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its amazing how illogical concealed carriers can be. This guy had every right and good reason to openly carry his firearm. The poll makes me glad there is still a silent majority with intelligence that haven't been brain washed by the gov, police, or ccw instructors.
This was a foolish thing to do, and guys like this present a real challenge for responsible gun owners and carriers. Key word here is RESPONSIBLE. It's not a question of whether it was legal or not. It is common sense to think that open-carrying a gun into a theater after the Aurora shooting would not sit well with the police and other patrons. Either carry it concealed, or don't go to the movies..jerk!
He's a jerk, gun rights advocate. No mention of the T shirt he was wearing. What does it say? From his mugshot it starts with LIBERALISM but what's the rest of it.
In Colorado, you do not need a permit to open carry. Thornton City Code may have a prohibition for carry in a liquor establishment, but this is preempted by State Law.
Mr Mapes broke no law whatsoever.
If alarm was caused, it was by the Thornton Police, not Mr. Mapes
I have open carried many times in Colorado. At the bank, in stores, on the city streets. No one has ever panicked, no one has ever given me any trouble, and if someones has called the police, I am sure that the dispatcher told them that I was not breaking any law.
Carrying it at this time, no it wasn't right. I honestly believe that this incident in Aurora is an isolated incident. Carrying a gun into a movie theater is going scare people. And what if someone from Aurora, who was in the theater when the shooting happened, was there and saw it? Some people need to think. It's fine that he has a right to bear arms, but maybe he should remember that there is a time and a place. Now is not the time and the theater is not the place.
I think his point on why he was open carrying was that his weapon is a large frame handgun, and not easily concealable without wearing a jacket. Thus, an ill-concealed weapon is more likely to be considered hiding it as a criminal might - to sneak it in to do mischief, than a person that confidently and non-confrontationally wears it openly and thus is letting people know they are armed but by their behavior are not a threat. Criminals will try to sneak before brandishing a weapon up to get surprise, thus you would just about never see one wearing a holstered weapon in open carry. Its really an opinion debate over which is more cause for alarm if any alarm is justified at all - open or partially concealed; one viewpoint is from rational logic, the other from fear of guns in general. Chances are if he was carrying it concealed and it was still plainly visible, someone would still have dimed him and the police would have done the same thing.
A valid question is, why if the call was for a man with a holstered weapon, no shooting, no threats - did they use it as a tactical training exercise with live subjects and scare everyone, rather than quietly approach him from behind in the theatre and ask him to step outside? Seems they could have controlled the situation with a lot less stress and disruption had someone been a bit smarter about things. Otherwise, we are going to have every anti-gun liberal phoning in "man with gun" calls just to harass anyone carrying, jeopardizing the lives of the gun owner and bystanders with a needless prank call over a political philosophy. Of course then any carnage would be their cry to ban guns, ban carrying after they create the situation in the first place.
If anyone in the Aurora theater had a gun to shoot back at Holmes, would they have been able to even penetrate the protection he had on? If anyone in the theater did have a gun and was able to shoot and kill Holmes and stop him, what would the outcome have been at his apartment when the first responders showed up not knowing of the booby traps he had left since Holmes was dead and unable to tell them of the horror that awaited them inside? How many more lives would have been lost?
This is to educate the uneducated-Colorado is an open carry state!!!
You don't need a permit to carry openly!!! You need a CCW only when you are carrying concealed!! This individual decided not to be part of the flock of sheeple & depend on the police for protection!! You can't depend on people for anything-except yourself!! It takes police minutes to respond-where seconds matter!!! If a would be shooter walks into a theater & looks at people that are armed!! He'll think twice about shooting-because of the fear of return fire!! A gun-free zone is an open invite for someone who wants to do a mass killing-because they know everyone is unarmed!!! Gun-free zones only effect citizens who follow the law & not the perps-because they don't care. It was wrong to detain him!!! A right unexercised-is a right lost!!! If everyone carried crime would drop to almost ZERO!!!!
No I think he did wrong if people will carry guns it won't look like we r in safe country. It would feel like we r at the war all the time. People can shoot each other any time.
I believe its ok to carry a gun, but NOT to have it exposed like he did.
"Concealed carry, or CCW (carrying a concealed weapon), refers to the practice of carrying a handgun or other weapon in public in a concealed manner."
Im a firm believer in the 2nd Amendment & all that it entails. However I dnt believe all the wanna-be Charles Bronson fakko's that think more weapons in a dark, gassed & panicky theatre wouldve been the answer in this particular circumstance. Too many damn cowboys here, just because you have the weapon & license to wear it doesnt make most of the ppl wo have them experts. I ave seen real panic & what it does to a crowd. No, you would-be heroes wouldve had more of a chance attacking this freek head-on while he reloaded then taking the chance of inadvertingly injuring more innocent panicky ppl in a dark theatre full of sudden confusion. The guy here in Thornton was just an idiot for not carrying smart. Who does a stupid thing like this just days after the horrific events in Aurora & says "I'm just exercising My rights." BS, you were looking for something to happen or make happen only it wasn what he wanted it to be. Jerk-off!.
The Aurora theater shooter ss well as the Virginia Tech shooter knew that there would be no armed law abiding citizens to shoot back. The theater owners put up a sign restricting law abiding citizens from protecting themselves. If more people exercised their right to open carry their firearms, loonies like the Aurora theater shooter would have no "gun safe zone" (for them) to go to. Why is it that after a shooting like this do they want to take away the guns from the people who didn't do it? There was a time when someone in Iraq was safer than someone in Washington D.C. because only the criminals in D.C. have guns. So, how is it safer to take away guns from law abiding citizens going to help when the criminals (who DON'T obey laws) still have them?
Sounds like the managers of the theater in thorton need to be educated in open carry and a persons right to protect him/herself. Whoever sounded an "alarm" about a person carrying legally and causing no problems should have gotten the "summons". Just like yelling fire in a crowded theater.
I don't think it was in good taste to open carry into a theater considering the circumstance and into a liquor establishment, the rules say NO.
If you have a CCWP than respect it, carry smart, the C means "concealed" no one else needs to know! It is to protect you and yours if things go bad!
The police can't be every where all the time. If I, or you, have a CCWP & the Police are no where around... I will act when NEEDED. Will you? Colorado law state's that " you see a violent crime being committed. with a weapon, and some one's life is in danger, if you can stop it with out causing harm to yourself, or others, you're obligated after calling for help.
I think everyone should have there CCWP, this world would be a safer place. If more people had there CCWP less people would have been hurt at the theater.
I agree with everyone here. He did nothing wrong even if he did not have a permit it is stilll not illegal to open carry. I think with the economy the way it is alot of people that are out there holding up banks and stores are not your regular theives and if more people had a concealed carry permit and there were more stories on the news about people fighting back most of the people would think twice about robbing someone and crime would be down. Just my opinion.
i agree Elaine and ken. if you look at texas what woud happen if someone tride this in texas
Should this country choose to turn to its constitution, we would have far less incidents such as those where many are killed where the public is unprotected (See Kileen, TX). We are guaranteed the right to bear arms in the 2nd amendment. Although the concealed weapons permit laws actually step on these rights, the more responsible people who step up to this right to protect themselves and others, the better.
I am a Navy Veteran, and I have a CCW. I guarantee you that if I was there, and armed, A great deal of misery would have been circumvented. Whom else are you going to depend on for your own safety, if not yourself? The Police can't protect everybody!
JMHO, but I would rather sit by the guy with the gun in the movie theater! And a few things: 1. Do they have this mass shooting problem in Texas? Think that might have something to do with the carry laws and popularity of carrying in Texas? 2. If everyone carried a gun everywhere, how much crime do you really think there would be? If it wasn't just the criminals, gangs, and police with guns...Do you think the criminals would be so likely to think they were big and bad with a gun if they knew anyone and everyone they tried to commit a crime against had a gun?
Being a legally armed citizen, I feel it is my duty to carry and protect those who choose not to arm themselves. I also feel that if a criminal is a lot less likely to commit a criminal act if they are not aware of who around them may be armed.
If he had the permit - why was he arrested? Was he under the influence? Otherwise, if he has his CCWP he should have been legally permitted to carry. Carrying a gun is not for everyone but, if I were in a bad situation - I would have liked him to protect me. Can't blame the guy for staying on guard. More people should.
Unless the theater was designated a "Gun Free Zone",or "No Gun Zone",this man did nothing wrong ,he commited no crime,and any charges against him will violate his 2nd Amendment Right To Bear Arms.I agree with Chris.It is not illegal to open carry a firearm in Colorado,and he did have a conceal carry permit.I think the people that called the police on him over-reacted.
Any charges against him should be dropped.
I agree with Mapes if one or two people in theater had the means to fight back that some of the horrible things that happend could have been deverted
He was right to have his weapon! He has a permit and was open about it!!!! If more people had the guys to do this there would be less of these mass murders!
"An armed society is a polite society"
He does have a CCWP, and it is not illegal to open carry in Colorado, may be in Thornton.