TORONTO – The public has not shifted their view on gun control or gun rights following the mass shooting in an Aurora, Colorado movie theatre that left 12 people dead and 58 others injured, according to a new study.
The study, released on Monday by Pew Research, found that 47 per cent of people say it is more important to control gun ownership, while 46 per cent say it’s more important to protect the rights of American’s who choose to own guns.
These results are almost unchanged from a survey released in April of this year asking the same questions, in which 45 per cent felt gun control was more important and 49 per cent prioritized gun rights.
24-year-old James Holmes has been charged with a total of 142 counts in the shooting rampage at a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado.
Holmes faces two first-degree murder charges for each of the 12 people killed and two attempted first-degree murder charges for each of the 58 injured during the July 20th shooting.
Research also shows that these mass public shootings, such as the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, do not promote an feeling of unease within the public because they are viewed as isolated events.
For example, 47 per cent of those surveyed thought the Virginia Tech shooting, which left 32 dead and 17 injured, was merely an isolated act done by a troubled individual.
Sixty-seven per cent felt the Aurora shooting was an isolated event.
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