Everyone has heard of the horrifying shooting of moviegoers in Aurora, Colorado, which left 12 people dead and dozens more injured, and many people have debated how gun control or mental-health care might help stop future outbreaks of violence. But while there are many forms of random, senseless violence that we can do nothing about, there's one way each of us can make the world a little more peaceful every time we sit down to eat: All we have to do is choose meat-free meals. That's why PETA has written to the Arapahoe County sheriff to ask him to lead the way by placing the man charged in the Aurora shooting, James Holmes, on a totally nonviolent vegan diet.

There's a Reason 'Carnivore' Sounds Like 'Carnage'

Although the extreme violence inflicted on them rarely makes the news, animals on factory farms and in slaughterhouses endure senseless acts of aggression and bloodshed every hour of every day, and their fear and pain are as palpable and real as anyone else's. Also, extreme cruelty to animals is inextricably linked to acts of violence against human beings.

Eating plant-based meals is a simple way for all of us to make the world a less violent place. To initiate this positive trend, PETA has offered to provide all inmates of the Arapahoe County jail where Holmes is incarcerated with vegan meals for a day at no cost to the county.

What You Can Do

Had enough violence? Go vegan for life.

Canada's most wanted man, Luka Rocco Magnotta, has been captured after allegedly posting a gruesome snuff video of the murder and dismemberment of an acquaintance, Lin Jun, online and mailing some of the victim's body parts to government offices. It turns out that this probably isn't the self-described porn star's first videotaped killing. 

Serial Kitten Killer

Animal protectionists have been tracking Magnotta for more than two years, ever since a video titled "1 boy 2 kittens" was posted online in 2010. The video showed a man who is believed to be Magnotta placing two kittens inside a bag and suffocating them by vacuuming out the air. One year later, a second video surfaced in which the same man allowed a kitten to be attacked and eaten by a python. Days later, a third video appeared in which a cat was duct-taped to a broomstick and drowned in a bathtub filled with water.

"He might end up killing human beings one day," read an eerily prophetic post on the animal protection group Animal Beta Project's (ABP) Facebook page in 2011. "He might just not stop with animals."

Activists Step In

After the second video surfaced, PETA U.K. offered a reward for information leading to the perpetrator's arrest, and PETA U.S., together with ABP, documented Magnotta's online profiles, blogs, websites, known associates, relatives, and whereabouts. PETA and ABP passed the information along to the Ontario SPCA and the Toronto Police Service, which unsuccessfully sought warrants for Magnotta's arrest.

When Magnotta made the news earlier this week, PETA got in touch with the Montréal police and provided it with the information on the kitten-killing videos, in hopes of reviving the cruelty-to-animals charges and bolstering the police's case against Magnotta. A member of the Montréal police department's cyber team will be analyzing the information.

If Magnotta is indeed responsible for these heinous crimes, could he have been prevented from graduating to murder if he'd been caught and punished after killing kittens? We may never know, but this tragedy is a prime example of why it is vital always to take acts of violence against animals seriously and to prosecute the offenders vigorously. If you ever witness cruelty, even by children, please report it to the authorities immediately. You will be protecting the community as a whole, as well as animals.

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