On a hot summer night in July Lafayette lost a little bit of its innocence. It was on that night, July 23rd 2015, a troubled soul open fire inside a Lafayette movie theater. Two innocent people were killed. Several more innocent people were wounded and we all wondered why.

Could this senseless act of violence been prevented by a metal detector at the front door of the theater? On Louisiana lawmaker believes it could have. She has pushed legislation into the Louisiana House Criminal Justice Committee that would require theaters to scan all patrons with a metal detector before allowing them to enter the building.

We don’t know what tomorrow will bring or the next day but we do know that if we take the initiative to put some measurements in place, we’ll feel better about knowing that we’ve done something.

That's what Shreveport Representative Barbara Norton told the Louisiana Radio Network. She believes being proactive is the only way to insure that tragedies such as what happened in Lafayette are less likely to happen again.

Knowing without a doubt, all those families who lost loved ones, they are looking and they are hoping and they are praying that something is done in order to tell our citizens that we are putting forth an effort.

Representative Norton understands that the biggest hurdle in her legislation appears to be 2nd Amendment rights. There also is the consideration of added cost to theater owners. Then comes the added cost of training employees on the proper way to use the equipment.

Representative Norton suggests that while those points do have some merit the bottom line is public safety and piece of mind.

It’s all about one thing, it’s about saving lives and it’s about making sure that everyone that attends the movies, that they feel safe.

The House Criminal Justice Committee is expected to hear arguments on both sides of the issue during their session today.

More From Highway 98.9