At a midnight showing of the new Batman film "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado, a heavily-armed man opened fire, killing 12 and wounding 59 before being taken into custody in the theater parking lot. The shooter was identified as James Holmes, a 24-year old Aurora resident who had recently withdrawn from the graduate neuroscience program at the University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus.

Holmes wore body armor and a ballistic helmet, and was armed with two .40 S&W Glock pistols, a Remington 870 shotgun, and a Smith & Wesson AR-15 type rifle. Reports have indicated that he also wore a gas mask and had used at least one canister of tear gas in the crowded theater. He had no criminal record.

During this difficult time of mourning, our thoughts and prayers should be with the friends and family of the victims of this tragic shooting. Instead, just hours after this senseless tragedy, the media is already focusing most of their energy on the weapons used by a man who is clearly either completely insane or completely evil.

ABC News reported the shooter had an "assault rifle [that] can fire 30 rounds at incredible speeds". Other reports have said that an AR-15 is "capable of firing off hundreds of rounds per minute". The NRA has already been attacked because an individual employee who was unaware of the shooting made a tweet stating "Good morning, shooters. Happy Friday! Weekend plans?". It won't be long before politicians and groups like the Violence Policy Center will attempt (like they have immediately after every recent mass shooting) to pass laws that limit the rights and freedoms of millions of Americans.

With so many victims in this tragic shooting, this is obviously an emotionally-charged time. Our elected representatives in government must not abuse a tragedy like this in an attempt to push their own political agendas. John Velleco of Gun Owners of America has accurately compared this type of people to "vultures [who] take advantage of a situation to further an agenda that doesn't get traction and that people don't support". America needs to let the families and friends of the victims mourn their loss, to give our society as a whole some time to reflect on the events of the shooting, and to refuse to let emotion take over its legislature.

Please take some time out of your day today, and in the days that follow, to offer a prayer or your thoughts for the victims, and the victims' family and friends, of this mass shooting.