National Man decides to open carry an AR at a WalMart in Missouri today...

[ma96782]

It's not always easy......to write a law that will prohibit an act that could potentially curtail an individual's freedom, in favor of a perceived collective right to feel safe/safer.

Example: Portland has thus far been unable to outlaw the wearing of a mask while in public. Think about, what a well-dressed rioter is wearing nowadays. LOL.....do you really believe that what is being worn is about personal comfort and/or the freedom of expression/style?

But, considering that we have the 2nd A. Aren't CCW laws also in that category?

I guess if you figure that it says.....

A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the People to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed, unless I say it's reasonable.

Aloha, Mark

 

[titsonritz]

More Walmart shenanigans...
Police Respond To Shooting At Baton Rouge Walmart

 

[clearconscience]

They need to start shooting these people on arrival and making an example of what happens when your stupid.

Hopefully they charge him with everything they can, give him the maximum sentence, and not allow him to have firearms.

Two more things:
Stop calling a plate carrier or molle vest "body armor"

And stop calling it an "active shooter" when no shots were fired.

 

[clearconscience]

More Walmart shenanigans...
Police Respond To Shooting At Baton Rouge Walmart

Probably just a ghetto drive by.

Just because someone shot at or near a walmart we don't have to call it an "active shooter"

Or we would have a non-stop active shooter all over chicago, daily, almost hourly.

 

[CountryGent]

Sheez, what is up with problems at Wally Worlds? (Granted, I, generally, avoid that establishment like the plague. My wife goes far more often.)

 

[308]

Maybe he was hired by a leftist anti-gunner organization.

This comes to mind

Shill - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Talos32]

It's not always easy......to write a law that will prohibit an act that could potentially curtail an individual's freedom, in favor of a perceived collective right to feel safe/safer.

Nor should it be. You can justify almost anything in the name of the collective good. Freedom comes at the cost of allowing a variety of objectionable behavior, provided it doesn't harm others.

Would it be objectively "better" if this man's behavior were prohibited by law? Possibly, but you risk opening a Pandora's Box if you seek hold someone responsible for the reactions of others.

 

[Red98422]

Doesn't seem like the guy with the rifle had any intent to shoot up the place. As a matter of fact I don't think he could even be hit for brandishing a weapon, the FF on the other hand brandished his weapon. If push came to shove and the rifle man shot the fire fighter who drew on him first he would technically be in the right correct?

Not saying the guy with the rifle wasn't a top grade moron/wanting attention, but playing the devils advocate here apparently WalMarts are dangerous places nowadays the rifleman could be dressed in what he considers to be appropriate attire for Walmart

 

[nwslopoke]

Wonder what the 20 yo father has to say?Oh, never mind.

 

[ma96782]

Nor should it be. You can justify almost anything in the name of the collective good. Freedom comes at the cost of allowing a variety of objectionable behavior, provided it doesn't harm others.

Would it be objectively "better" if this man's behavior were prohibited by law? Possibly, but you risk opening a Pandora's Box if you seek hold someone responsible for the reactions of others.

It was an illustration/comparison if you will. About....how writing an anti-mask law is so hard. Yet, writing anti-gun legislation is so easy.

Perhaps....it's a matter of the recognition.....that an OBJECT (case of the mask), doesn't in and of itself cause harm. It's the person, who chooses to misuse an item, that is to blame.

LOL. But, it's an acceptable FACT to the anti-gunners that guns can and do cause harm, just by being a gun.

Aloha, Mark

 

[tourproto]

This will never be seen on MSM except for Fox.

Armed off-duty firefighter halts armed suspect at Walmart store in Missouri, police say - Fox News Armed off-duty firefighter halts armed suspect at Walmart store in Missouri, police say — Fox News

 

[RicInOR]

Meanwhile, Florida man ....

Florida Man Asks Walmart Employee For 'Anything That Would Kill 200 People'

A Florida man ran into some trouble with police on Thursday, after he reportedly asked a Walmart clerk for "anything that would kill 200 people."

miami.cbslocal.com

"I'm in a Walmart a few days after El Paso and I'm seeing a white nationalist looking guy purchase a gun and I got mad," Attey said.
... he reportedly asked a Walmart clerk for "anything that would kill 200 people." ['highlighting added]

 

[Jcon268]

Missouri open carry laws

I'm not digging deeper, but unless rifles are excluded from open carry rules it sounds like this guy probably wasn't breaking any laws- particularly if he had a CCW.

Was this a bad idea in light of recent events? Yes, but if he wasn't breaking any laws, he has the right to do it without interference. Witnesses said he was recording on his phone, so he might have been pushing the "press to test" button on MO gun laws.

Witnesses say he was pushing around a shopping cart and recording, so the only thing out of the norm was the rifle and pouches. The cops can say his intent was to cause chaos, but unless he said or acted in a threatening manner, they probably can't charge him with anything. He's not legally responsible for the overreaction of others to his appearance.

I wouldn't be surprised if he had a cause of action for a civil suit against the guy that held him at gunpoint and maybe Walmart.

The guy wasn't just carrying a rifle, he was dressed in fatigues and sporting body armor with several loaded mags.

I try to look at it this way. Even if he WASN'T breaking the law, politicians and anti-gun people are actively trying to change laws to make everything surrounding the 2nd amendment illegal. So why you would want to stoke the flames of the anti-gun left and uproot everything gun owners have left of a positive image in society is way beyond me. Oh and he was pretty damn close to getting shot. Wouldn't have taken much I assume.

 

[DB is Here]

We should start a thread called the "Wackos of Walmart"

 

[MrRob96]

I'm conflicted when I hear stuff like this. Especially now that this guy is being charged with terrorism charges.

I would suspect this guy followed the law because he didn't start shooting anyone.

Vague laws used to prosecute people exercising constitutional rights should be very concerning to everyone in this community.

While this guy picked the wrong place and the wrong time to engage in this behavior, one of the purposes of these news stories is to keep the general population scared of firearms.

It's a slippery slope and we should be clamoring to see this guy let go due to our right to bear arms.

This guy was an idiot but operating within the limits of the law. Swinging your fist around in the air is legal until you strike another person's face.

@Talos32 nailed it as far as I'm concerned

I hope the judge throws this out, but I imagine the judge will apply the maximum penalty indicating that the terrorism of these mass shooters is working.

 

[DB is Here]

Sounds like a prosecutor is trying to make an example of this guy and a name for himself.

 

[wewaits]

This will never be seen on MSM except for Fox.

Armed off-duty firefighter halts armed suspect at Walmart store in Missouri, police say - Fox News Armed off-duty firefighter halts armed suspect at Walmart store in Missouri, police say — Fox News

It was on all of the media outlets, NBC, WAPO, CNN, NYT, National Review, ABC, CBS, Washington Times, all of them, why only Fox News for you I wonder?

 

[Ghoul]

Piss poor timing to audit the system.
Another internet slave ruining life and liberty for a little Matrix noteriety.

 

[Jcon268]

I'm conflicted when I hear stuff like this. Especially now that this guy is being charged with terrorism charges.

I would suspect this guy followed the law because he didn't start shooting anyone.

Vague laws used to prosecute people exercising constitutional rights should be very concerning to everyone in this community.

While this guy picked the wrong place and the wrong time to engage in this behavior, one of the purposes of these news stories is to keep the general population scared of firearms.

It's a slippery slope and we should be clamoring to see this guy let go due to our right to bear arms.

This guy was an idiot but operating within the limits of the law. Swinging your fist around in the air is legal until you strike another person's face.

@Talos32 nailed it as far as I'm concerned

I hope the judge throws this out, but I imagine the judge will apply the maximum penalty indicating that the terrorism of these mass shooters is working.

The problem is that even if they decide to throw the book at him, it will do absolutely SQUAT to deter another shooting. Why? Because there is a stark difference between being a gun owner (even the tacti-cool idiots like this guy) and being a murderer. The murderer doesn't stop at anything unless it's a bullet flying his way. A lot of mass shooters end up committing suicide after the fact. They're already ready to die and they're dead inside. So what could you possibly do to deter these nutcases? You can't deter them, you have to actually stop them.

 

[SavageGerbil]

I can't see charging the guy for carrying the weapon. That said, with him recording himself, in combination with the timing, I think it may be actionable.

Take this out of the gun thing for a while, say last week a man in overalls and a clown mask came in a Walmart, and chucked a molotov. Here it is a week later, and it's still absolutely legal to wear a clown mask, overalls, and carry a glass bottle. However, a person doing this, and then going into a place that's just made national news for this incident happening, I would not argue against putting our clown before a jury to decide whether this fit the legal definition of "menacing", or another similar charge. Intentions matter when it comes to your actions, legally as well as ethically.