I totally empathize with the guy except on one point: context is king in matters like this.
Let’s see: Denver, Theater, Gun, Recent Incidents; what are the odds people would act differently this time than they did all the other times he carried in a theater.
Notwithstanding that this guy is the type of fellow who would have prevented a lot of what happened last month; that is bound to be lost on the 1) liberal bleeding-heart who reported him, and 2) the theater official who called the 3) cops who took the report.
If it’s me, in that context, I either 1) stay away from the movies, or 2) don’t pack openly. Context.
Ironic that he was at the movies, openly carrying, the night of the shootings.
Just not at the right theater.
He could have stopped the killings.
He broke no law. There is no other context. This is simple Hoplophobia by libtards and jackboot cops.
We don't suspend our constitutional rights for "context". Both the public and the police need to be trained to understand that. Which is precisely what the "open carry" civil liberties demonstrations are intended to do.
How many rights should we give up in order to practice other rights?
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If it’s me, in that context, I either 1) stay away from the movies, or 2) don’t pack openly. Context.
Context is indeed everything. With a recent example of what one armed nut in a theater can do when no one else is armed, I'm aware of feeling safer with several armed ordinary people around. Without that example, I probably wouldn't give it a second thought.
It really is a paranoia of objects. I saw another example recently at a birthday party for a young teenage girl who had received a mini-Leatherman knock-off as one of her presents (which turned out to be useful in opening some of her other presents). One of the other girls was freaked out by the two-inch blade on the tool...and a couple of the other girls began to join her assessment. Understand that this second girl is a cook, and regularly handles foot-long blades in dicing vegetables and meat. The issue was more-or-less-resolved by two other girls asking what the big deal was then pulling out their folding knives, one of which was about 4-inches.
The paranoia is silly, and goes directly opposite what should be making them feel safer.