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.

(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.

(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?

(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.

(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.

(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".

(06-02-2015, 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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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.

(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?

(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.

(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.