Could have been. But also could have been a case where the man with the AR didn’t want to leave the rifle in his vehicle and put a gunsock on it and under his coat to go in and get something from the store...
I know I’m always mindful of trying not to leave a weapon in my truck if possible.
I can remember when high school kids had gun hooks on the inside window of their truck cabs-—and guns were there all day at school in deer hunting season.
Trucks were NOT locked up , either.
NO ONE every did any pilfering.
It does not matter why he took the gun into the store. Its an open carry state and as long as the store does not post a sign at the entrance barring open carry of weapons in the store then he is perfectly within his right to do so, without having to justify it.
The 20MM Lahti, Henry Bowman would be proud.