Cops expel CCW carriers from movie theater

In Tennessee, if a police officer asks if you are carrying a handgun, you have to show them your Handgun Carry Permit if you are. I wonder if that applies to a police officer asking a large crowd instead of walking up and asking an individual?

There is no way to know if any of those three was the one the witness saw with a gun. One news source said the person originally seen couldn't be identified by the witness, so they just asked everybody in the theater.

Were the three men "expelled"? All the news sources said they took their guns to their cars, which implied that they returned to the theater and finished their movie.
 
and as for the searching the purse issue. If I wanted to see the movie OK I guess, but I 100% agree with aarond. And NO, they do NOT have any right to search the purse...they can ask you to leave but that is as far as the authority goes and I am sure they understand that. even on "cops" you usually see the segments where the drivers or citizens did not know how to exercise their consitutional rights. even during a search, you can demand they stop at any time
 
Condition White

Last I checked, condition white has nothing to do with whether you're armed with a firearm or a wet noodle. It's about your mental preparedness level.
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Last I checked, one element of Condition White is being unprepared. And to me, being unarmed in a situation that may require being armed means being unprepared.
 
That's wrong. Condition white has nothing to do with hardware or the lack thereof. It is a psychological alertness ladder indicating your awareness of your environment, potential threats in the area, specific threats in the area, and someone who should be shot right now.

You may think hardware is an element of the conditions, and if it makes you feel better to think so, go ahead and think what you will. You shouldn't try to redefine it on an important forum which has enough confusion already. :)
 
I have had a CCW for 40 years. Nobody has ever seen my firearm when I conceal carry. Unless they have metal detector at the doors they are not the wiser.
 
Condition White

Did the Colonel come out and say not carrying gun was to be at White? Not directly, but I might be wrong. But I have heard his lecture 7- or 8-times, three of which were in person, and I know how to read between the lines of what someone is saying. And, yes, I do consider 'hardware' to be one element of being prepared for a lethal confrontation.

DVC
 
While I do not, currently, carry a firearm I avoid any place that forbids legal carry...

A theater has always been a place I avoid as I do not care to be in the dark with my back to the door...

But I refuse to shadow the entry of any enterprise that refuses my fellow man the right to end a crime...

Brent
 
Absolutely, but not just because of this issue. Theaters owners don't realize what happened to outdoor drive-ins is also happening to them.

Theaters are in decline because of:
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Not really. The theater industry isn't doing badly. Until first run movies are released at home, they will continue to make bilions every year. They may have to change and grow as all industries do, but until you the opening night experience or first run movie experience is replicated or otherwise replaced, theaters will continue to do well.

http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/
Since 1980, box office sales have increased in 24 of the years noted, about 2/3 of the time. If there is this great decline at the theaters that are going the way of the drive-ins, the movie industry doesn't know it.

Of course, there is a huge decline in the percentage of weekly attendees from 1930 to 2000, but things really have been pretty stable in that range since about 1965. See the Appendix (http://org.elon.edu/ipe/pautz2.pdf)

The number of tickets sold from 1995 to 2012 shows that numbers are down from a high in 2002, but short term fluctuations certainly may be tied to other factors such as the economy.
http://www.the-numbers.com/market/

The number of theaters has declined, but the number of screens at each has increased, so one theater may have 4-20 auditoriums instead of 1 or 2. So which the number of theaters may be less, the number of screens has increaseed most years since 1987 with more operation in 2011 than ever before and an increase every year since 2003.
http://www.natoonline.org/statisticsscreens.htm

BTW, the above site shows a continued decline of drive-ins, LOL.

The number of seats has declined, however, as seat and isle size has increased with comfort levels.
http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Movi...Drastically-Over-The-Last-20-Years-19622.html

I waited till that movie was released on Blu-Ray and took it as a free rental from Blockbuster. Both the theater and the motion picture company suffered because of the theater's myopic policy
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No, the movie industry did not suffer for disallowing you to bring food in the theater and they aren't suffering because of not allowing firearms. They don't appear to be suffering at all.
 
"No, Sir, you may not search myself or my belongings; but thanks for asking."

Good luck with that. You'll likely find yourself braced by a squad of cops who will confiscate your weapon, cuff you and stuff you and slap any one of an assortment of charges against you.
 
Did the Colonel come out and say not carrying gun was to be at White?


Read the Principes of Personal Defense (PPD) and you will see that he did not. The colors are mental status modes, nothing else.


Willie


.
 
Hiker, If what you suggest came to fruition, the lawsuits would be many and the cost in the millions...

Law enforcement MUST have PC to initiate a search with out a warrant... When they are simply off duty cops acting as security guards... the scrutiny would be even higher...

PC is not created when a "subject" simply refuses to accept a search of their person and belongings as a stipulation of the privilege of conducting monetary business with the business entity...

Brent
 
The discussion of Sherriff's searching theater patrons. I hope they were working as private security at the time. If not, that is huge violation of rights.

If working as private security, this is just another reason why iot should be illegal for LEO to use any state owned or state marked property carrying out this private security BS for LEO.

As a potential customer, I would have walked up, asked on what grounds they were searching. Told them I was legally armed and asked for permission to enter. Without permission granted, I would have exercised my freedom of speech to tell other customer that I heard the cops are here because someone called in a threat they were gonna shoot the place up. . .I mean at least I thought that was what I heard. . .huh?

BTW, theatures are struggling because the money grubbing production companies want their money back in like 3 days and profit from there forward. Then they get there panties in a bunch when movie goers won't pay $15 for a movie and just download it illegally. Me, I just ignore Hollywood for the most part and have for the last ~15 years. Who is a famous actor these days? Clint Eastwood?
 
This would be a non-issue in NC, where I live. The state CCW law specifically states that CC is not allowed in any venue for which admission is charged, such as theatres, concerts, etc. (in addition to lots of other places). So, posted or not, carrying concealed into a theatre here is a violation, which could result in revocation of the CC permit.
 
A couple of things about searches at the theater. Arguably most people don't care and consent. Whether LEO or private security, if you consent there are no violations to your rights. You do have the right to refuse, at which point it being a private business they have the right to refuse you entry.

@Nathan, doing what you propose in exercising "your freedom of speech" could have very negative consequences, both by inciting panic and possible arrest for disturbing the peace or similar violation of the law. See Schenck v US and Brandenburg v Ohio. Yes your freedom is technically protected, but is a glib comment worth having to prove that in court?
 
In Tennessee, if a police officer asks if you are carrying a handgun, you have to show them your Handgun Carry Permit if you are. I wonder if that applies to a police officer asking a large crowd instead of walking up and asking an individual?
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I would not think so.

BTW, this could have been a great "I am Spartacus" moment where everybody stands up.
 
Anyone who has gone to a rock concert in the last 40 or so years knows that venues do have the ability to search patrons. To suggest that this is something novel is laughable at best.

Just because the search includes guns as well as intoxicants doesn't change that.

Property rights trump other rights except when dealing with protected groups. Free speech for example, a private venue can curtail your right to speech as part of allowing you on their property. But a private venue may not excluded a person because of their race or religion.
As yet people who carry concealed weapons are not a protected group.
 
Buzzcook, the point was that the patron could opt to skip the search, and accept being asked to leave the venue.

The theater does not have TSA powers, where once you enter the line you can't leave.
 
The thought of refusing consent probably never entered my girlfriend's mind. I could probably write some long winded rant decrying the demise of personal freedom in the post-9/11 world, but I really don't think my Lady felt her rights were violated by said search.

Heck, the next night we went to a Braves game and once again purse search and metal detector.
 
The real percentage of patrons is likely far less than that.

Counting the number of people with permits in a given area is one thing. Counting the number who actually carry on a regular basis is another. On top of that, we have to ascertain how many actually go to a specific theater, and of those, how many are actually affected. Then, we have to figure out how many of those would actually boycott.

The number would be very small, to the point of statistical insignificance. Whenever a business bans guns or CCW, there's an outcry to boycott, as if a small minority can somehow bring them to their knees.

I've never heard of that actually suceeding.
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I understand the real world figures might be different. But regardless of the fact, as a legal CC-er you would not (or may not want to) intentionally go to a theather that discourages CCW. Whether thats an insignificant number or not we cannot tell. In my state there are millions of residents who have a CWL.

But I will tell you for a fact that I will not bring my family and friends to a theather where I CANNOT DEFEND THEM.
 
Millions eh? I wasn't aware that 955,648 = millions. (roughly 5% of the population) Now apply appropriate reductions for the factors Tom stated and yes, you do end up with a pretty small number.
 
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