she was spared in another mass shooting just last month in toronto. blogging about it after, where she wrote, every second of every day is a gift. after saturday evening, i know i truly understand how blessed i am for each second i am given. it is heartwrenching to even read that. >> nothing else to say. a very sad story. stay with cnn for continuing coverage. i'm wolf blitzer in "the situation room." when he came in, i just thought he was some kind of prop. >> first we thought he was part of the movie. >> he let off a canister of gas and it exploded. he shot up in the air and everybody started to panic. >> there's a gunman and he's shooting everyone. >> came down with his gun in my face. >> we have to get out here. >> 71 people were shot. 12 are deceased. i'm john avlon. erin's on assignment in africa

tonight. we're going to take you out to the scene with don lemon in a second but first let's get you up to speed. breaking news in aurora, colorado, in that movie theater shooting massacre that went down less than 24 hours ago. the largest mass shooting ever in the united states. it has shate shaken that commund stunned the country. and the world watches. at this very moment. as they've been all day. officers with the bomb squad wearing tactical gear are surrounding what they're calling the booby trapped apartment of the accused gunman. trying not to blow up themselves and an entire neighborhood. right now we're learning a lot more about the young man who police say not only rigged that apartment with explosives but in cold blood murdered 12 people and injured 59 more. they were mothers. fathers. children. u.s. troops and students. enjoying the midnight showing of the latest batman movie "the dark knight rises." when this man, james eagan holmes, dressed in riot gear,

burst into the packed theater through an emergency door. he set off two canisters, possibly filled with tear gas, and opened fire. holmes was a ph.d. candidate in the neuro science program at the university of colorado. but according to the university, the 24-year-old was in the process of withdrawing. prior to today, holmes only brush with the law was a speeding ticket from last year. he's expected to appear in court for the first time on monday. now to how events unfolded inside the theater. the chaos erupting about 30 minutes into the movie. at 12:39 local time according to "the denver post." >> shooting at century theaters. 300 east alameda avenue. they say somebody's shooting in the auditorium. there is at least one person that's been shot but they're saying there's hundreds of people just running around. >> within a minute, a minute and a half, police were on the scene.

>> out of one of the theaters, we were seeing s.w.a.t. vehicles rolling up here -- >> 15, i've got seven down. >> copy, we'll notify fire, seven down in theater nine. >> give me some officers in nine so we can get the, the movable victims out. >> according to scanner traffic, holmes was spotted around 12:45 a.m. he was arrested shortly there after in the parking lot behind the theater. still wearing a bulletproof vest, helmet and gas mask. four weapons were recovered at the scene. they were all purchased legally over the last six months. they include an ar-15 assault rifle, which was left behind in the theater. investigators found a drum magazine capable of carrying 100 rounds. which suggest that the suspect was aiming for a high body count. they also found a .40 caliber glock handgun. it had a clip though the size of the magazine is unknown. a remington 870 shotgun that cab hold up to seven rounds. now, let's send it out to don lemon in aurora, colorado. don, what can you tell us about the suspect? what was he wearing, what did he

look like? >> i'm going to talk to ed lavandera about that in a bit but i want to set the scene it just over my shoulder is the century 16 cinema where "the dark knight rises" was playing last night when the gunman burst in. this is the largest shooting, mass shooting, in u.s. history, that gunman, we're learning more information about him and exactly how it went down. as you asked, john, ed lavandera is here to tell us more. what are you hearing about his gun, about his past, about him being a student in neuro sciences? >> we're told by a law enforcement source a few hours ago that the guns were purchased legally here in the denver area. two of them were bought at a bass pro shop. and then there's a couple different towns, one here in aurora, mountain store, they were bought legally, all the paperwork squared away. that was one of the first things investigators tried to figure out, where these guns came from. >> there was a shotgun.

an assault rifle. two handguns. were they glocks, automatic -- >> -- calibecaliber, the rifle, the ar-15 rifle -- and a shotgun, excuse me. also what is called a drum magazine. for those who don't know, it's a magazine that is capable of carrying up to 100 rounds of ammuniti ammunition. clearly, a great deal of firepower. >> let's go to the events now. how did he get in? did he sneak in through the back door? did he buy a ticket? >> a law enforcement source told us a little while ago as well, what they think happened here is that 24-year-old james holmes bought a ticket like everybody else. there were four movie theaters in the theater building that were screening the movie last night. he bought a ticket, walked into theater number nine just like anybody else. at some point, he gets up and exits, sneaks out that exit door, which was just to the right of the movie screen.

>> wearing full gear? >> no, no -- >> he wasn't? he was dressed normally -- >> like anybody else, nothing suspicious from what we can tell. his car is parked behind the building. pretty close to this corner over here. his white hyundai. and we're told by this law enforcement source that's where he gears up and he has all that -- from head to toe, he's covered in that ballistic gear. and the gas mask. he grabs three the guns, as well as the two canisters. he comes in. this is the point the movie just before 12:40 last night. he throws in two canisters. the gas goes up. that's when people describe feing that irritation in their throat, their eyes. it was either some sort of tear gas or something. and then seconds after that, it was like an explosion. some people described. they thought it was part of the theatrics of the movie. clearly after that, they knew this wasn't right. >> i can't imagine being in a movie theater. pele go to the theater to enjoy it and you're relaxed, you

don't expect something like this. with a movie this big, you would -- one would think -- i certainly would, that it was part of the production. like, oh, wow, look at this. these people were not only caught off guard but doubly so because they may have played along for a short time thinking this was all part of it. >> you go to the movie theater just to check out. you walk in there, you're prepared to watch two -- however long the movie is, two, 2 1/2 hours, entertainment. the last thing you're thinking about is something like this happening. so it's going to take your mind seconds if not 10, 20 seconds to process. >> we're going to get to other players in this particular story. if you guys can tell us who we're going to next, i would appreciate it. ed and i will continue to talk about this. ed, as we stand here, we're right in front of the theater, everything is roped off here, roped off with police tape. this entire mall here -- it's a huge complex, if people can see it. there's no business here. nothing is going on. the entire area, the entire

community, in shock. as people were walking around today -- >> yeah, the mall is shut down today. all of these cars are left over from last night. they haven't been able to leave. you look at the parking lot. you can imagine what it's like inside. it's like a snapshot frozen at about 12:45 last night. these are cars of people who had come to see the premiere of the movie last night. they've had to search through these cars, looking for any potential evidence. frozen in time. >> as we continue to talk about this, we're getting new details. my producers are on the scene here. we're working on new details here so ed and i are just going to continue to talk. i was he tonight today. a young lady walked out in tears. she said, my sister who is 23 years old, is in the theater. i've been calling her phone. no one is answering. i spoke with her friend. her friend said she was in the theater.

she was shot. she fell to the floor. they pulled her out. and then she said she hasn't seen her sister since. she's been waiting for hours for her sister and going around from hospital to hospital, calling police agencies, and still no sight of her 23-year-old sister. >> that crime scene, as we were told about four hours ago from the police chief, the bodies are still in the theater. they're still trying to identify -- >> ten of them. ten people died inside the theater. >> if that has changed here in the last couple of hours, we haven't seen. we've been keeping a close eye. we haven't seen any sense of the bodies being pulled out. they're still going through that scene. there are a lot families still waiting. >> we are here at the scene where it happened. we're going to get more on this. take you sort of inside the mind and definitely inside of the apartment of this alleged killer here, ed. thank you very much. we're going inside the apartment. and show you what police are doing. police described this apartment as booby trapped with explosives. the bomb squad has been going in that apartment or trying to get

in that apartment, but doing it very gingerly so they don't blow themselves up and don't blow up an entire neighborhood. we'll talk more about the victims and the alleged shooter. back in a moment. ♪ home of the brave. ♪ it's where fear goes unwelcomed... ♪ and certain men... find a way to rise above. this is the land of giants. ♪ guts. glory. ram.

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i'm don lemon, back now live in aurora, colorado, at the scene of the worst mass shooting in u.s. history. we're learning more about the suspect in this shooting. 24-year-old james eagan holmes.

a student at the university of colorado. our drew griffin is here, investigative reporter, digging more information. drew's the reason we were doing that. what are you learning about the background? >> a little more about the extensive planning that may have gone into this attack by this suspect. cnn has obtained a receipt of tactical gear that james holmes bought online back on july 2nd. the tactical gear which matches the description of some of the witnesses who described what he was wearing. urban assault dress. triple pistol magazine. m-16 magazine pouch. and a knife, a large knife. all of them colored in black. we do have that receipt. we're trying to get that accessible. it was shipped to his home that the police are now at right now. shows that he's been -- >> full protective gear. as we heard the witnesses say, they couldn't even make out what he looked like. all they could see was how tall he was and his stature.

they didn't know what race he was, nothing. he covered key parts of his body. groin area, also his neck area as well. >> right. there's no gas mask on, no headgear on this itemized list, it was for $306. but the fact that it was all ordered and colored in black seems to indicate he was putting together some kind of outfit that would match other things that he might have on his body. >> you're working on more information on the receipt. i'm sure if we have that receipt -- you have obtained that receipt and -- >> the receipt and obtained the itemized pictures and we'll have that throughout the night. but we wanted to deliver that information. >> drew griffin, standby. drew with more on the suspect's background. i want to go to new york, miguel marquez, learn more about this suspect as well. this investigation is not just here in colorado, it's really stretching across the country. this suspect, who according to law enforcement, said he was a joker, and even colored his hair

red. >> yeah, agents for the fbi, the atf and law enforcement across the country want to know exactly who this guy is. he was from san diego, california. he went to a decent high school there. by all accounts, he was sort of a person who didn't raise much suspicion among anyone. agents in san francisco -- in san diego. there are several of them, numerous agents, looking into his background, interviewing family, interviewing friends, going through any computers that he may have accessed. he also went to school in riverside, california. law enforcement there are doing the same. talking to the school officials and any friends he may have had there. one interesting note, a pawnshop in san diego, the last few months, pawn broker, said they had a conversation with mr. holmes and he was asking about guns. he was asking about guns he might use to protect him in his home. they recommended several of the guns he used that night. he did not purchase them there,

they said. it would be illegal to purchase guns in california if you're a colorado resident. it's not clear when exactly he went to california. it sounds like it was fairly recently that he did go. they recommended both the glock and the shotgun to him. both weapons that were on him in that theater. so it is clear this guy was thinking about this for quite some time. one other interesting note is that when his mother was woken up this morning by another news agency and asked about him, whether or not he was her son, he responded, yes, you have the right person, you have the right guy. it's clear this family probably knew something was amiss with james holmes. don. >> miguel, one quick question, what is the significance of this, because police earlier said they don't believe there was any other actor in this, that he acted alone. what is the significance? just to figure out the background and exactly what his motive might have been to do

this? >> certainly his motive, but they want to know more than anything, did they miss something, was there some sign out there that had they or some other individual acted on it, could all of this have been prevented, so they want to know everything about this guy, where he was, what he did, who he talked to, and what he was thinking, all the way along, to see if he ever left any crumb, any, anything that might lead investigators to think we could have stopped it here. individuals, citizens, could have stopped it here. very important background to know, don. >> miguel marquez, thank you, good information. i'm going to cnn's jim spellman who has even more. a 24-year-old student of neuro sciences at the university of colorado. he had withdrawn -- >> he was in the process of withdrawing. just over the last month or so. his building access had been taken away. he stood out also in his neighborhood. this grad student. obviously, got to be a bright

guy to be studying neuroscience. it was a working class neighborhood, sometimes with some trouble, sometimes even with some drug activity. i spoke to a man named jackie mitchell who had beers with him just tuesday night. said not only did he not seem violent but he definitely stuck out in the neighborhood. take a listen. did he ever strike you as someone who might be violent? >> no, no, no. i couldn't tell you he was violent, no. you would never guess -- that poker face. you would never guess. nerdish. you know, kind of bookish, book smart type guy, you know. backpack, the sunglasses, you know, the james loafers. you know, he wasn't like he was going, killing everybody. >> don, we know he studied substance abuse, schizophrenia, and issues like thatness cla in classes. we have no idea if this is relevant to what was going on with him but that is what he was

studying. >> no indication why he would withdraw, nothing? >> nothing yet. we have no indication of that at this point. >> you mentioned the neighborhood where you spoke to the gentleman, the working class neighborhood where this guy, where james holmes lived. it's just across the street from the hospital complex where most of these victims were taken to. it's just a very small area where all of this happened. what else are they digging into? are they trying to figure out student records, are they releasing anything? >> they're not release anything but they're definitely going to go through all of of that stuff and find out if anything in his studies something will come up. you're right about this neighborhood. this whole comb blex right here. the movie theater. the shopping center. students told us this is where they frequented. it's entirely possible he came here to this movie theater himself. even people in that neighborhood were excited to come see this batman movie. some of them were even going to come that very night. including that man i spoke to that had beers with him tuesday.

>> jim spellman, thank you. we talked about that neighborhood where james eagan holmes lived and that the s.w.a.t. team has been there, trying to get in all day, gingerly doing that. they don't want to blow themselves up. they don't want to blow the entire neighborhood up, because this suspect says he had booby trapped the entire apartment. at that complex now, cnn's keon law, there getting information. what are you learning? >> we're hearing the very same thing. suspicions from the people who live here at this apartment complex. the apartment is right over my right shoulder. we spoke to a woman who lives right underneath. and she said she normally never heard any sounds. but then suddenly at midnight, some very loud techno music suddenly came on. here's what she told us. >> it suddenly came on, yes, like somebody started up a

party, which was so unusual because we didn't hear people up there. >> he couldn't have been there, do you think it was set on a timer? >> i do believe it was set on a timer. especially considering the events i now know transpired. >> so why the timer? the timer, because the neighbors and law enforcement officials, talking to cnn, believe that it was set so that the first responders would come in, trip the wire and then whatever is inside that apartment complex would then perhaps injure the first responders. that's why we're seeing so much care, so much caution. as they move closer inside that apartment. we spoke to other people in the neighborhood. we're getting a sense of the reach here. not just to this community, this complex where people have been evacuated. we spoke to a bhan wman who not evacuated but his own son was inside the movie theater. he became quite emotional. here's what he told us. >> i think -- i don't know.

i'm still in shock, you know. >> lay it out for me. how did it impact your life in two different ways? >> oh, i almost lost my son today. >> of course we're upset. especially john because he could have lost luke. you know, luke was at the movie theater. and then all of a sudden we find out this guy lives next door to us, the next building. >> luke is that man's son. that's why they're becoming so emotional. this is still a very active scene. even though we're not seeing a lot of officers going in and out. because it is still a very dangerous scene. don. >> kyung, if you can describe to our viewers this area that you're in. because i was actually surprised. i was driving around the hospital complex. university of colorado hospital complex looking to park to try to talk to people. i came upon the apartment complex which is just on the other side of the street.

very close proximity this young man lived to this hospital. >> very close proximity. this is a walking community. a lot of students who live in this apartment building, you know, there are some complaints from some of the residents this is perhaps a noisy apartment complex, that they've had some minor crime issues, but generally a walking community, a lot students. people even saw this young man going in and out of his apartment and just describe him as any other student on first blush. so it really has caught a lot of people -- and really alarmed a lot of people here. >> absolutely. as well it would anyone. thank you very much, kyung lah. folks there today, most of them were outside looking at police, those who haven't been evacuated. a couple blocks in that area cordoned off. they had to evacuate people. the bomb squad going through the apartment. trying to get inside without

blowing themselves up and blowing up an entire neighborhood. on the other side of the break, back to the scene of the crime here at this movie theater. we're going to talk to people who were inside and who survived this nightmare. an accident doesn't have to slow you down. with better car replacement available only with liberty mutual auto insurance, if your car's totaled, we give you the money for a car one model year newer. to learn more, visit us today. responsibility. what's your policy?

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i'm don lemon. back now live at the scene of that horrific shooting last night. we're going to get back to all the breaking coverage on this. first, let's check in with cnn's john avlon, he's back in new york. >> we start the scent haecond h our show with stories we care about, where we focus on our own reporting from the front lines. the three major indexes all lost today. the stocks had been up for the last three prior sections it one reason the lack of news out of europe. today that changed. eurozone finance ministers agreed to lend up to $23 billion to spain in order to help that country bail out its banks. local police say they're now treating the case as two missing iowa girls as an abduction.

a blackhawk county chief deputy told reporters investigators are confident the girls are not in the lake and they do not believe the girls are lost because they would have been found by now. the two girls, cousins lyric cook and elizabeth collins, have now been missing for a week. the u.n. security council renewed its u.n. observer mission for 30 days. the 300-person group monitors special envoy kofi annan's six-point peace plan and was supposed to monitor a cease-fire that never happened. this is what u.s. ambassador to the u.n., susan rice, had to say about u.n. involvement in syria. >> the u.s. approach will increasingly be to focus our efforts not so much in this council, which has hit a substantive dead end, but also to strengthen and intense type our work with other countries.

>> an opposition group says 215 people were killed in syrian violence today. former president george w. bush is going to skip the republican national convention. in a statement to cnn, his spokesman says, quote, he supports governor romney and wants him to succeed. president bush is confident mitt romney will be a great president but he's still enjoying his time off the political stage. earlier this week, bush's father, former president george h.w. bush, announced he wouldn't be attending the convention either due to health reasons. that has been 351 days since the u.s. lost its top credit rating. what are we doing to get it back? knee d new data showing 29 states added jobs in june. unemployment rates rose in 27 states. part of the reason we might have seen the increase is more people who are out of work started looking for jobs. which increases the size of the labor pool. now let's send it back to don lemon in colorado with more of our breaking news coverage. don. >> all right, john, thank you

very much. appreciate that. we're here at the scene where this horrific shooting happened just less than 24 hours ago of course. we've been reporting all day here on cnn, rolling breaking coverage. a 24-year-old student at the university of colorado went on a rampage here, allegedly, that's according to police. witnesses say he came into the theater wearing full riot or combat gear. threw two canisters in and started shooting up the place. we know now 12 people are dead. sadly, 10 of those people, still inside the movie theater. two of them died at the hospital. we have been trying to get more information on exactly what may have motivated the suspect to go on this shooting rampage. let's get more now from cnn's miguel marquez. he is standing by live in new york. what are you finding out? >> well, we do know that investigators are fanning out across california. he lived in san diego.

he was also in riverside, california. he got a bachelor's of science, neuroscience, there. investigators want to speak to everybody who knew this guy. whether it's family, friends, close family and distant family. one of his -- one of his family members has already gone to colorado, and we are finding out more as well about some of those incendiary and improvised explosive devices that this individual was using. the attack started around 12:30 a.m. within minutes 911 operators flooded with calls. >> we just are having units get into the scene now. there may still be somebody actively shooting. >> authorities say within two minutes first responders were on the scene but quickly realize the it wasn't just guns they had to worry about. >> pd is stating they that have gas being sprayed inside. >> police say the suspected shooter, 24-year-old james holmes, set off two devices,

canisters, that didn't explode but smoked, causing victims to choke. >> it was preplanned, it was well planned and very well executed. >> holmes so matt tick lusly planned his attack he booby trapped his apartment with trip wires. >> he was going to cover his tracks this way. >> officials say improvised explosive devices are becoming all too common. from the battlefield to the bombings in london and madrid. improvised explosive devices are a threat at home. many of them can be made with recipes from the internet and chemicals and materials found in any hardware store. >> sharper crack. >> the fbi has been teaching courses -- >> what color's the smoke? look at the brightness of the flames. >> on bomb making and the way bombs work. >> we've seen a rise of improvised explosives. people go with what they can get. >> bomb 101 is for government employees, first responders at all levels. kathleen is an fbi bomb

technician in los angeles. she says with lone wolves rarely will it be law enforcement that catches them. >> it's going to be the retail clerks and the companies that manufacture these. the lab supply companies. >> law enforcement educating themselves, trying to keep up. the race of the growing threat of homemade bombs. >> miguel, interesting story there. of course, we never want this to happen, but when these incidents do happen, there's concern about copycats. tell us about what investigators and what authorities believe about that. how concerned are they? >> they're certainly going to be concerned about copycats. they're trying to understand what he's done, what is inside that apartment. are they simply incendiary, is there something they're missing, or are they explosives? it's very, very interesting that the authorities did not rush into that apartment. they were very, very kuscautiou.

they'll probably send in some robotic instruments, trying to defuse or figure out exactly what this guy has put in there. another indication of how far he's gone in order to plan this attack. and i mean, the other thing about his apartment is why would he set the bombs in the apartment? try to cover his tracks as the former nypd bomb technician says? or was he trying to injur police officers and other first responders? and did he say anything to them about a surprise they were going to get? or is this guy just staying quiet and, you know, he has -- he's going to pay the ultimate price. it wouldn't matter if others got injured as they try to enter his apartment. don. >> it's definitely something. when you hear about the booby trapped apartment, it's like something you see in the movies or on a crime drama. thank you, miguel. let's go back inside the shooting. witnesses of today's shooting

rampage, they described the scene as a complete terror scene and one of chaos. the panicked moviegoers panicked as this gunman shot at the crowd as he walked up the theater steps. they were inside the theater when the shooting happened. so, trey, how close were you to the door? >> we were about 15, maybe 16 rows up from the front of the screen, where the man walked in. he came in from right-hand side. we were on the left. when he first opened the door, no one knew how to react. it was very strange, out of the ordinary. he opened it and just took a big stare into the audience, just looked at everybody. >> really? daunte, you said you thought it was part of the production,

right? >> 'cause it looked like he kind of dressed like bain, a character in the movie, so i thought it was an act, part of the show, so i didn't really pay attention to it till after i heard the first bang of the tear gas. >> yeah, so when you heard the first bang, is that when you realized this is something else? >> it's not a game. >> did people immediately start to duck or did most in the theater think it was part of the production? >> after the first tear bomb went off, actually, went off right in front of us, it hit a poor lady that was sitting right in front of us. it sat there for a few seconds before it exploded. once it exploded, the shards, like, cut everybody. when people start getting cut by the pieces of the canister, that's when people knew how serious it was going to be. that's when people started to duck. >> and then people started to fall because the gunfire started to hit them? >> like, trampled. a lady had her arms crossed in one of the stair rows --

>> go ahead. >> a lady was laid out, one of the stairs with her arms crossed, eyes closed, motionless. so -- i had to step over her. i didn't know what was wrong with her. >> yeah. all right, thank you, guys, thank you very much. daunte and also trey, we really appreciate it. we're glad you guys are safe. we're sad about the others. did you know any of the other folks who died? >> we went to school with a few of them. our prayers out to them. we have to stay strong, come together as a community to get through this. it's a horrible horrific act. but we can't let one man with a messed up mind ruin the lives of so many innocent, like, wonderful people. >> thank you very much. of course, our sentiments and our thoughts. the world's thoughts are with you guys and with the families of the victims here. we're going to be back in just a moment. we'll explore more of the story. drew griffin, miguel marquez standing by. kyung lah is at the apartment complex where this alleged shooter lived and also jim spellman following up on his

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back, now, live, in aurora,

colorado. so buying this equipment this alleged gunman used, as easy as going online to buy a shirt or anything. our drew griffin, our investigative reporter, is here now. he bought it online and you have dug up a receipt. >> we were able to contact the company where he bought it, it's a tactical gear company in missouri, and they actually heard about this shooting, wondered if any of this gear could have been brought from them they found a shipment to this very person, james holmes. we have the receipt i think we can show you. it was purchased on july 2nd. $306.79. some of the items, urban assault vest, triple pistol magazine, m-16 magazine pouch and something called a be warned knife. if we have the photos of that, you'd be able to see they're all colored in black, which fits the description of the -- that was

given by the witnesses. >> you say a photo of the gun? >> no, this is the vest, this would be a pistol magazine and a belt that you would put extra magazines in, and then an actual knife, it's like a sheath, hunting knife, with a big black handle. >> july 2nd he did this. so in the investigation, investigators will say he was planning this. he bought this on this date. this was premeditated. >> it's thought out. this is not unheard of. in virginia tech massacre, which we both covered. at the gabrielle giffords shooting in tucson, arizona, we see the same. plotting, getting ready, executing. >> we're going to talk more about the politics of this. you have been covering this and you know when something like this happens, you know gun rights advocates and people who are against it, all them -- it's going to be political and they're going to talk about -- we're going to go over tooth and nail what should -- should you be able to buy guns in a

sporting goods store, what should the process be. how long before you actually get it. >> i don't think i'm fit to answer that question. i will tell you -- >> well, that's the debate. >> the root cause of a lot of this stuff has been mental illness and a failure to recognize it. we're seeing young men secretly going insane. and, you know, maybe there's warning signs. that in hindsight you could have seen. we're not seeing any of that in this case yet it but it was mental illness. and then you would say easily accessible, legally purchased guns. this guy passed the checks. >> all right. our drew griffin getting more information by the minute here. thank you very much, drew, stand by. the mayor of the biggest city in the country demands more from the presidential candidates on gun control. we've been talking about the politics. listen. >> soothing words are nice but maybe it's time that the two people who want to be president of the united states stand up and tell us what they're going to do about it. plus this is obviously a problem

across the country. >> the nation's largest lobby to prevent gun violence, the brady campaign, echoed that sentiment. here's what they said, quote, this tragedy is another grim reminder that guns are the enablers of mass killers and our nation pays an unacceptable price for our failure to keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people. we don't want sympathy, we want action. cnn contributor john avlon bk now in new york. so, john, are the candidates stances on guns, what are they, tell us about them, and how are they reacting, if at all, today? >> sure. president obama supports strengthening some gun laws except his administration offers no specifics. romney doesn't support adding or strengthening gun laws at all. when he was governor, he actually signed an assault weapons ban. you make your pilgrimage down to the nra.

so despite a lot of anxiety about gun laws, activists on both sides very engaged, no new proposals to deal with gun violence from either candidate. >> the president came out today first, john, and spoke and then mitt romney and both campaigns took down their ads in colorado today and both candidates changed plans for today. both addressed the shootings instead of campaigning. so here's what they said. >> there's going to be other days for politics. this i think is a day for prayer and reflection. >> this is a time for each of us to look into our hearts and remember how much we love one another. and how much we love and how much we care for our great country. >> so, john, i was listening and listening. no mention of gun regulations. did that surprise you? >> no, because frankly, talking about gun laws right now, don,

has become politically incorrect. this is a conversation we are not having in this country. despite the fact some 10,000 people are killed with guns each year in the united states too often with these kinds of mass shootings. even conversations about how we can respect the second amendment and take reasonable steps to extend background checks. to take a look at extended magazines that allow numerous rounds to be put in place that can kill large numbers of people in short periods of time. that conversation is not happening in politics because it's considered politically dangerous. it does us a disservice. we have to deal with what's a problem, mass gun violence. >> and of course we know the gun lobby in washington very influential, john. >> certainly is. the spending i think actually is clarifying for some people. some people might not appreciate the national rifle association spends around ten times the amount that a gun -- a gun group

like the brady advocacy does. so you've got a 10 to 1 split there. that of course affects what politics do. affects what they're willing to say. the last president to really take on the nra was clinton in 1994, you'll remember who passed successfully the assault weapons ban which subsequently lapsed. we haven't seen actions since then. it's in part due to this disparity about money and influence in washington. >> john avlon in new york, thank you very much. appreciate that. this movie, "the dark knight rises," this batman movie, one of the most anticipated movies. it was to make millions of dollars for the production company. it probably still will but there have been some changes to the showings. some have been canceled. among other things, no more costumes at those screenings. back in a moment.

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you know, the tragedy in colorado here has caused warner bros. to change some of its plans for promoting "the dark knight rises." the paris premiere was canceled as were interviews with the actors and filmmakers.

warner bros. has also pulled the trailer for "gangsters squad" from theaters. it's not just warner bros. though. amc theaters will be banning people wearing costumes from entering. the company says it's doing it so that other guests in the theater are not made to feel quote uncomfortable. "the dark knight rises" screenings will not be canceled due to the shooting. there's a good reason for that. it is profitable. the number tonight, $30.6 million. that is the estimated amount "the dark knight rises" made on midnight screenings, the second highest late night opening of all time. the record holder is of course "harry potter and the deathly hallows part 2." i want to tell you before i leave you tonight that on monday erin will be back and she'll be joining us from the war-torn country mali.

the country is experiencing the worst human rights situation in 50 years. before i go, i want to show you. it is quiet here. the firemen are up and they are looking over this theater which has been of course closed and police tape now surrounds it. a theater where so many people, 12 people, lost their lives. as we've been reporting all day here on cnn, it is the worst mass shooting in u.s. history. as we leave you tonight, i want you to think about your loved ones. hug them close. tell them you love them. we're going to continue with anderson cooper and "a.c. 360." up next. [ female announcer ] over the last ten years,

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