Posted on 07/31/2012 4:42:54 AM PDT by Future Snake Eater
A screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Cookeville., Tenn., was halted on Thursday after a theater worker reported seeing a moviegoer with a gun.
According to the Cookeville Herald-Citizen, a police officer who arrived at the auditorium discovered three men with handguns.
The men didn't think they had done anything wrong: Each was one of the state's 344,000 handgun carry permit holders. They were told to put their guns in their vehicles, in accordance with theater policy, and then the movie resumed.
The story didn't make national headlines, unlike the July 20 "movie massacre" in Aurora, Col., that left 12 people dead when a gunman opened fire during a midnight screening of the new Batman movie. But it resonated among movie theater owners and exhibitors, who are grappling with ways to increase security without discouraging audiences, violating state laws or riling gun enthusiasts.
"This is a raging debate, and we are looking at all of our options," said Jimmy Tashie, executive vice president for Malco Theatres Inc., which operates 30 cinemas in five states. But the bottom line is, "We don't want people bringing guns into our theaters, period."
Tennessee law allows permit carry holders to bring handguns into movie theaters, restaurants, clubs and other businesses, unless the business prohibits this by posting signs, "displayed in prominent locations," said Kevin Crawford of the Tennessee Department of Safety & Homeland Security.
Possession of a weapon on "posted property" is a misdemeanor, punishable by a fine of $500, according to state law.
(Excerpt) Read more at commercialappeal.com ...
Geez why didn’t they think of this before???
If only they had a no-gun policy BEFORE Holmes came to the theatre...
“We don’t want people bringing guns into out theaters, period.”
What a foolish statement made by this idiot Jimmy Tashie of Malco Theatres. He wants to take away his customer’s ability to fight back against a psycho killer.
Does Tashie think Holmes could have given a rat’s a$$ about the “gun-free” zone in the Aurora theater?
I would wait for the movie to come out on DVD before I would set foot in a Malco theater.
> “He said in the wake of Aurora, Malco was assessing all aspects of its security policies, including the increased posting of signs to prohibit guns.”
That’s the ticket. Sideshow Bob probably did not see a sign. More signs would have prevented the tragedy. (/s)
Great idea. Maybe you should ban them. That way, nobody will come in and shoot the pla— oh, wait a minute...
I’m glad I live in Indiana. Except for specific places (schools, State Fair, etc.) you will not be charged with carrying a gun with a valid LTCH (license to carry handgun). Property owners can ask you to leave and you can be charged with trespassing if you don’t.
These theater owners are not very bright. The Aurora theater had no-gun signs, the city had unenforceable local laws banning guns, and all that did is make the carnage worse.
a$$ backwards.
had the Colorado theater not been a Gun Free Zone....
this ‘joker’ might have been dead before he fired his second shot.
All these signs do is disarm law-abiding citizens, and mark the target zones for terrorists and psychopaths.
They should offer a discount to customers who carry.
Exactly right. Theaters should encourage an armed audience. How about a discount for CCW permit holders?
Exactly, we/they are providing a form of security/insurance service(s) for them.
Just as a business is entitled to determine their own policies, I am free to patronize a different business, and to let the first one know I won't be back. I refuse to disarm myself and become a member of the herd, waiting for the slaughterhouse.
Based on police actions as reported in the Cookeville paper, it appears open carry is legal in TN. The Memphis article did not make it clear that the observed weapon was carried openly while the other two were concealed and not spotted by employees. The concealed carriers were made to “out” themselves when the police came to the theater. They passed the test on not being observed with proper concealment while the open carrier made a tactical error by entering a posted location unconcealed.
OK is about to enter OC legality (November) but I can foresee a similar theater situation occurring here. I have no objection to OC, especially if it were legal now in temperatures that exceed 100 degrees. However, entering an obviously posted place, like many theaters are now, is just not smart.
Smart, licensed handgun owners are ordered to put their weapons in their vehicles. what happens when the car gets stolen? Or broken into? Maybe had a license handgun carrier been at the Batman movie the carnage would have been limited.
It just goes to show...unless the cop is directly looking at YOU—don’t stand up!
Dad...who has passed now for 6 years had been NYPD for 22 years....
when we went to movie theaters in the 50s and 60s, Mom would buy tickets for her and us kids...and dad would flash his shield and go in separately and we would regroup once inside
it was WRONG to do...but the theater owners(especially in the Bronx at the time)loved the fact that there was a cop there in case hooligans acted up....
I believe this theater chain, as a private business, has the RIGHT to prohibit their patrons from carrying weapons (specifically guns).
HOWEVER
In doing so, the business then takes full RESPONSIBILITY to protect their patrons!
If I were a CCW holder at one of these theaters and was prevented from protecting myself should a incident occur, I’d sue their pants off!
That is correct. In Tennessee, our permit is called a Handgun Carry Permit and allows both open and concealed carry.
I added “banglist” to the keywords, for added viewing by those interested in 2nd amendment/firearms related posts. ;)
Theaters of Death is how I see it.
And why the theater is about to become history just like drive-ins. And if any theater allows a CCW in they will still probably find a way to search for concealed food instead, and that is my pet peeve and that is the outrageous inflated food pricing for foul tasting popcorn and watered down drinks.
This may be my last year of attending any new release film, my widescreen is sizable and I can pause for a bathroom break plus I have options for language and captions.
Quite frankly this year I have seen maybe not more than three decent movies, and a lot that fooled my by hype into thinking they were fair entertainment, of which they were sorely lacking. With the plethora of instant movie reviews now available by my smartphone I am learning to select ahead of time, but even armed with that knowledge its just the fact that the theaters just do not give me peace of mind.
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