By Annie Nesbitt ’13, News Section Editor.

After the shooting on July 20, 2012 at the midnight premier of The Dark Knight Rises at a Century 16 theater in Aurora, Colorado, AMC Theaters has announced that wearing face masks, carrying fake weapons, and wearing costumes that make other moviegoers uncomfortable will no longer be permitted inside their theaters.

Traditionally, many movie fans dress up for midnight premier events. Batman, Harry Potter, and the Twilight Saga in particular draw a big crowd of fans dressed up as the characters from the series. But after the so-called “Batman Massacre,” people have begun to worry about the implications of such costumes.

When James Eagan Holmes entered the theater, he was dressed in protective tactical gear, leading fellow patrons to believe that he was dressed up like a character or that he was some sort of publicity scheme arranged by the theater. Though a few patrons were initially worried by his clothes, many believed it was part of the thrill of the movie.

Now that we have seen what the clothes were really for, many are afraid that a copycat or someone else with bad intentions will dress up and wreak havoc. So AMC has attempted to alleviate this fear by creating these rules.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t wear a Team Edward shirt or a Gryffindor scarf, but it will keep you safe at the movies.