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

oneharmonic · Aug 8, 2019

It went exactly as you would expect after El Paso. The guy is lucky to be alive and should be charged.

Former firefighter stops man armed with 100 rounds of ammunition at south Springfield Walmart

The Springfield Police Department says it responded to a potential threat at the Walmart Neighborhood Market on Republic Rd. near Golden Avenue, Thursday afternoon.

www.ky3.com

DB is Here · Aug 8, 2019

Very lucky he didn't get shot...what a dolt.

papersoldier · Aug 8, 2019

What in the world was this guy thinking

. I'm curious to see what they charge him with though.

awshoot · Aug 8, 2019

papersoldier said:
What in the world was this guy thinking . I'm curious to see what they charge him with though.

Whatever he was thinking was 100% high grade moron.

awshoot · Aug 8, 2019

DB Wesner said:
Very lucky he didn't get shot...what a dolt.

But are we lucky?

Talos32 · Aug 8, 2019

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.

awshoot · Aug 8, 2019

Talos32 said:
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.
...

The gulf between legal and unmitigated stupidity can be enourmous. People like him pulling a stunt like that aren't spreading the good word about firearms ownership, they are making people angry which will only cause bad laws. Black Panthers pushed that line right up to the point that CA started on its anti-gun path and that spilled over into Federal law as well. The only thing a stunt like this can accomplish, is harm to gun rights. It's bubbleguming retarded whether or not it is legal now.

Hawaiian · Aug 8, 2019

Idiots like this do great harm to the legal right to bear arms. He is dumber than dirt. IMHO

v0lcom13sn0w · Aug 8, 2019

theres a difference between "can i?" and "should i?"

just because you can doesnt mean you should.

Talos32 · Aug 8, 2019

awshoot said:
The gulf between legal and unmitigated stupidity can be enourmous. People like him pulling a stunt like that aren't spreading the good word about firearms ownership, they are making people angry which will only cause bad laws. Black Panthers pushed that line right up to the point that CA started on its anti-gun path and that spilled over into Federal law as well. The only thing a stunt like this can accomplish, is harm to gun rights. It's bubbleguming retarded whether or not it is legal now.

Oh, I never said the optics were good or that he was smart, just that he probably wasn't breaking any laws.

Notice how his face was blurred and no name released? The cops and media have probably figured this out too and are sidestepping a defamation lawsuit. Remember how Richard Jewel got millions from suing 4-5 news agencies for their coverage of him?

wyojeeper · Aug 8, 2019

Most of the retards in MO have no clue. I am sure he was looking for 15 minutes of fame.

RVTECH · Aug 8, 2019

it sounds like this guy probably wasn't breaking any laws-

Maybe not but considering current events this was like yelling 'fire' in a crowded theater.

CLT65 · Aug 8, 2019

If people want to open carry, and it's legal where they are, then I think they have a responsibility to do it in a place and way that it doesn't cause problems. Personally I think these guys who open carry rifles down the street just for kicks or to "make a point" are attention-seeking idiots. Stunts like this aren't going to normalize guns; they're counterproductive and only hurt us.

The guy should be arrested and charged with inciting public panic or some such. Throw the book at him.

44Brent · Aug 8, 2019

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

PNW Partisan · Aug 8, 2019

Good Guy With Gun Stops Potential Attack At Walmart After Man Shows Up With Rifle, Body Armor

An off-duty firefighter who had a firearm with him stopped a potential attack from taking place at a Walmart in Missouri after a 20-year-old man showed up to the store with a rifle, body armor, and over 100 rounds of ammunition. “His intent was not to cause peace or comfort to anybody that was...

www.dailywire.com

Surprised this guy didn't get shot right away. Good on the fireman/CHL person for stopping it. All the studies also show an uptick in copy-cat attacks following the mass media attention in any crime.

ColeInOregon · Aug 8, 2019

"Stupid is as stupid does"
-Forrest Gump

Talos32 · Aug 8, 2019

CLT65 said:
If people want to open carry, and it's legal where they are, then I think they have a responsibility to do it in a place and way that it doesn't cause problems. Personally I think these guys who open carry rifles down the street just for kicks or to "make a point" are attention-seeking idiots. Stunts like this aren't going to normalize guns; they're counterproductive and only hurt us.

The guy should be arrested and charged with inciting public panic or some such. Throw the book at him.

No, it doesn't do us any favors as gunowners, but I'm not sure that's the point. Americans always seem to focus on the rights of the individual, and reject calls to make sacrifices in favor of the collective (socialism, communism, boo hiss). Except when we don't. This is what I find interesting.

Here's a thought problem: Put aside your notions of common sense, or with somebody should or shouldn't do and look at the situation with only logic. While acknowledging the person was breaking no law, you expect him to adjust his behavior to satisfy the needs of the collective to feel safe. Particularly in light of recent events, which demand a heightened awareness of and deference to, the emotional needs of the masses. Isn't this precisely the same argument that gun grabbers would make for why we all need to surrender our guns?

In a society of laws, the law defines the limits of our behavior. You may choose to go above and beyond because it's the wise thing to do or the polite thing to do, but you should never be compelled to do so. Like it or not, legally the responsibility is on walmart and the police to correctly figure out that he's not breaking the law and act accordingly.

This, by the way, is the exact argument that people make when rape is discussed. The poor choices someone makes leading up to a rape (going out alone, dressing provocatively, getting drunk with strangers, etc.) don't justify the rape (and they don't). In fact, any appeal to common sense and making smart decisions regardless of the law will inevitably lead to accusations of victim blaming.

In essence, the argument is that a woman should not have to modify her behavior in any way in deference to common sense, she has every right to expect that everyone will act legally at all times. This perspective has been universally adopted by the courts and victim advocates. Intellectually, how is this situation any different?

CountryGent · Aug 8, 2019

DB Wesner said:
Very lucky he didn't get shot...what a dolt.

awshoot said:
Whatever he was thinking was 100% high grade moron.

Exactly.

Police stated that a young white male, appearing to be in his twenties, pulled up to the Walmart, where he donned body armor and military fatigues. Police say the man had tactical weapons.

Philosophically, I am all for open carry, even if I don't personally do so in town. But this, particularly in the wake of what went down just a few days ago — idiot! Maximum freedom comes with total responsibility.

Dungannon · Aug 8, 2019

Saw a guy in Home Depot the other day, wearing a kilt and open carrying a pistol. My pistol stayed concealed.

Dungannon · Aug 8, 2019