Do you agree with the court?? Open Carry

[mountainpass]

It wasn't that long ago right here in Georgia that carrying a gun in a park was illegal. Did everyone know that? Probably not unless they were really involved with guns and gun rights.

In state parks before HB89 in 2008 you are correct.

In regular city/county parks it has always been legal. Now many cities/counties had ordinances on the books forbidding guns in them, but those ordinances were against the state's pre-emption of firearms.

 

[republican]

These are some of the growing pains that all states are going to have to put up with for a while as our civil rights are restored in this country. Obviously open carry in public is assinine but the state of Tennesee has had some pretty nonsensical gun laws on the books for years and while I agree that this type pf political protest can be unsettling and distasteful nobody would even be talking about this if the state of Tennesee had not played fast and loose with the second amendment to the constitution of the United States of America in the first place. And dont even get me started on the whole public park thing. If he had been in a privately owned mall or book store he could have been arrested as soon as the security guards told him to leave. In my opinion public property is just another word for the private property of loonatics,criminals and tyrants.

 

[Bryan]

Dude the officer was in extremely close proximity. You flash an AK or an AR handgun at me from 30 feet and I can tell that it is a handgun, I may not be able to tell you what caliber or particular model you have in your hand but I can surely tell the difference in a handgun and a rifle.

I am sure you and most every member of this site could too....but I would think if you made up a photo with that draco a 1911, S7W model 29 and a Glock and asked how many pistols are in the picture you would get the answer 3 a lot.The Draco looks more like a rifle than a pistol.
As to if his rights were violated. If so it seems they were in ignorance and since that was his intention. The rangers responding did not know if the Draco was a pistol. I am guessing they thought it was a rifle equivalent of a sawwed off shotgun. A reasonable assumption for a person not involved in the shooting hobby.

 

[Bryan]

Again I think the court got it wrong here. The guys rights were violated, but having said that the court should have held that since he was let go upon correct determination from a better trained officer there was no "real" harm thus he had already gotten his relief by being let go. The court could have ordered the police department to hold a bit of training for the officers who needed it.

No I do not expect every officer to get it right BUT I do expect the court to do so.

YES

 

[Patronus]

You know, I think there is a point where the right to do something crosses a line that makes it vital that you be stopped from execising your rights. Take free speech. You have a constitutional right to speak freely. But even the founding fathers conceded that fighting words were not protected speech. Yelling fire in a crowded theater has been used as an example of speech that is not protected by the constitution. There comes a point where common sense and the welfare of others HAVE to take priority over the unfettered exercise of a right.

I dearly love the right to keep and bear arms and I believe you SHOULD have the right to carry your gun and protect yourself. But if you think walking around in public with a weapon whose very design DEMANDS attention and is instantly recognizable as one that has been repeatedly associated with terrorism, mass shootings, and war, you are just stupid. Not some shining example of freedom, just a dumbass. And you do nothing but HARM the rest of the legal gun-owning community. Your grandstanding is embarrassing and paints us all as fools.

 

[attison]

This guy went looking for trouble, trying to start crap, just like the rest of the OC pricks on you tube. Its idiots like this that will screw up everything else for people. As far as knowing what it was from 30 feet, yeah go on out there skippy and lets see your knowledge. If you have never been a LEO, your best bet is to go be one or STFU. You were not there so you dont have a clue of what they saw or how numb nuts was holding the weapon. Once they found out he was good, they let the fool go. The courts were spot on on their decission. He went looking for trouble and found it. Piss on him and all the other idiots that get out WITH CAMERAS AND RECORDERS trying to start crap and make it harder on the people who OC/CC who mind their business.

 

[Patronus]

Not to mention, while the cops are having to deal with some jackass trying to make a point someone across town may be desperately needing a cop.

 

[Laxguy59]

You know, I think there is a point where the right to do something crosses a line that makes it vital that you be stopped from execising your rights.

Here's the issue, you keep acting as though he committed a crime. Fire in a movie theater IS illegal, what he did is not. If orange tips on real guns were illegal this would be easy. He wasn't charged with anything.

 

[Patronus]

Not all stupidity is criminal.

 

[Ken Ford]

Here's the issue, you keep acting as though he committed a crime. Fire in a movie theater IS illegal, what he did is not. If orange tips on real guns were illegal this would be easy. He wasn't charged with anything.

Not wing charged does not equal not doing anything wrong.