A Colorado gun group is planning a rally in Aurora on the first anniversary of the theater shooting which killed 12 people and injured 70 more.Executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners Dudley Brown says the event is a counter-rally in opposition to the Mayors Against Illegal Guns event being held this Friday – at the same time, in the same park.
"We'll be answering Mayor Bloomberg," Brown said.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns, which includes New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, is holding an event in remembrance of those killed on July 20, 2012, as a screening of “The Dark Night Rises.” Survivors and families of those who died will address the attendees. They will read the names of victims and then hold a moment of silence at 12:38 a.m. Saturday, when the gunman opened fire at the Century Aurora 16.
"It's an opportunity for the community to come together and remember the 12 who were killed and 70 others injured," Mayors Against Illegal Guns outreach and policy associate Stephen Barton told the Denver Post.
“Rocky Mountain Gun Owners is attending this event to show Bloomberg that his radical east coast anti-gun agenda is not supported by Coloradans,” said Danielle Thompson, a spokeswoman for the National Association for Gun Rights, who also helps the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners group with media.
Mayors Against Illegal Guns has supports gun control measures, including limiting the capacity of magazines and outlawing semi-automatic weapons.
The lone suspect in the Aurora shooting, James Eagan Holmes, pleaded not guilty in March to 24 counts of first-degree murder, 116 counts of attempted murder, possession of explosive devices, and inciting violence. The motive for the shooting is unclear.
Ten movie-goers were killed at the scene, and two later died in local hospitals. The oldest victim was 32; the youngest, Veronica Moser-Sullivan, was just six years old.
Sources: Denver Post, Politico Reported by Opposing Views 14 hours ago.