Gun Store Owner charged for open carrying an AR-15 in a mall

[Sombeech]

Though Texas is an open carry state, a gun store owner in the city of Beaumont is facing a misdemeanor charge of disturbing the peace for carrying his AR-15 rifle across his shoulder through a shopping mall.

Derek Poe, 26, owns Golden Triangle Tactical at the Beaumont Parkdale Mall. KBMT-TV reports that he entered the Game Stop store in the mall before going to his own store.

KMBT has a picture of Poe carrying his rifle:

Texas Man Charged for Bringing AR 15 Into Shopping Mall



Beaumont Police Sgt. Rob Flores told the Houston Chronicle that Poe turned himself in on Friday after the district attorney

[BruteForce]

And the pussification of America continues!

[Bootboy]

And the pussification of America continues!

I totally agree, but I would concede that open carrying an AR is pretty tactless. It's all about the attention for people like that. I own several firearms for the purposes of both hunting and personal protection, but I don't flaunt it and advertise for the sake of stirring the pot.

Honestly, it is akin to people who invoke the first amendment to disparage, insult, and purposefully offend others.

The guy shouldn't go to jail, but he needs to cool it and stop giving the pro-gunners (myself included) a bad name.

[Iceaxe]

Police harassment.... plain and simple...

Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[BruteForce]

I totally agree, but I would concede that open carrying an AR is pretty tactless. It's all about the attention for people like that. I own several firearms for the purposes of both hunting and personal protection, but I don't flaunt it and advertise for the sake of stirring the pot.

Honestly, it is akin to people who invoke the first amendment to disparage, insult, and purposefully offend others.

The guy shouldn't go to jail, but he needs to cool it and stop giving the pro-gunners (myself included) a bad name.

I agree. Open carrying an AR-15 is stupid, plain and simple.

This is what caught my attention:

Flores said authorities got calls from shoppers who said they were “very afraid,” “terrified” and “thought they were going to die.”

[Bluff-Canyoneer]

And now the view from the left:

The cops were out of line to take his gun, but shoppers were hardly pussies to be worried. It was just about a year ago that the Clackamas Town Center mall in Portland was shot up by some guy with an AR. Before the bullets start flying, there is no way to distinguish a shooter from this guy. Should people just wait until someone is dead to start getting worried?

[Sandstone Addiction]

I am a huge proponent of gun rights and the 2nd Amendment and will fight tooth and nail to preserve the right to open carry in our state. Stunts like this only make the fight more difficult.

Although, I can't think of a legitimate reason/purpose to open carry in a crowded place. Please enlighten me if there is.

[oldno7]

Might be a better strategy for 10-20 folks open carry at one time....

Seems the Country is a might sensitive right now in regards to a single gunman.

Poll:

Since Oklahoma City Bombing, which group is responsible for most/all, mass murders, in the US?

A) Right wing extremist/conservative/tea party type?
B) Left leaning liberal/progressive type?

[caverdan]

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[Iceaxe]

Maybe the best solution is that we all strap on a gun and walk around with them in public for the next couple of months.... it will then become the norm and those with unreasonable fears of firearms will get conditioned to having them around....

As a side benefit I'd be willing to bet the crime rate would see a substantial drop during such a conditioning period. I know the recent rash of bank robberies would almost completely disappear if half the guys waiting in line for the next teller were open carry.


Tap'n on my Galaxy G3

[Bootboy]

If he owns a gun store, why didn't he have it in a case or carrier? Homeland security has driven it into peoples minds to report suspicious behavior. Common since should tell a person not to carry an AR-15 into a crowded mall after Christmas. It's plain dumb to think your not going to draw attention to yourself. All I can think of is he was out to make some kind of a point. I'd like to hear his thoughts on why he did it. There are always two sides to a story.

Seriously......how many people have you seen walking around the mall near you with an assault rifle on their back? Would you really think nothing of it and go about your shopping....thinking this is normal behavior?

Any time tools like that are asked why they are carrying an assault weapon in the open, with out fail, they respond "I'm just exercising my second amendment right, is there something wrong with that?"

That's their excuse.

The real reason is that they are toying with people and police, putting them in a very awkward position. Watch all the videos that guys like this have posted on YouTube. They usually have titles like "police harassment for open carry of AR" or some nonsense.

Every idiot in those videos totally plays dumb to the fact that their behavior does cause alarm to the public. It's pretty aggravating that some people are so tactless.

Like I said before, it's akin to people who invoke their first amendment rights to excuse their deliberately offensive speech.

With rights comes the imperative of their responsible exercise.

[Sandstone Addiction]

Maybe the best solution is that we all strap on a gun and walk around with them in public for the next couple of months.... it will then become the norm and those with unreasonable fears of firearms will get conditioned to having them around....

I'm sure there are those that can't even look at firearm without having a panic attack and fainting, but for the most part, I don't think most people have a fear of the firearm itself...it's the person carrying the firearm that we have no idea what's going through their head.

As a side benefit I'd be willing to bet the crime rate would see a substantial drop during such a conditioning period. I know the recent rash of bank robberies would almost completely disappear if half the guys waiting in line for the next teller were open carry.

I like your idea Iceaxe, so far that's the only/best reason I've heard to promote open carry. Thomas Jefferson said it best, "An armed society is a polite sociey."

However, personally I much prefer concealed carry--may not be a deterrent before the event happens, but you still have the means to suppress it before it escalates.

[caverdan]

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[cchoc]

I'm sure there are those that can't even look at firearm without having a panic attack and fainting, but for the most part, I don't think most people have a fear of the firearm itself...it's the person carrying the firearm that we have no idea what's going through their head.



I like your idea Iceaxe, so far that's the only/best reason I've heard to promote open carry. Thomas Jefferson said it best, "An armed society is a polite sociey."

However, personally I much prefer concealed carry--may not be a deterrent before the event happens, but you still have the means to suppress it before it escalates.

Robert Heinlein said "an armed society is a polite society", not Jefferson.

[Sandstone Addiction]

Robert Heinlein said "an armed society is a polite society", not Jefferson.

Opps, you're right, shoulda done more homework.

But in doing my homework, I found a better quote from a more reputable source:

Where you have the most armed citizens in America, you have the lowest violent crime rate. Where you have the worst gun control, you have the highest crime rate.

Ted Nugent

[ratagonia]

from a more reputable source:

(Ted Nugent)

u crack me up!

[caverdan]

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[caverdan]

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