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Movie Theater Chain Checking Bags Nationwide After Shootings

LOS ANGELES (AP/CBS) — Movie theater chain Regal Entertainment Group has begun to check bags in response to shootings at theaters around the country, a procedure it acknowledged on its website was "not without flaws" and would inconvenience guests but provide better security.

It's unclear when the policy began, but several local TV stations reported online that customers noticed the change in Texas, Virginia, Florida and Ohio beginning earlier this month.

Regal spokesman Richard Grover did not respond to requests for comment Wednesday. The Knoxville, Tennessee, company operates some 570 theaters around the country.

On its website, the company says "security issues have become a daily part of our lives in America" and says that bags and backpacks are subject to inspection before entering.

CBS 3 Eyewitness News spoke with local movie goers on Thursday night. The updated policy is drawing mixed reaction.

"I know times have changed since I was younger and this is the world that we live in today, there's a lot of that going on so we need to crack down as people," said Vamar Marino.

"There's a certain number of people that cause the rest of us to have our rights basically taken from us and as much as I don't like my privacy being invaded, if it means that it's at the expense of other people being safe I say go ahead I have nothing to hide," said Jacqueline Smith.

"I do think it would probably prevent future incidents of that nature but I do think it will hinder movement into people getting in," said Gail Pisiechko.

National Amusements Inc.'s Showcase chain, which runs about 30 theaters in the northeastern U.S., says on its website that it has banned backpacks and packages and reserves the right to search purses and bags. It says the policy, which began Aug. 7, will be in place "for the time being."

AMC Theatres spokesman Ryan Noonan said, "we don't comment on security measures publicly." Other chains, including Cinemark and Carmike, did not respond to requests for comment.

Earlier this month, a man with a history of mental illness and armed with a pellet gun, hatchet and pepper spray attacked guests at a mostly empty movie theater in Antioch, Tennessee, before being shot dead by police.

Two weeks before that, a man shot and killed two people and wounded nine others before fatally shooting himself during a screening of the movie "Trainwreck" at a theater in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The latest attacks came the same month that Colorado theater shooter James Holmes was sentenced to life in prison by a jury for killing 12 and injuring 70 theatergoers three years ago at a midnight premiere of "The Dark Knight Rises."

Last week, security was tight at the Los Angeles premiere of "Straight Outta Compton," with invited guests made to navigate various barricades and pass through metal detectors before picking up their tickets.

(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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