Mall Shooting...

[MrsS]

Hearing on my local news that there was a shooting at my local mall-one dead & another injured.

The mall in question has a police division within & word is the suspect was caught.

One of the rules stated at the main entrance of the mall is "no firearms" allowed.

Of course, those that have carry permits are made to follow that rule.
Obviously, that rule did not apply to the shooter.

When are people going to get it into their thick skulls that criminals who want to use a gun, will do so....regardless of rules...and that a place is safer overall when people are legally allowed to carry their weapons in such places.

[GlockMeister]

Just what we need.

NOW, I don't say this with the intent of demeaning or to take anything away from it, it is sad, but as usual it will be the gun and the gun laws, or in their eyes, the lack there of that will get/be blamed!!!

[Rimjob]

Dang MrsS, I can't believe you can't carry at the mall!!! Especially during the holidays.. We always have several dozen shootings/robberies at the malls during the holidays, here in B'ham.. Even the smaller ones in the wealthier communities! Its a crying shame that you can't defend yourself! People will be desperate to get gifts this year w/ everything in the economy going so badly! I suspect this will be the worst year for holiday crime in a long time..

[MrsS]

I agree Glockmeister!! The shooter will not be the blame....the gun will be! You will also never hear about those folks with carry permits pushing to be allowed to carry their weapons in such places to protect themselves/others. Such things get immediately thrown under the carpet.

Rimjob: the owner(s) of that particuliar mall have it posted that no firearms allowed...whether legally allowed to carry or not....so that rule has to be followed, unfortunately. I can tell you that all the wal-marts here have no such signs....yet.

[TXplt]

^ Another feel-good gun free shooting gallery. We're lucky in a couple of states like PA or TX--in TX you can carry in malls/theaters/etc. despite "no carry" signs unless there's a 30-06 sign. In PA, preemption makes mall "no carry" signs carry no legal weight whatsoever.

Sounds like TN could use a similar policy.

[LarryO1970]

Originally Posted by MrsS

I agree Glockmeister!! The shooter will not be the blame....the gun will be! You will also never hear about those folks with carry permits pushing to be allowed to carry their weapons in such places to protect themselves/others. Such things get immediately thrown under the carpet.

Rimjob: the owner(s) of that particular mall have it posted that no firearms allowed...whether legally allowed to carry or not....so that rule has to be followed, unfortunately. I can tell you that all the wal-marts here have no such signs....yet.

So, can I blame poor spelling on my pencil ? Washington idiots...

[Cyrano]

And people wonder why I refer to malls that don't allow concealed carry as all-you-can-shoot buffets for crazies.....

[TexasT]

I agree with Txplt. No firearms rules don't apply to those of us with CCW unless it's a 30-06 sign in the front. You might want to check more closely on that.

[mtncrash1]

We have the same problem at our malls in NE and that sure didnt stop the shooting last year.All it did was give the Gov. another try at banning guns alltogether.But that didnt work either thank goodness.

[Windwalker]

TT, what is a 30-06 sign? Pardon my ignorance.

[TexasT]

It's a sign in Texas that they put up where not even CHL holders are able to legally carry on the property. Along with 51% signs (businesses that get at least 51% of their income from the sale of alcohol) are the two places that CHL holders cannot legally carry.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4.../51percent.jpg

This 30.06 sign might not be in accordance with the rules. Doesn't seem like the letters are 1 inch block letters, but you get the idea.
http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c1...ilding3005.jpg


"PURSUANT TO SECTION 30.06, PENAL CODE (TRESPASS BY HOLDER OF A LICENSE TO CARRY A CONCEALED HANDGUN) A PERSON LICENSED UNDER SUBCHAPTER H, CHAPTER 411, GOVERNMENT CODE (CONCEALED HANDGUN LAW), MAY NOT ENTER THIS PROPERTY WITH A CONCEALED HANDGUN."

Penal Code Section 30.06(c)(3)(B) further states that a sign must meet the following requirements:

1. includes the language described by Paragraph (A) in both English and Spanish;
2. appears in contrasting colors with block letters at least one inch in height; and
3. is displayed in a conspicuous manner clearly visible to the public.

[Windwalker]

TT, thanks for the explanation. I had not came across this before. Thanks again.

[MrsS]

I believe TN is similiar in that rules need to be posted in similiar words/format as the TCA code....owners of places still have the power to make final decisions, though....if you bring up that the wording needs to be similiar to the TCA code, they will either make it so or the owners can ask you to leave with a warning that if you are caught again with your firearm, they can press charges......its all a bunch of crock, ifyou ask me!

[bassoneer]

Originally Posted by MrsS

Hearing on my local news that there was a shooting at my local mall-one dead & another injured.

The mall in question has a police division within & word is the suspect was caught.

One of the rules stated at the main entrance of the mall is "no firearms" allowed.

Of course, those that have carry permits are made to follow that rule.
Obviously, that rule did not apply to the shooter.

When are people going to get it into their thick skulls that criminals who want to use a gun, will do so....regardless of rules...and that a place is safer overall when people are legally allowed to carry their weapons in such places.

I heard the press conference - its here in Knoxville - one of the questions from the reporter was "do you know what kind of gun it was?", and then "was it a semi-automatic?". I could just see where they were going with that line of questioning, but the officers weren't ready to release all the information yet. Other questions were "how many times was each person shot?", "how many shots were fired?", etc. I do know the person who worked at the store died at the scene and two Knoxville Police Officers responded (one was inside the mall, the other outside) and the shooter turned and started shooting at the LEO's. They returned fire and hit the shooter a few times (reportedly in the arm and leg). They, thank God were not injured. I do find it interesting that two highly trained LEO's hit the guy in the arm and leg - my wife said "they probably meant to shoot him there". I don't think so. I know how nervous I get about stuff, and these guys had just run to the scene, probably out of breath, heart pounding, shaking - they were lucky to hit him at all. I'd say its very seldom somebody has enough control of their weapon (in a real life or death situation) to shoot accurately. Anyway, I can update folks after the 11 PM news. I want to know if this was a random/violent act, or did the suspect and the victim know each other before. More to come...too bad its in my own backyard again. Later, B

[deputy125]

[DWFan]

A link to the story for everyone...
One dead, one injured in Knoxville Center Mall shooting : Local News : Knoxville News Sentinel

[TXplt]

Originally Posted by MrsS

I believe TN is similiar in that rules need to be posted in similiar words/format as the TCA code....owners of places still have the power to make final decisions, though....if you bring up that the wording needs to be similiar to the TCA code, they will either make it so or the owners can ask you to leave with a warning that if you are caught again with your firearm, they can press charges......its all a bunch of crock, ifyou ask me!

I agree it's a crock. As far as the signs go, unless it's a legal sign or a no-carry place as designated by law, I'll carry. I'm within our law to do this, and the worst the owners can do is ask me to leave (which I'll certainly do). I don't anticipate this as ever happening, in that I'm carrying concealed so no one should know unless I have some type of "wardrobe malfunction" whilst in the midst of someone who cares that I'm carrying. I don't bother to debate wording or format of signs that don't bear legal weight in that it's a waste of time (and I'd rather they stay in error so I can continue to carry there)--I'll simply ignore them and carry unless asked to leave.

The BAD part about "weapons free zone" signs is that they promote crime in that some crackpot, crackhead, or criminal will in all cases think people aren't likely to be armed there (doubt they've studied much of the carry laws). Basically, they act as a "please shoot here" sign to bad guys.

[SightNSqueeze]

All that's needed to stop this "gun free zone" nonsense is a successful suit against a gun free business where a CCW patron is killed or injured because he/she had to leave the weapon in the car and the business owner didn't protect the unarmed patron. Maybe it will happen soon enough if our courts aren't packed with leftist judges.

[SightNSqueeze]

Originally Posted by DWFan

A link to the story for everyone...
One dead, one injured in Knoxville Center Mall shooting : Local News : Knoxville News Sentinel

I just finished the news article you posted DW. A lot of the reader posts in the Knoxville News Sentinel seem to indicate that the mall was a hangout for gangs and ...mall thugs? That might be true since some of the best defense I read for the mall and surrounding area was, "It's not such a bad place ... good things come out of that area too." Regardless, it looks like the creeps decided to hang out where there's less chance of being shot by their intended victims. Perhaps the families of the victims ought to take legal action against the mall management as well as the thugs.

[MrsS]

Originally Posted by SightNSqueeze

I just finished the news article you posted DW. A lot of the reader posts in the Knoxville News Sentinel seem to indicate that the mall was a hangout for gangs and ...mall thugs? That might be true since some of the best defense I read for the mall and surrounding area was, "It's not such a bad place ... good things come out of that area too." Regardless, it looks like the creeps decided to hang out where there's less chance of being shot by their intended victims. Perhaps the families of the victims ought to take legal action against the mall management as well as the thugs.

Funny that you should read the comments SNS: As in most cities in this country, Knoxville is pretty much "labeled" into "east" & "west"...with west Knoxville being the "ritzy" side of town & the eastside-well you get what I mean.

Like anywhere else, Knoxville Center Mall sits in a very diverse area, compromised of different cultural & economic backgrounds, plus its easier to get to. Go to the west side of town, where they have "nicer" malls, etc. is like going through a lion infested safari! Traffic is gosh-awful & bottle necked constantly!!! The main freeway is always jammed (especially now with one of our major freeways closed through downtown).

In my opinion, "problematic" teens/adults are everywhere....from the richest cities to the poorest towns. "Labeling" areas is not going to solve a thing.