Archived Guests with Guns

[redeye58]

As to the second part I could fill the page with links that show why it is a very good thing to have armed people wandering around. The best is it creates a deterrent as no one wants to get shot

Waco says hi.

 

[Kartman]

I love seeing Guests open carry.

 

[redcardroy]

One day there was a guest who was carrying a "gun", holstered open carry and easily able to view. I noticed him walking around electronics and asked AP if it was allowed - they said that it was ok but not preferred, and that they would keep an eye on them. What i noticed, was that he was casing out electronics. He was walking around, and also this was around 9PM. He walked through baby world to the front, then i notice that he came back later.. 10 minutes or so. Ended up taking some beats ($100 pair, that literally collected dust) and some other junk, he pushed the beats out of the spider wrap and off the locking peg. He got arrested, it was a BB gun, end of story haha.

Being in possession of a firearm or burglary tools in the commission of a crime is a felony in my state. What a moron. I have nothing against either, but as a conceal carrier myself, you wouldn't catch me dead open carrying in the city. That's just asking for trouble imho. I don't want others to know I'm carrying.

 

[ispot]

I'm a pro 2a individual and conceal carry even if I go to Target as a guest... Never during a shift which is a huge no-no!

Anyway that being said... I think those individuals who open carry long guns (generally Ar-15) into a store, restaurant, or other places while another individual films the "experience" are assholes who give responsible gun owners a bad name.

 

[redcardroy]

It's always funny hearing guests report someone with a gun to you. I used to work security for a large mall where open carry was prohibited and I often got the "I just saw a man with a gun!" So I tell her "okay, what was he doing with the gun?" "It was long and I saw it in his car as he drove by me." "Ohhkaay, was he pointing it at anything? Was he even holding it?" "No, it was in the back. It was one of those military guns. *describes a run of the mill AR-15* "okay, we'll look into it."

Or when guests swear they heard gunshots when it turns out to be backfire from cars.

 

[redeye58]

I don't feel safe in a crowd of gun-toting people because I don't know how responsible any of these people are.
Now my state is attempting to pass legislation that would allow open carry in addition to ending required gun use & safety training; not that it seems to do much good as the stories below demonstrate:
A trained soldier suffering the effects of PTSD:
Uber Driver Shot By Vet Accused Of Firing 15 Rounds At Car
Someone with basic training who decided to play John Wayne:
Texas ‘good guy with a gun’ shoots carjacking victim in head — then runs away
A sheriff's deputy who forgot basic safety in his own home:
4-year-old boy accidentally kills Tenn. deputy's wife
A 2a activist who failed to observe gun safety AND child restraint while driving:
Pro-Gun Mom Accidentally Shot by 4-Year-Old while Driving Down Highway
A dad whose momentary lapse cost him his son:
14-Year-Old Boy Accidentally Shot and Killed by His Father at Florida Gun Range, Authorities Say
When everybody has a gun:
Waco biker gang shootout kills 9 outside Twin Peaks - CNN.com

 

[ispot]

And i could just as easily Google for murders committed with knives... Or the latest trend in European terrorism, Running large crowds of people over with vehicles. Hmmm

 

[oath2order]

I've only ever had law enforcement have them holstered.

Same. I see that and it just makes me uncomfortable. I know that they're responsible, I know they've been trained but I just see the gun and I just can't stop thinking about it.

 

[redeye58]

And i could just as easily Google for murders committed with knives... Or the latest trend in European terrorism, Running large crowds of people over with vehicles. Hmmm

No doubt you could but, just as much as you demand the right to carry around your killing tool, I should have the right to a gun-free zone.
I'm sure I'll get all the blather about making it easier for the 'bad guys with guns' to find me but how do you recognize the 'good guy with a gun' vs the other?
Billy Bob has a gun in his truck: Is he a 'good guy with a gun' as long as he's sober?
Barbie has a Glock in her purse: Is she a 'good guy with a gun' until someone cuts her off in traffic?

 

[ispot]

Plus I love how you and other anti gun people use children as propaganda to tug at the heart strings...

News flash, i bet you and everyone here has something in their house that kills more children a year... A bath tub

Do "more children die of bathtub drownings than of accidental shootings"? Yes. - Crime Prevention Research Center

 

[oath2order]

Plus I love how you and other anti gun people use children as propaganda to tug at the heart strings...

News flash, i bet you and everyone here has something in their house that kills more children a year... A bath tub

Do "more children die of bathtub drownings than of accidental shootings"? Yes. - Crime Prevention Research Center

 

[redeye58]

Didn't answer my question: How can you tell the 'good guys with a gun' from the bad guys?
Why should I depend on some stranger with a gun to 'save' me if someone went off in a crowd?
Thinking that crime is less likely to occur in an area with more guns depends on knowing the good guys vs the bad guys.
Otherwise, you have incidents like Waco.

 

[ispot]

You're confused about the difference between good and bad and need it explained... Phew, perhaps it's good you don't own a gun

 

[ispot]

So redeye... How do I tell the difference between a good guy with a knife, and a bad guy with a knife

 

[redeye58]

You tell me.
Maybe you shouldn't own a knife.

 

[ispot]

See now you get it... Congratulations! Substitute gun with another item and the logic will make sense!

 

[redeye58]

Obviously you don't 'get it'.
If everyone is carrying a gun, why should we feel 'safer'?
You've got ex-soldiers with PTSD, frat boys drinkin' & packin', the pissed-off commuter with the makings of road rage, the suicidal kid being bullied at school, the crazy ex who won't take 'no' for an answer, the recently-fired disgruntled ex-worker, the goth-emo who wants to 'show everyone at school & make them sorry', the family reunion-turned-fight where EVERYBODY is armed....the list goes on.
So, walking thru a crowd of people carrying guns, who do you trust?
One of my boys is mentally disabled & sometimes acts erratic in public.
What happens if someone decides to draw a bead on him if he's having a pre-ictal episode?

 

[ispot]

Redeye... Look no further than your local prison for the answer, ask a corrections officer to show you all the tools inmates created/used to kill or injur another...

A gun is a tool and in the absence of that tool, violent individuals will just use or make another.

 

[redeye58]

One of my former classmates retired from Huntsville actually, so I'm familiar.
So, the answer is allowing anyone - regardless of circumstance - to have a gun simply because it's their right?

 

[ispot]

Your fear of an object doesn't give you the right to restrict others.

I've operated/used/owned firearms since I was 10... And have easily fired thousands of rounds of ammo, not a single injury has occurred... Zip zero zilch

The other day I nicked myself while shaving... I've "spilt" more human blood during routine grooming than using such awful evil guns that you and others fear... Imagine that

 

[redeye58]

I've owned guns & there are two currently in my house unloaded & locked up awaiting transfer to a new owner.
I've seen first-hand the results when in the wrong hands.
When my state first legalized concealed carry, it required gun owners to go thru training including gun safety.
If drivers were required to undergo training/licensing, surely reasonable gun owners shouldn't object.
Apparently they do.
Now anyone can buy a gun whether they know how to use it or not.
Could be Darwinism at work; I'd just as soon not have my kids caught in the cross-fire.

 

[ispot]

Hey if you dislike legal gun so much I hear there's safe havens where its next to impossible for you to get a gun legally... Chicago, Baltimore, Oakland...

But thankfully I live in a state where legal gun ownership is respected and getting my permit was like a fast food visit. We enjoy a low crime rate... Most likely criminals are concerned about the high number of ccw permits out there.

 

[redeye58]

I'd support 'sensible' gun ownership but that's been superseded by radicals at the NRA.

getting my permit was like a fast food visit.

Speaks volumes right there.

 

[ispot]

See ur making progress... You're correlating the two now... Easy ownership, low crime! No training here is needed, we have constitutional open carry, and a conceal permit is an instant background check and is printed on the spot! Its easier to get/own a gun, than get a driver's license.

Im glad you agree it speaks volumes! My point exactly...

 

[redeye58]

Easy ownership means it's not taken seriously.
Getting a driver's license requires training, paying for said license, carrying insurance to cover accidents, renewal every 4-6 yrs for the privilege of driving.
Driving also serves several purposes where a gun has one: to maim or kill.
If driving were treated like gun ownership in your state, anyone could buy a car & do whatever they want whether they knew how to drive or not; nor would they carry liability insurance.
Gun ownership should be a privilege (earned), not a right (given).