged, long running gun debate.

"There will always be arguments, both sides of the fence," Art Scherer from Denver said. "I'm not afraid of the gun, I'm afraid of the human behind it."

"How many more moments of silence do we have to have?" Rep. Diana DeGette said.

Stacy Dockstader was at a gun show in Douglas County to buy her first hand gun. She's had some training and plans to apply for a conceal carry permit.

"I don't ever want to be in a theater and feel vulnerable," Dockstader said.

Despite calls for sensitivity during a grieving period the gun control debate has worked its way into the presidential campaign.

"For me, I'm a strong defender of the Second Amendment," Mitt Romney said. "I don't believe we need new laws."

President Obama's statements center on enforcement of existing laws.

"I also believe that a lot of gun owners would agree that AK-47s belong in the hands of soldiers, not in the hands of criminals," Obama said.

While the president isn't pushing for changes immediately, the White House says he continues to support the reinstatement of the assault weapons ban.

DeGette, meantime, is standing with a group of Democratic lawmakers pushing for legislation that takes aim at high capacity ammunition clips.

"It's not the magazine, it's the person," Jack Schwartz from Parker said.

Schwartz spoke outside Saturday's gun show at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

"I don't think regulating guns and changing how many bullets we buy or the magazines that hold them is going to make an effect," Schwartz said. "If someone is going to kill someone, they're going to find a way."

The promoter of the gun show says attendance hasn't significantly increased or decreased when comparing this event to shows before the shootings.

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