Families continued to grieve over the weekend for the 12 lost and dozens injured after a gunman opened fire in an Aurora, Colo., theater early Friday morning.
After looking at the large arsenal James Holmes collected to carry out the crime, the conversation on TV talk shows was about gun control, crime prevention and the 2nd Amendment.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized President Barack Obama for a first term without any real effort regarding gun control.
"The president has spent the last three years trying to avoid the issue, or if he's facing it, I don't know of anybody who has seen him face it," Bloomberg, a supporter of increased restrictions on weapons access, said Sunday on CBS's "Face the Nation."
Bloomberg also noted presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney's shifting stance on gun laws as the New York mayor called for this to be a more prominent topic of discussion in the 2012 race.
"This really is an enormous problem for the country, and it's up to these two presidential candidates," Bloomberg said. "They want to lead this country, and they've said things before that they're in favor of banning things like assault weapons. Where are they now and why don't they stand up? And if they want our votes, they better."
According to The Huffington Post, the alleged Colorado shooter, James Holmes, acquired his arsenal of weapons, ammunition and body armor over a several month period from the internet and brick-and-mortar stores alike. His purchases did not raise any red flags.
Proponents of gun rights, however, argue that a vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding citizens and that criminals who commit these kinds of massacres aren't obeying laws already in place so wouldn't obey stricter ones either.
Dudley Brown, executive director of Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, commented on Holmes' 6,000 rounds of ammunition for an assault rifle.
"If I only had 6,000 rounds for my AR-15s, I'd literally feel naked," Brown said, according to The Huffington Post. Holmes' arsenal included "two handguns, a shotgun and a rifle. That's the average male in Colorado."
The Associated Press spoke with Colorado State Rep. Mike Waller, a Republican who says the state shouldn't limit the purchase of ammunition. But he saw a worthy debate over the protective gear worn by Holmes during the shootings.
"Is that what the right to bear arms means, that you can purchase tactical gear to stop law enforcement from preventing you from perpetrating a crime?" Waller said to the AP. "In the days and weeks to come, this is going to be a significant conversation."
So, how does this crime shift the debate on gun control? Take the poll and tell us more in the comments section below.
