caretaker

It's hard to believe that any gun control law that could be passed in Florida would prohibit an ex-police captain from carrying a pistol even if everyone else was banned from having one. Likely in Canada too. The story as it is on the news - the man was texting with his daughter before the movie started, the man behind complained about the sounds the phone was making (notification tone, I assume), an argument ensued, became louder, popcorn was thrown and a shot rang out. BristolUK you can't bury a story like this, quickly or otherwise. St Petersburg is a seriously crime - ridden city and it's quite common for fishermen to carry guns in their tackle boxes and on their boats to deter robbers.

Dashie

I'm with Bats, I think talking is a lot more distracting than someone sending a text. To be honest, if the text is that distracting, maybe the movie is too crap to hold your attention? If he was reacting loudly to the texts, then that's just as distracting as a call, imo.

Part of what I do involves being on call, sometimes for up to 5 weeks at a time, 24/7 (waiting for a client to go into labour). Yes, I've been to a movie, checked my phone periodically, or when I feel it vibrate. I have texted with a client. I do this as discreetly as possible, if I needed to talk with them, I would leave. If I'd ignored my phone for 2 hours, I might have missed that client needing me, but I also try to consider those around me too.

caretaker

He probably would have just texted goodbye to her and put the phone away when the movie started and nothing would of happened if the old cop had just sat somewhere else. Then who knows, he might have shot someone else another time. I wonder if competence will be a factor in the defence?
I'm surprised a 3 year-old can text.

scrubbedexpat091

Modern toddlers are quite advanced when it comes to electronic devices.

withabix

I read that story and pictured the retired cop as being like the one in a James Bond film!

The Americans meet to get a grip of reality and realise that the free ownership of guns is ridiculous, self defeating and completely unnecessary and it should be illegal to carry them in public (unless obviously out hunting game) or use handguns outside the walls of a gun club.

This will of course NEVER happen despite how many kids get gunned down, as they have reached the point where everyone has a gun because everyone has a gun.

I was watching a Border Security episode last week, where CBSA stopped a redneck American family who had set out for an afternoon in Peace Arch Park with their baby and accidentally took a wrong turn and ended up at the border crossing (presumably after a very long wait!!).

As they arrived at the Canadian border, they were searched before being sent back.

The guy had two matching handguns hidden in shoulder holsters, complete with full high capacity clips and 'his woman' had one in her jeans pocket and another one hidden in the nappy bag.

This was for an afternoon in a park...obviously they needed enough guns and ammo for a small war in case they were attacked by Canadian pirates making sorties across the border or in case Al Kyder and his family were spending the afternoon in the same park!


Proper rednecks they were too!

dbd33

Just the Americans or would you also prise the firearms from the cold dead hands of we Canadians too?

withabix

That too. Why do you need one unless you are out hunting?

caretaker

A woman has come forward and says the same old man started a fight with her in the same theater a week ago because she was texting.

dbd33

I don't especially need one. I just drive around with it in the car in case of the urge to pop at some beer cans or road signs. It's part of my assimilation effort.

Shard

He does seem a bit of a whacko.

There's no reason tighter gun control laws would not apply to ex-cops or even cops. Hence the word, control. Not saying this type of event would be categorically ruled out, but I think it would be less likely.

The US also needs a mindset shift. All these movies with characters getting pumped up on revenge and then using guns to sort out there problems. It spills over into real life. IMO of course.

caretaker

Florida made the news when they changed their laws so you could take your gun to Disney World, imo the state least likely to embrace gun control. I'm not saying it's right, just saying what it is.
Also, St Petes is sort of nasty - a visible growth industry is bail-bondsmen, something we don't see at home. Some of the companies have 6 or more cube vans to carry their teams. The late night tv has a show of everyone released from jail the day before and what the crime was and which neighbourhood they live in, and it usually isn't far from my sister's place and it's mostly dope, assault, and robbery. I wasn't comfy walking around outside the trailer park, and at home I live in the hood. Largo, further north, was a better area but the cost was accordingly higher so they bought where they did.

Steve_

There's a Federal law in the US that allows retired police to carry pretty much anywhere provided they take a qualification course. So in fact the law is different for ex-cops. I doubt ex-cops would be allowed to carry guns in Canada but anyway I can remember some case in Australia where a guy had a gun illegally at a cinema and shot someone he was having an argument with many years ago.

Sounds to me like he was suffering from dementia or something like that.

I have to say I find it ironic that people are complaining about SMS messages on an internet message forum.

AlliF

Why? I don't see the irony (unless we are all sitting in the cinema busily typing away on BE - and I would guess most of us are not..)

caretaker

A real tragedy in any case, like every needless death.

Oink

Because I'm a reasonable adult living in a free democratic society. I like guns, I like firing guns, I like collecting and trading guns. I have the appropriate licenses for both storage and transportation, including concealment. What I don't need is someone else forcing their ideologically driven opinions down my throat