(Amazing) Man shops at Utah JCPenney while carrying assault rifle

[Playinghardball]

A man in Riverdale, Utah walked into a local JCPenney department store this week armed to the teeth, carrying a holstered handgun, a semi-automatic assault rifle and extra clips on his belt.

The strange display of firepower was enough to draw a scene, with bystanders taking photos and making concerned comments to one another. Images of the man published to Facebook caused a stir in the community and got the attention of ABC 4 in Salt Lake City.

The woman who took the photo that got the most attention said it happened on Wednesday, just four hours after President Barack Obama announced a series of executive orders relating to firearms.

Utah state law, however, says the man’s actions are legal, provided the weapons were unloaded. The man was not positively identified, and JCPenney’s public relations team did not respond to a request for comment.

The assault rifle he was carrying was an AR-15, the same firearms platform used to kill 27 people in Newtown, Connecticut in December. In the wake of that massacre, U.S. officials have called for banning those type of weapons from the civilian sphere, although taking such action would require congressional authorization.

This video is from ABC 4 in Salt Lake City, aired Thursday, January 17, 2013.

Raw Story (http://s.tt/1yDSE)

[onehandle]

1. What you do is Call The Police Anyway.

Enough people call, they will be ejected.

I know this for sure.

[nick of time]

3. They will NOT be ejected unless the store asks them to leave.

Which they should, the police are powerless to eject him unless the store requests it.
While what he's doing is immoral, it's not illegal.

[onehandle]

8. Exactly right. The store or mall management will eject him.

Businesses don't like police showing up for Any reason.

It works. Trust me.

[nick of time]

12. I misunderstood what you said.

I thought that you were saying that call the police and they would eject him. But yes, you're correct, if he makes enough of a nusiance, then the store can and will ask him to leave and if he refuses, then the police will escort him out and probably cite him for trespass.
Sorry for the misunderstanding.

[jberryhill]

30. I think you are still misunderstanding the point

The poster appears to be suggesting that you - i.e. a shopper - call the police. As the poster notes, stores don't like to have police show up.

It's not a question of the store calling the police. If *anyone* - i.e. not the store - calls the police and says, "There's a guy in the JC Penney walking around with a rifle", the police are going to show up, and the resulting scene will end with the store telling the guy to leave, which the store has the right to do.

[nick of time]

34. The police would just ask the caller if the guy was brandishing it in a threatening manner.

If not, then they probably would tell you that he's not doing anything illegal.
The police MIGHT send an officer out to make sure the weapon was unloaded, but other than that, not much else can be done.
What I would do is get a bunch of other shoppers together and tell the store manager that unless this asshat was told to leave, we'll refuse to shop here and we'll stand at the entrance and tell other patrons that there is a man in the store carrying a firearm and not to shop there.

[marions ghost]

86. I wouldn't blame the cops if they dragged their feet getting there...

--I bet they don't feel they get paid enough to confront this.

Easier to just show up a little late and help tag the bodies...

[marions ghost]

36. Oh yeah

they will show up.

[nick of time]

38. If only to make sure it's unloaded.

In Utah, he's not doing anything illegal, he's an asshole, but not an illegal asshole.

[marions ghost]

43. If this catches on....

it'll REALLY keep people out of malls. It's already so bad you have to check around the parking lot and then not stay too long.

I say let 'em keep doing this--the MORE the better.

Nothing could be a better argument for limiting these guns. Nobody wants to live in a Banana Republic. Not really. It's NO fun.

[nick of time]

47. So true.

[jberryhill]

54. It doesn't matter

If police show up at a store to check out whether his gun is unloaded, the store manager is going to ask him to leave.

In Utah, as anywhere else, if you remain on someone's property after being asked to leave, you are indeed doing something illegal - trespassing.

You seem to fail to understand how the social dynamic would work here.

[nick of time]

58. Maybe not.

This may be the norm in Utah because it's legal to do what this idiot is doing. The police MAY show up, check the weapon, then leave.
My suggestion, I think, is much more effective, enough people tell management they won't shop there until their policy about the carrying of firearms is changed, they won't shop there and they'll tell other people not to shop there.
But, then again, it is Utah.

[jberryhill]

60. I lived in Utah, outside of SLC for a stretch of time

And, no, you don't see people in stores with rifles on a regular basis.

[nick of time]

61. Ok.

I'll take your word for it.
But I still think my idea is a good one.

[defacto7]

128. I do live in Utah

You are right, not on a regular basis. But it does happen and probably more than anywhere else. As a matter of fact, this same guy has done this on other occasions. The police know who he is and he's been in the papers before. No one will stop him whether it's intimidating or not. The store did not ask him to leave this time and they didn't the other times.

This is Utah and guns rule. Add to that, the road rage here is very high. The fear gauge is also on the high side. People flout their guns and pack them everywhere including mothers at schools who carry them in their bag. There is this undertone of suspicion and unfriendliness that is the main reason I hate living here. When the time is appropriate, I'm out of here. The dismal gray dysfunctional, over religious, self aggrandizing attitude is like social vampire-ism.

[KansDem]

40. But how do we know if the gun is unloaded?

Utah state law, however, says the man’s actions are legal, provided the weapons were unloaded.

Would the man be asked to prove the gun was unloaded? Or would the store just assume it was?

[nick of time]

45. He should be asked to prove that it's unloaded.

and I would imagine that store security or the police would ask him to prove it.
Personally, he's an asshat for even carrying it in public like that. I could have that weapon off him in no time, just come up behind him, cut the sling and now I have possession of a nice AR-15.

What a fing moron.

[defacto7]

130. Here in Utah...

there are few if any officers that would do anything except pretend it wasn't loaded or just look the other way. I know this from personal experience and I also know officers in the city. It's the way things are in this sanitized for your protection la la land.

[Erose999]

73. Looks like theres a magazine in it in the photo.

[pnwmom]

56. It is illegal if the gun is loaded. How do you know it wasn't?

And if we needed any more evidence that the law should be changed, this photo provides that.

[nick of time]

63. That's what store security or the police would check for,

and I agree, the laws do need changed.

[2pooped2pop]

69. I would bitch very loudly as I walked out of the store leaving my purchases behind.

They would know why I was leaving and why I would not be back. I might even run screaming through the store in terror.

The stores can stop this.

No shirt, no shoes, no sense, no service

[nick of time]

71. That's certainly one way of doing it.

Would definitely get the point across.

[Ter]

22. If there is no law against it, what can the police do?

n/t

[onehandle]

25. Look up. I'm not answering twice. nt

[jberryhill]

32. Pretty simple really

If a shopper calls the police and says, "There's a guy in the JC Penney store walking around with a rifle", it is a safe bet the police will show up, the store will not appreciate the ruckus one bit, and will encourage the guy not to show up at their store like that again.

[defacto7]

132. That's the point

It doesn't matter if there's a law or not. This is the state of the almighty gun. The rule of the west trumps the rule of law, civility, reason.

[appleannie1]

2. That is making the statement "I am an ass".

[nick of time]

4. ^^^This^^^.

[neverforget]

5. We had some asses do this last week around Portland, Or

http://www.kgw.com/news/Medford-activist-carriesAR-15-in-public-186246222.html

[jberryhill]

33. That was in Oregon?

I swear, if there is anything that will ever drive me to become a crazed person with a gun, it will be news sources which do not distinguish between Portland, Oregon and Portland, Maine when they report this kind of thing.

I was *in* Portland, Maine last week when this story was reported on the radio, and I was trying to figure out what part of town the guy was in.

I can't freaking stand that.

[DeschutesRiver]

89. Yes. Two men carrying rifles in Portland OREGON in a neighborhood known as "Sellwood".

The poster must have corrected their post, as I see the subject line says "Portland, Or".

The incident featured two men, one of whom is a well known "gun activist" from Medford, Oregon. From skimming the linked article, it appears they showed up in a few other locations as well (in Portland and in the city of Gresham, Oregon).

http://www.oregonlive.com/portland/index.ssf/2013/01/rifle_toting_activist_in_portl.html

[11 Bravo]

70. Cool, more "small dick" schtick. Tell me, do women gun owners have ... never mind ...

Last edited Sat Jan 19, 2013, 12:47 PM - Edit history (1)

on edit: Even though it was a reply in kind, it's no more acceptable for me to engage in that type of idocy than it was for the person to whom I was responding.

[Erose999]

78. Its definitely an insecurity of some sort that causes people to feel the need to carry weapons in

public places. Thats all I'm saying. Women don't usually compensate for their sexual insecurities by being "macho".

[nobodyspecial]

80. I don't know

Post some pics of women pulling this Rambo-style crap in public and we'll discuss.

[11 Bravo]

81. I am 100% in favor of mandatory registration, closing the gun show loophole, and banning ...

high capacity magazines. I have neither the time nor the inclination to get into a pissing contest here with people with whom I am mostly in agreement. I just find the "little dick" meme to be lazy and tiresome. (And if you can't find thousands of pictures of women brandishing firearms on Google, then you aren't using it correctly.)

[Zoeisright]

91. Don't know.

But they're incredibly stupid and insecure.

Because anyone with a brain understands these facts:

http://www.bradycampaign.org/facts/gunviolence/GVSuicide

LEARN something today.

[DevonRex]

100. Thanks for editing.

Last edited Sat Jan 19, 2013, 04:28 PM - Edit history (1)

[11 Bravo]

115. It appears that a jury has rather effectively cleaned up that particular bit of shit.

And the intrinsically sexist nature of your response would be disturbing ... if I allowed that sort of crap to get to me.

[DevonRex]

116. I was the alerter. No way i could yell at you and not alert on the misandry above.

I agree with you about it. It shouldn't happen. The problem I see is that way too much of it comes from men and then what happens? Women have the same problems in threads dealing with rape, so we aren't innocent ourselves. Sorry if I came down too hard on you. I understand if you thought it was a female you responded to initially and therefore your response was giving back in kind. Sort of. So, may I request that you edit your post if you haven't already? I haven't checked yet.

[11 Bravo]

155. Done. I didn't get back online until just now.

[frazzled]

7. I would call Penney's and say you won't shop there

Private businesses probably have the right to make any rules they want. Honestly, I wouldn't step foot in a store where someone was carrying a gun. (God knows how many times I've done this not even knowing, because the weapon was concealed.)

[tblue]

35. Me too. And I would never ever go there again.

Poor Penney's. What a pain.

[frazzled]

52. I don't feel sorry for Penney's

All they have to do is post a sign: No guns allowed in our stores.

It's short, it's sweet, it's legal. Just like "no shirt, no shoes, no service," or "jackets and ties required."

[nick of time]

53. Yep.

That's all they would have to do, and then asshat's like that guy won't be carrying rifles into JCP.

[ManiacJoe]

93. Posting a sign would not necessarily do anything.

Many, if not most, places these signs carry no legal weight. If management wants someone to leave, they still need to ask the person to do so. The reason need not be listed on any sign/placard.

[ladjf]

66. Good idea. nt

[Brickbat]

9. Way to take a stand, dude! Way to stick it to the man!

[snooper2]

10. I wouldn't have been able to control myself from making comments loud enough for him to hear

"That's one hell of a replacement for impotence comes to mind"

maybe, while laughing of course---

"They gunna' take me guns! They gunna' take me guns! "

[The Wielding Truth]

129. I would yell." That guy's got an assault weapon.", and I would run away.

[Demo_Chris]

11. Wow

[nobodyspecial]

13. This is just insane.

How do people have any idea if the guns are loaded or not or what his intentions are? And, yes, I think public places should have signs that say, "No shoes, no shirt, HAVE A GUN, no service"

[Sheldon Cooper]

23. Wouldn't it be ironic if one of those would-be Rambo types,

you know, the concealed-carry ones who fantasize about taking out the crazed gunman, would have taken aim and shot him as a way to prevent a massacre?

[nobodyspecial]

77. That's exactly what's going to happen

and I just feel bad for the innocents caught in the crossfire. I see this as proof positive that people have lost their freakin' minds.

[flobee1]

148. The cry from the theatre shooting

"if only there had been someone with a gun in there, the problem would have been solved"
the retard doesn't think that someone might panic and kill him!

is THAT the point he's trying to get across???

[ManiacJoe]

95. Why would that happen? He is not threatening anyone.

[Sheldon Cooper]

113. Nope, at that instant he wasn't.

But every person who has ever shot up a mall carried their gun in with them. So who's to know if he's about to open up and start shooting, or not?

[ManiacJoe]

119. That part is simple to figure out.

When the rifle is slung over the back, it is not going to be used soon.

You need to be worried when it gets moved into his hands.

[Sheldon Cooper]

120. *snort*

OK cowboy. Whatever you say.

[flobee1]

149. does he actually have to kill someone before action should be taken?

Its too late at that point!

[Union Scribe]

123. I cringe when I see idiots like that being called "Rambo types"

Rambo was a story about a young man sent into a pointless war then dumped back into civilian life with what was obviously PTSD. In the original book, he kills himself at the end.

[skypilot]

57. ...or what his intentions are?

This is what gets me. If you live in a state where people are allowed to walk around like this then how do you distinguish between the guy who's asserting his Second Amendment rights and the guys who's about to blow everyone away?

[Blue_Tires]

14. wannabe tough guy

lol

[Blecht]

15. If he walked in with a camera he would have been confronted by security in seconds

But this is OK.

I love our American priorities!

[Blue_Tires]

18. I imagine if he wasn't white he would have been shot/arrested immediately...

[stubtoe]

82. Oh gods, yes.

Imagine the pandemonium...

[marions ghost]

46. Excellent point!

I remember I was taking a picture in a mall (of my nephew) and was told to cease and desist.

Yeah American priorities. SO TRUE>

[ladjf]

67. Good point. nt

[handmade34]

108. for sure...

I was kicked out a mall one day because I took a picture inside, in the open area (not in a store)

[Brickbat]

16. Way to take a stand, dude! Way to stick it to the man!

[Comrade_McKenzie]

17. I long for people like this to be thrown to the ground and thrown in an asylum. nt

[mikeysnot]

19. This guy just screams

fucking moron.

Or should I say "moran"

[uncle ray]

20. Dipshit needs a lesson in controlling his gun.

loaded or not, it's careless to be carrying his gun that way, pointed at bystanders. isn't the #1 rule of gun safety "never point your gun at something you don't want to shoot"?

[sarisataka]

21. He is violating rules

of muzzle awareness and weapon retention. Were I in line behind him, his rifle would be mine in 7-10 seconds and pointed at him before he could turn.

Any of my Marines carrying in such fashion would have been corrected on the spot.

[WooWooWoo]

29. +1

[frylock]

41. word up

[marions ghost]

50. Good

Let these guys all demonstrate their "responsible gun ownership" to us this way....

[msongs]

24. a sure sign of mental illness on display for all to see nt

[Union Scribe]

125. No, he's an asshole.

There's a pretty huge difference.

See this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=2212134

Let's stop crapping on the mentally ill by lumping them in with thoughtless, reckless jerkoffs.

[GCP]

134. He's a fucking asshole

That's all.

[xoom]

144. You can tell if someone has a mental illness by looking at them?

You should quit your day job then.

[arcane1]

26. So, how do we know they are unloaded?

The only way to be certain is to call the police, have the cops demand proof that they aren't loaded. I wish someone had done that.

[louis-t]

27. And who is going to determine if the gun is loaded?

[Marrah_G]

28. These people are insane

[rightsideout]

31. Gun fanatic fashion accessories

This is the next rage in white male fashion accessories.

It's very well done. The gun sash matches the black pants. The yellow shirt bursts with contrasting color. My suggestion would be a decorative bullet belt with brass bullets and a matching bullet earring.

[tblue]

37. In a 'Stand Your Ground' state could some one shoot him

and say they felt threatened?

An ugly thought but seriously.

[ManiacJoe]

97. No, they could not.

"Stand your ground" only applies after you claim self-defense.

In this case you cannot reasonably claim self-defense since the guy with the rifle is not threatening anyone.

[Pholus]

133. Ignore the guy with the murder weapon at your own peril.

I see some whacko with a gun like that in a public space, I'm herding me and mine for the door. Immediately.

It's the only way to be sure.

[ManiacJoe]

137. Your response keeps you out of jail.

Tblue's response sends him to jail.

[Pholus]

153. Shame on the dumbfucks that make my response necessary.

That behavior has no place in a civilized country, period.

[marions ghost]

39. I say let em keep doing this...

NOTHING could be MORE effective in turning the public against these weapons.

And pretty soon, we don't know who's "legal" and who's a mass murderer.

[Politicalboi]

42. This is NOT fair to the employees

Who may have to confront these assholes. We need to make taking guns into malls or into the public against the law. The government may say you can carry your paranoia anywhere, but the mall needs to say NO! But my little cigarette inside the mall is FORBIDDEN! Are you CRAZY! Taking a lit cigarette into the public mall. But an assault rifle is just fine.

[WinkyDink]

51. No shoes, no shirt, no service. Guns? OKAY!

[Rex]

44. The back of his shirt might as well say

FUCK YOU! on it.

Which, strangely enough would get him ejected from the mall.

Deadly weapon of mass destruction - free pass, stays in mall.

Shirt says 'FUCK YOU!' on the back - harassment by mall cops and ejected from mall!

Crazy ass world. Mad world.

[benld74]

48. Those JCP manikins ARE kinda creepy,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[WinkyDink]

49. And as he walked in, we'd know the weapons weren't loaded----HOW?!

[tosh]

55. Okay, so if his weapons are LEGAL (unloaded)...

what is the point of this display???

Someone please explain.

[Avalux]

59. So who makes the determination on whether or not the weapon is loaded?

Call the police to come and and make sure the thing isn't loaded at least.

[DJ13]

62. These idiots are conditioning people to ignore guns in public

Is that a good idea, really?

[bunnies]

76. Its the NRA's wet dream.

They want us to look like a 3rd world country.

[ladjf]

64. Regardless of the law that allows gun carrying, the man is (1) disturbing the peace and (2)

jeopardizing business in the store. But, whether the management would be able to legally ask him to leave remains a question.

[sinkingfeeling]

65. Can somebody explain the point of hauling them around if they're not loaded? Isn't

it just intimidation? Or is he advertising his paranoia?

[SpartanDem]

79. Pretty much

this is just mindless preening by a wanna be tough guy.

[PA Democrat]

94. Attention-seeking?

[Dollface]

68. Whenever I see a photo of these armed yahoos I wonder what the response would be if they were black.

[Robb]

84. There's nothing to wonder. He'd be lucky to go home alive.

[Tikki]

72. Honestly..I think a guy that would go into a store like that is a scaredy cat...

Maybe he needs to take the time and volunteer at a free meals program sans gun to
discover how poverty and lack of basic services are what he really needs to be concerned about.

It is hard to be brave on your own out in this big 'ole World for some people.

Tikki

[kelliekat44]

74. So if someone is frightened and shoots him before he can get to his guns.is that "stand your ground?

I can see now where the love of guns is going to escalate the "stand your ground" bizzaro laws in many places.

[MrScorpio]

75. These gun nut motherfuckas are crazy nt

[Arctic Dave]

83. Look who's an attention whore.

Nope, no gun problem at all in this country. Or a mental illness tied to certain gun owners.

[Robb]

85. Link to CONTACT JC PENNEY here:

https://www.jcpenney.com/dotcom/jsp/feedback/secure/feedback.jsp?pageId=pg100097

Let them know they have time to get in front of this story and condemn this idiot.

[mokawanis]

90. Appreciate the link

I'm going to contact them today.

[riqster]

87. Imagine if he were not white.

Or, horror of horrors, wearing a turban!

Am I the only person noticing that it's always honkies pulling this shit?

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

104. ^^^THIS^^^

There would be a SWAT team at the mall in a matter of minutes.

[Zoeisright]

88. Well, we know what size his dick is.

><

[Ghost in the Machine]

136. Really?? You mean you close enough to unzip his pants and look, and DIDN'T get shot??

Well, aren't YOU the lucky one??

Or is it that you're just another anti-gun nut with an obsession over the penises of gun owners, since that seems to ALWAYS be your comment on this subject??

You should honestly back away from this subject until you can, at the very least, offer some kind of intelligent or rational discussion on it, instead of just flaunting your penis obsession. It's old, tired, and doesn't reflect well on DU as a whole.

As someone upthread asked another penis obsessed anti-gun nut, "What would be your criteria if it was a woman with a gun, would she have a big gaping vagina, or small tits?"

See if you can come back with an intelligent, rational reply please. Pretty please?

Thanks in advance,

Ghost

[HappyMe]

139. Run along, the adults are talking.

[mokawanis]

92. Those people standing near him

I would have had to leave the store, after complaining to management. Chances are I would have called the guy an asshole before I left.

[Chorophyll]

117. I'd probably just hit the deck!

Jesus, if you can't leave your house to do mundane activities without carrying an arsenal, you've got problems.

He probably thinks he's gonna be a hero in case some other wingnut starts firing.

[Snotcicles]

146. The person behind the counters should have yelled please don't kill me then hand him a bag of money

and hit the alarm button.

[Algebra Palin]

96. but i can't carry a katana on my back.

this is bullshit!

[ManiacJoe]

98. Are you sure you are not allowed to do that?

[Algebra Palin]

101. i only know that where i live a kat falls under the category of a cane sword. . .

or so i was told. long story.

[ManiacJoe]

105. That would be an odd categorization,

but I would not put it past any legislature...

[Recursion]

124. Depends on where you live

Oddly enough, carrying a sword is illegal in Texas but legal in California.

[eShirl]

99. That's when you run away terrified screaming "HE'S GOT A GUN, HE's GOT A GUN aaaaaa!!!!"

Well he does.

[polly7]

102. I have to wonder what he's so afraid of?

Poor guy should just stay home and shop on-line, or send one of his kids out, if it's that stressful.

[War Horse]

103. This is utter madness

Walking into a store with that kind of gear is actually legal, and no one would call the cops over it. Kind of hard to wrap my head around...

The gun laws here in Norway are very restrictive. Too restrictive, some say, and they may very well have a point.

But stuff like this is something I might expect to see in parts of the world where carrying an AK around is deemed necessary. Not as some sort of statement, but as a part of everyday life, because, you know, there's a war on, there's no functioning government, those kinds of things.

And I do not in any way, shape or form mean to be U.S. bashing here, but stuff like this travels across the interwebz in no time at all. And it doesn't leave a good impression. Not at all.

Sorry. Again, I do not intend to be U.S. bashing here.

[marions ghost]

111. No problem--We need input from the outside world on this

It's debatable whether we DO have a functioning government anymore IMO. We certainly don't have a government that people trust, a gov't that people feel has their best interests at heart. The justice system is archaic and dysfunctional. It's hard to trust anyone out of your own echo chamber. This is true on the left and the right, though for different reasons.

It is debatable whether we really even have a democracy anymore. It is now, after the Bush era, a full corporatocracy, where greed and corruption rule, regulations are meaningless, the gap between the haves and have nots is deep, and the media are full of lies and spin. Basic rights have been abridged. It is to the corporatocracy's advantage to keep people needy and competitive. When a country pits its people against each other, this is the result. Obama inherited this mess, and he's doing the best he can, but the forces against him are obscenely well-funded.

America is in a nosedive. It remains to be seen if we will pull out of this. If our reputation around the world is hurt, it is well-deserved. I am glad there are other countries NOT like America!

[on point]

106. Open Carry has to go unless it has an obvious and slow to unlock lock on it.

There are reasons to transport guns from place to place for the purpose they are for such as hunting, purchase/ sale, target practice etc. To protect others, this should only be transported in a very obvious and slow to release locked state.

This nutty idea of carry for the sake of carry has to go. Seeing such a gun should be sufficient cause for the police to stop, confiscate and arrest the individual for brandishing and threatening others.

There is no way anyone knows if this is someone who woke up having a bad tinfoil hat day and he is on his way to a massacre.

The fact that he feels he ought to be doing it is enough to question his judgment and fitness to have a gun at all.

[watch the sky]

109. don't see the point in open carry

and then the weapon is unloaded? Has to be for pure intimidation reasons, and why can't JCP nake a law prohibiting this in all their stores?

[thucythucy]

107. How long until someone armed like this walks into a bank?

I wonder what the reaction would be then? Does Utah law protect that "right" as well?

[loose wheel]

110. It is not legal to walk into a bank with a gun anywhere in the US.

[thucythucy]

112. And the NRA is all right with this?

You're telling me we have laws prohibiting guns in banks, but guns in shopping malls, health clubs, bars, churches, motels, etc. is legal?

If it's a violation of our 2nd Amendment rights to prohibit carrying guns into shopping malls, how it is not a violation to prohibit carrying them into banks?

[Robb]

114. Guess again.

http://www.khou.com/news/Chappell-Hill-bank-welcomes-concealed-handguns-187399451.html

[ManiacJoe]

121. It is perfectly legal in most of not all states.

Feel free to quote any laws prohibiting it as you find them.

[jmowreader]

118. In three...

'The liberals sent this man in there so they'd take our guns away!'

[donheld]

122. How lovely.

He couldn't find his small penis so he brought its substitute.

[BainsBane]

127. uh oh

Be careful. Gunners get very touchy when you say that.

[BainsBane]

126. You automatically know these guys are white

When you see a headline like this. Looking at a picture is unnecessary. Can you imagine how quickly a black man would be killed if he walked into a place with an assault rifle or exposed weapon of any kind?

Now tell me again this issue has nothing to do with white privilege.

[Paladin]

141. Bullseye. (nt)

[rl6214]

131. That's just plain idiotic

[krispos42]

135. Well, that was dumb.

n/t

[HappyMe]

138. Oh my God!

That's beyond ridiculous. I would have quickly and quietly headed for the the exit.

[etherealtruth]

140. Why would anybody do this?

His points is ....what ....? That he can intimidate innocent shoppers?

[Duckhunter935]

142. he is looking for attention

and he got it, he is an idiot.

[etherealtruth]

143. "he is an idiot."

No doubt about that!

[rgbecker]

145. I wish the Media would have arrived and done a short interview.

There has got to be a nice long story behind this one.

Could be the man needs some therapy.

[Coyotl]

147. Joseph Kelley, Utah Man, Takes Rifle To J.C. Penney ... to protect children from evil men ...

Joseph Kelley, Utah Man, Takes Rifle To J.C. Penney To Show Guns Can Be Safe
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/18/joseph-kelley-gun-rifle-jc-penney-guns-safe-law-abiding-citizens_n_2504142.html

.......

The rifle-toting shopper was later identified as 22-year-old Joseph Kelley. He revealed that he was carrying an unloaded AR-15 and the handgun was a loaded Glock 19C, according to The Salt Lake Tribune, adding that he is a firm believer in the Second Amendment.

He said he brought the guns to J.C. Penney to show that firearms are not dangerous in the hands of law-abiding citizens.

"I felt no negative vibes from anyone," Kelley told the Tribune. "I think it went rather surprisingly well."

He said he carries weapons with him in order to protect children and others from "criminals, cartels, drug lords" and other "evil men."

........

[nc4bo]

150. So what's he going to do, beat the killer with the weapon?

Because by the time an armed nut job walked into the store and started killing, homeboy would be dead before he could dig out his ammo, load and fire.

JHC on a trike.

[Generic Other]

151. In my local mall we had a shooter kill multiple people

I suspect a guy walking in like this would have caused more than raised eyebrows. Panicked shoppers would have been scurrying all over the place, so why wouldn't the potential that this guy would create a riot be seen as akin to shouting "fire" in a crowded theater by a court? If he causes mayhem, or causes someone to have a heart attack, or other people to hurt themselves in an attempt to escape the vicinity, wouldn't he be guilty of some crime?

I know if I saw this man, I would get away from him as quickly as possible, call 911, and alert the store. If the store refused to take action against him, I would never shop there again. Even in the old west, the saloon keepers made you check the weapons in at the door.

It's weird that guy thinks he's making people feel more safe. To me, he's making my country feel like some war-torn middle eastern nation where the shadow of death seems always in the air.

[G_j]

152. How does one know if they are loaded or not?

excuse my ignorance
I have seen this question asked several times in this thread. it's a long thread so I may have missed the answer.

And if there is no way to know if they are loaded, what does prevent some another carrying person from using his defensive firepower to save the innocent people in the store because we all know that more guns out there make the public safer (not!)

[nc4bo]

154. I guess trust him? The article states that it's legal to walk around like a fool

as long as it is not loaded...but who's going to be the first volunteer to go check?

Hmmm....

[ManiacJoe]

157. Look and see if there is a magazine in it or not.

The better answer is to just assume that it is loaded and be polite.

[TheMightyFavog]

156. Forget it Jake, It's Utah.

End of Line.