Man says he was harassed while carrying gun at airport

[Bengalzona]

http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/2015/06/01/man-says-he-was-harassed-while-carrying-gun-at-airport/28337871/

Quote:ATLANTA (WXIA) – A metro Atlanta man says he was harassed for exercising his Second Amendment rights while at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport last week.

Jim Cooley says that while he and his wife took his daughter to the airport after a vacation, he openly carried his AR-15 rifle – which is his right under Georgia state law.

And while city officials have in the past expressed dismay over the fact that citizens are permitted to carry weapons in the open and public areas of the airport, it is, indeed, perfectly legal for citizens to walk through the airport with their weapons displayed in view, provided they do not move into the TSA-controlled secure areas of the airport property.

Cooley says he was approached by several Atlanta Police officers asking about his firearm, which he said he was carrying for safety, while at the airport.

However, Cooley asked the officers, each time he was stopped if he was being detained. When the officers each answered in the negative, he continued on his way.

He recorded each of the encounters and posted them to YouTube.

Upon leaving the terminal and going to the parking lot, three officers followed him. None of the three would say why they were following him when he asked them, though they took photos of him and his vehicle as he got in and drove off.

ANybody wanna get on a flight with this fella?

[SunsetBengal]

I've got no problem with folks like that.  Just knowing that there are plenty of folks legally carrying makes me feel safer walking around not carrying a weapon.

As for sharing a flight with him?  Chances are that he's not going to have the weapon in the cabin with us.

[xxlt]

(06-02-2015, 07:39 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I've got no problem with folks like that.  Just knowing that there are plenty of folks legally carrying makes me feel safer walking around not carrying a weapon.

As for sharing a flight with him?  Chances are that he's not going to have the weapon in the cabin with us.

Actually chances are he will. 97% failure rate of TSA screening for weapons just reported the other day (or there about - right back with a link... 

[xxlt]

http://time.com/3904473/tsa-security-test-breach-fail/

OK, I was wrong. 95% failure rate. You know me, always running down the government. (By two percentage points in this case.)

[Bengalzona]

"...which he said he was carrying for safety..."

Safety from what?

Was he expecting some other gun nut to show up at the airport?

[*bfine32*]

(06-02-2015, 07:35 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: http://www.11alive.com/story/news/local/2015/06/01/man-says-he-was-harassed-while-carrying-gun-at-airport/28337871/


ANybody wanna get on a flight with this fella?

Not if I plan on Hi-Jacking it with a box cutter.

Admittedly, I did miss the part of the story where he was on a plane with his weapon.

[Bengalzona]

(06-02-2015, 07:39 PM)SunsetBengal Wrote: I've got no problem with folks like that.  Just knowing that there are plenty of folks legally carrying makes me feel safer walking around not carrying a weapon.

As for sharing a flight with him?  Chances are that he's not going to have the weapon in the cabin with us.

Why sure, I feel safer with folks legally carrying. Only, I prefer them to be highly-trained, publicly-authorized and called "police".

[Bengalzona]

(06-02-2015, 07:47 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Not if I plan on Hi-Jacking it with a box cutter.

Admittedly, I did miss the part of the story where he was on a plane with his weapon.

Guns in the airport today, on the airplane tomorrow.

Some people need their artificial manhood.

[Sociopathicsteelerfan]

I will never understand people who open carry. It's the most frequent topic of argument when I visit the gun related sites or forums I frequent. The purpose of carrying a gun is to protect yourself. Open carry completely negates that and actually makes you a target. If I'm a criminal and I spot a person carrying an AR15 I immediately know he's armed. I can approach him point a gun at him and demand he surrender his weapon, and any others he may be carrying. Doing so in a way that completely negates his ability to respond with his AR is easy as it's much simpler to act than to react, especially to an uncommon experience. Essentially open carry puts a huge bulls eye on your back and all it really does is unnerve people who aren't used to living in Somalia.

While I don't think that everyone in the country should be allowed to concealed carry doing so makes infinitely more sense than open carry and the stated purposes of both. If a criminal doesn't know you have a gun now he's the one reacting to the unexpected not you. Personally I think the vast majority of people who open carry are huge douches and yes, I realize I'm generalizing.

[JustWinBaby]

What irritates me about stuff like this is when people are recording it, they're primarily looking to get a reaction so they can post about cry about getting their rights violated for attention.

They're testing public safety people by being deliberately uncooperative which, by the way, is a good way to get yourself shot if you pay attention to the news.

[*wildcats forever*]

(06-02-2015, 07:49 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Why sure, I feel safer with folks legally carrying. Only, I prefer them to be highly-trained, publicly-authorized and called "police".

And honestly, I'm not sure how safe I feel around them. I really have been hoping everybody outgrew that wild, wild west thing (or GI Joe) we were caught up in when we were kids. 

[xxlt]

(06-02-2015, 07:52 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I will never understand people who open carry.  It's the most frequent topic of argument when I visit the gun related sites or forums I frequent.  The purpose of carrying a gun is to protect yourself.  Open carry completely negates that and actually makes you a target.  If I'm a criminal and I spot a person carrying an AR15 I immediately know he's armed.  I can approach him point a gun at him and demand he surrender his weapon, and any others he may be carrying.  Doing so in a way that completely negates his ability to respond with his AR is easy as it's much simpler to act than to react, especially to an uncommon experience.  Essentially open carry puts a huge bulls eye on your back and all it really does is unnerve people who aren't used to living in Somalia.

While I don't think that everyone in the country should be allowed to concealed carry doing so makes infinitely more sense than open carry and the stated purposes of both.  If a criminal doesn't know you have a gun now he's the one reacting to the unexpected not you.  Personally I think the vast majority of people who open carry are huge douches and yes, I realize I'm generalizing.

I respect your line of argument.

But, I think you are overlooking two facts. One, as all people who carry (concealed or open) know, the good guy always wins in a gun fight. So when your criminal draws on Mr. Open C. AR15 it is self-evident to all gun nuts that Mr. AR15 is going to shoot the criminal and walk away unscathed to the cheers of other gun nuts.

And two, if you are Mr. Concealed the bad guy is always going to "get the drop on you." Only it is worse, for Mr. Concealed. AR15 just has to sling his rifle off his shoulder. Open carry .44 Magnum just has to bust his pistola off'n his hip. But Mr. Concealed is at a great disadvantage. All criminals carry guns (all gun nuts know this too) and they will always draw on you first because, as you say, it is easier to act than react. But thankfully, fact one - the good guy always wins - tells us that even disadvantaged Mr. Concealed will still be able to produce his concealed weapon and shoot Joe Criminal first ten times out of ten, emerging unscathed to the cheers of other gun nuts.

OK, this post is 50% and 50% and I am trusting SSF to know where the breakdown is.

[oncemoreuntothejimbreech]

(06-02-2015, 07:55 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: What irritates me about stuff like this is when people are recording it, they're primarily looking to get a reaction so they can post about cry about getting their rights violated for attention.

They're testing public safety people by being deliberately uncooperative which, by the way, is a good way to get yourself shot if you pay attention to the news.

When I read he was carrying an AR15 for "safety" I immediately thought "attention *****."

When I read he recorded and posted questioning by police and posted it to YouTube my suspicion was confirmed. 

[SunsetBengal]

(06-02-2015, 07:52 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I will never understand people who open carry.  It's the most frequent topic of argument when I visit the gun related sites or forums I frequent.  The purpose of carrying a gun is to protect yourself.  Open carry completely negates that and actually makes you a target.  If I'm a criminal and I spot a person carrying an AR15 I immediately know he's armed.  I can approach him point a gun at him and demand he surrender his weapon, and any others he may be carrying.  Doing so in a way that completely negates his ability to respond with his AR is easy as it's much simpler to act than to react, especially to an uncommon experience.  Essentially open carry puts a huge bulls eye on your back and all it really does is unnerve people who aren't used to living in Somalia.

While I don't think that everyone in the country should be allowed to concealed carry doing so makes infinitely more sense than open carry and the stated purposes of both.  If a criminal doesn't know you have a gun now he's the one reacting to the unexpected not you.  Personally I think the vast majority of people who open carry are huge douches and yes, I realize I'm generalizing.

While I'm willing to admit that my initial response to the OP was a bit tongue-in-cheek, I do agree with your rationale.  Well stated, SSF.

[CKwi88]

Another case of people doing the things they can do rather than the things they should do. A few things that crossed my mind:

A) Saying you're open carrying an AR-15 for defense is laughable.
B) Why have civilian guns in airports?
C) How on Earth do you make it living out there in AZ Zona?
D) Do people really look at people with guns and think they're safer?

[*bfine32*]

(06-02-2015, 07:52 PM)Sociopathicsteelerfan Wrote: I will never understand people who open carry.  It's the most frequent topic of argument when I visit the gun related sites or forums I frequent.  The purpose of carrying a gun is to protect yourself.  Open carry completely negates that and actually makes you a target.  If I'm a criminal and I spot a person carrying an AR15 I immediately know he's armed.  I can approach him point a gun at him and demand he surrender his weapon, and any others he may be carrying.  Doing so in a way that completely negates his ability to respond with his AR is easy as it's much simpler to act than to react, especially to an uncommon experience.  Essentially open carry puts a huge bulls eye on your back and all it really does is unnerve people who aren't used to living in Somalia.

While I don't think that everyone in the country should be allowed to concealed carry doing so makes infinitely more sense than open carry and the stated purposes of both.  If a criminal doesn't know you have a gun now he's the one reacting to the unexpected not you.  Personally I think the vast majority of people who open carry are huge douches and yes, I realize I'm generalizing.

It does seem the more we talk about different scenarios the more LEO's and Soldier's logic differ. For instance in a combat environment we are taught to present a "hard-target". Basically show them what you got. The enemy would much rather go after a target that appeared to be unable to put up a fight.

You scenario makes sense only if the bad guy is packing and packing something with some kick to it.

[Benton]

slightly off topic but made me think of it.

a few weeks ago we had a deputy carrying a non-govt issued revolver. It went off accidentally at a wedding and shot his mother in the stomach. This was a year or so after a high speed chase when the same deputy accidentally holstered his weapon and shot a fellow deputy in the foot.

I grew up in a home were firearms were openly used. I started shooting around 8 years of age. I've never shot anything except what I was aiming for. But some people, no matter how much training, can't work out their stupid.

[Bengalzona]

(06-02-2015, 07:55 PM)JustWinBaby Wrote: What irritates me about stuff like this is when people are recording it, they're primarily looking to get a reaction so they can post about cry about getting their rights violated for attention.

They're testing public safety people by being deliberately uncooperative which, by the way, is a good way to get yourself shot if you pay attention to the news.

Yeah. The more I consider it, the more I find those things the most troubling about this incident.

If it was just a guy who walked in the airport with his weapon, that is one thing. This dude came with the intent of creating a circus show and giving law enforcement a hard time. I don't like it when people give law enforcement officers a hard time just for the sake of giving them a hard time.

(06-02-2015, 08:46 PM)CKwi88 Wrote: Another case of people doing the things they can do rather than the things they should do. A few things that crossed my mind:

A) Saying you're open carrying an AR-15 for defense is laughable.
B) Why have civilian guns in airports?
C) How on Earth do you make it living out there in AZ Zona?
D) Do people really look at people with guns and think they're safer?

Open carry is just sort of natural out here. You get used to it. And, usually, when "open-carry" nuts decide to congregate with assault-style rifles to "make a point", they generally get ignored out here because people are like "Yeah? So...?". The people who do that are the ones that haven't lived out here too long.

[Bengalzona]

(06-03-2015, 01:01 AM)Benton Wrote: slightly off topic but made me think of it.

a few weeks ago we had a deputy carrying a non-govt issued revolver. It went off accidentally at a wedding and shot his mother in the stomach. This was a year or so after a high speed chase when the same deputy accidentally holstered his weapon and shot a fellow deputy in the foot.

I grew up in a home were firearms were openly used. I started shooting around 8 years of age. I've never shot anything except what I was aiming for. But some people, no matter how much training, can't work out their stupid.

Barney Fife, eh?

That's why Andy wouldn't let him have any bullets.

[*bfine32*]

(06-02-2015, 07:49 PM)Bengalzona Wrote: Why sure, I feel safer with folks legally carrying. Only, I prefer them to be highly-trained, publicly-authorized and called "police".

(06-03-2015, 01:01 AM)Benton Wrote: slightly off topic but made me think of it.

a few weeks ago we had a deputy carrying a non-govt issued revolver. It went off accidentally at a wedding and shot his mother in the stomach. This was a year or so after a high speed chase when the same deputy accidentally holstered his weapon and shot a fellow deputy in the foot.

I grew up in a home were firearms were openly used. I started shooting around 8 years of age. I've never shot anything except what I was aiming for. But some people, no matter how much training, can't work out their stupid.

Feel safer now?