Open Carry Incident.......

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finesse_r

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I hope this does not get counted as another negative thread. LOL

A Beaumont Texas man was charged with disturbing the peace, a misdemeanor and had his AR-15 confiscated in a Mall while the local authorities look into the situation. The man was a gun shop owner in the mall and foolishly strolled through the mall with an AR-15 slug (not threatening) over his shoulder. He had soft drink in one hand and a shopping bag in the other and went into a game store before going into his own shop.

While I agree the man did not break Texas gun law, (The Texas open carry law allows state residents to carry rifles if it's not done in a threatening manner. Handguns are not allowed to be carried in open, and a person must have a concealed carry handgun license.) but a gun shop owner should have known he would likely create a stir in a shopping mall.

Given the recent incidents in public places, I think this was very ill advised behavior. Frankly I think he deserves the hassle of dealing with all of this for being stupid. Surly he had to understand the possible consequences of walking through a mall with an AR-15 even if he was technically within his rights under gun laws. While he obeyed the gun laws, he failed to obey the other laws that may well apply.

While I think it is shameful that we cannot behave as this man did, the current political climate in the USA demands we use a little more judgement than was exercised in this case. Yes in a truly free and open society we should be able to walk anywhere with an AR-15 slug over our shoulder, but we don't live in such a world.

This type of unthinking behavior is not really helpful to those of us that carry sensibly. How difficult would it have been to put the gun in a box or case or to wrap a towel around it, or at the very least to go straight to his shop and not wander around with it.

Incidents like this just give ammo to the anti-gun people to demand far reaching changes in our sensible laws.

Gun Store Owner Charged for Carrying AR-15 at Texas Mall Before Heading to His Business | Video | TheBlaze.com
 
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That doesn't sound like the Beaumont my wife tells me about. She lived there.:(:(

You guys really need to put up a fence to the south AND the west. Too many Kalifornistanians are getting in there and bringing their "ways" with 'em.

Let's see. The guy was breaking no law. The cops KNEW he was breaking no law. Had his property taken. Charged with a crime. Hmmm.... Yup. I think if I was Bloomberg I would have Texas on my shirt list... sounds like they're about ripe...;)
 
Fishslayer since you are living in san diego I dont quite understand your remark [Too many Kalifornistanians are getting in there and bringing their "ways" with 'em.] Was it said anywhere that this guy was from california? I was born and lived in wisconsin my first 19 years, than worked in about 10 states before doing my career in california for the next 40 years before retiring here. Frankly I keep reading about Kalifornistanians polluting other states to where it seems its the automatic thing to do. In my 73 years of working all over this country and my time in california in between, I have seen a lot of stupidness in other states too. Maybe this guy never got out of Beaumont Texas? Why bring california into it?
 
Fishslayer said:
That doesn't sound like the Beaumont my wife tells me about. She lived there.:(:(

You guys really need to put up a fence to the south AND the west. Too many Kalifornistanians are getting in there and bringing their "ways" with 'em.

Let's see. The guy was breaking no law. The cops KNEW he was breaking no law. Had his property taken. Charged with a crime. Hmmm.... Yup. I think if I was Bloomberg I would have Texas on my shirt list... sounds like they're about ripe...;)
Click to expand...

He was breaking no gun law. He was however, creating a disturbance, and he likely knew that he would do so. Disturbing the peace is a catch all type of law and while I hate that this is the case, I have to think there was no reason for him to test the nerves of the patrons and other store owners.

He may well be found innocent, of this misdemeanor charge, but he still needed the wake up call to use a little common sense.
 
feralmerril said:
Fishslayer since you are living in san diego I dont quite understand your remark [Too many Kalifornistanians are getting in there and bringing their "ways" with 'em.] Was it said anywhere that this guy was from california? I was born and lived in wisconsin my first 19 years, than worked in about 10 states before doing my career in california for the next 40 years before retiring here. Frankly I keep reading about Kalifornistanians polluting other states to where it seems its the automatic thing to do. In my 73 years of working all over this country and my time in california in between, I have seen a lot of stupidness in other states too. Maybe this guy never got out of Beaumont Texas? Why bring california into it?
Click to expand...

I think he was referring to those who elected to become alarmed by the open carry, not the person carrying the gun. Also he was talking about the general Kalifornia mentality as it applies to guns. Also he is right. Texas is the fastest growing state in population and it is due to immigrants from other states and nations. Texas is fast becoming something totally different from the Texas of a few decades ago. And that is truly sad to see.
 
If he was committing no crime then I hope he wins a lot of money in the law suit for the trouble he was given. Bloomberg and his kind would also like to charge the guy if he was open carrying an extra-large soda through the mall. In my opinion the police probably created a greater public disturbance with the arrest AND reinforced the negative image of firearms in many peoples eye.
 
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Lets give him a chance to say what he meant. Just lately I have commented on this very thing about california bashing. As said, I lived there about 40 years and in my experience almost every guy I knew was actually gun people, voted republican and much as to the right as myself and wyatt burp. As I said before on those posts I believe two or three general relatively small areas control the other 90% state. Oregon was big on bashing california along with other states like those signs on the border that supposedly said "keep oregon green, bring money" etc. I met very few people actually born in california in my age bracket. Most of us moved from poorer job areas to california for a good job. But I will admit that we all tend to hang with people similar to ourselves. That might give us a different prospective. I dont know how many times lately I have read right here on this site guys in other states afraid of californians moving into their states and bringing their politics with them. They especially claim the same in colorado. Except for the illegals and professional welfare type most of the country has got highly mobile and many of us did our time in california to make a living that we had no chance to match where we came from as a youth, retired and move elsewhere. Generally speaking, I would guess from my experience, that our type are mostly conservatives and to the right.
 
Disturbing the Peace is just a loop hole to use against an open carry act. Although open carry is legal in most place. They still consider it disturbing the peace when someone calls the authorities.

Another reason why it doesnt pay to open carry (although its ur right). However, its not ur right to disturb the peace.

Out of sight = Out of mind.
 
I don't much care how other folks carry a rifle around......I always have mine in a case. Ain't never carried one into a mall or Starbucks, don't much see the attraction for that type of activity. I exercise my rights, I just don't do it so as to offend other folk.

Well, the exception might be my freedom of speech. I am to the point I don't much care what others think of what I have to say, I'm gonna pretty much say it.

Hope this guy gets his life straight and figgers out his priorities......
 
I used to walk to school in the '60s with my .22 rifle slung over my right shoulder. Back then, no one had ever heard of a "mall".

It isn't the 60's anymore, however. This knob should have known better and probably did. I put him in the same category as the "am I being detained?" folks who refuse to just have a conversation with police, and get their panties in a wad about "showing their papers". Yeah, I have read the 4th amendment, too.
 
What is legal and what is appropriate are two different things. Act inappropriately long enough and it will become illegal. Making a spectacle of your rights when the people around you have no idea of your intent or protest purpose does not build faith for the gun ownership cause. When I transport weapons in an area where the sight of weapons might draw concern I want them cased and as inconspicuous as possible.
 
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