The Aurora, Colorado irony of Batman and guns

The Batman comic has historically been anti-gun.

In the origin story, Bruce Wayne is horrified and traumatized to see his parents, the physician Dr. Thomas Wayne and his wife Martha, being murdered in a hail of bullets by a mugger in front of his very eyes, which leads him to fight crime in Gotham City as Batman.

The issue “Seduction of the Gun” was responsible for Virginia's one gun a month bill. the story behind that issue started with John Reisenbach going outside to make a phone call because the phones in his apartment were out of order. Minutes later, he was shot to death in a random, senseless killing.

John was the son of DC Comic’s Sandy Reisenbach. His death inspired the folks at DC to take a stand against the incredible, violent madness that seems to be gripping America. They created "Seduction of the Gun" to dramatize the effect of a gun-crazed culture where children must pass through metal detectors at school, people are killed in playgrounds for their sneakers, and the merest provocation is seen as excuse to use deadly force against someone.

The Comic's storyline concerns an evil gang in the fictional Gotham City arranging to take a ride to real-life Virginia to buy all the weapons needed for their deadly deeds. One character asks 'You still got those connections down in Virginia?' asks the henchman. 'Chaka wants your butt down there and hook us up with some guns'.

The issue was a deliberate attempt to help expose the role of Virginia in gun-running and worked quite effectively. Governor Wilder wasted no time in drafting Batman and his sidekick, Robin, into supporting his gun bill campaign. 'The fact that the state has achieved this notoriety in a comic book strip should be an embarrassment to all Virginians,' said his spokesman, Glenn Davidson. 'If the statistics and the headlines don't make the point, this comic book will.'

Early issues of the Comic did have Batman using guns to combat crime, but later the comic developed a self-imposed no guns rule. In Batman #129, a letter writer asked why Batman doesn't carry a gun. The response was that he preferred to rely on his ingenuity and resourcefulness to combat crime.

Bruce Wayne has set self-imposed rules to govern his actions as he tries to justify his mission as a costumed crimefighter, and his ban on using guns is one of those moral guidelines.

Batman's origin is entwined with the tragedy that guns in the wrong hands can bring, so it is fitting that writers try to delve into more complex storylines that do not shy away from talking about guns in society instead of just using them as props for shock value and gratuitous excess. In a medium that regularly glorifies violence, and brandishes guns with often reckless abandon, it is good to see that the symbol of the gun when used with Batman still causes people to pause and think.

The Aurora, Colorado shooter bought his guns legally, as did Jared Loughner, Seung-Hui Cho, and many other shooters. There is no real gun control when realises the ease which a lunatic can purchase a gun and carry it on the street.

Now, we have yet another instance when Batman's aversion for guns might finally cause the American public to ask questions about whether it is sane to keep the current regime which allows for guns to fall into the hands of lunatics.

With any luck, maybe Batman will once again stir the American public into positive action about gun control.

See also:

• HOLMBERG: The story behind Batman and Robin’s fight for gun control in Va.
• Why Batman Believes in Gun Control
• Batman's History with Guns
• Batman takes on the Virginia gun lobby
• Batman And Guns