Comments

1
Obviously he had left it there IN CASE someone needed to protect themselves later.
2
Curiously missing from Goldy's piece:

"They didn't touch the gun, a lesson they learned in hunter safety classes."

Kids + Education + Guns = Safe.

The gun owner is 61 years old. He's not a part of the "Militia" as defined under the US Constitution (10:311).
3
This:
'A "well regulated" Militia includes well regulated physical ability. Make the Marine Corps' minimum Initial Strength Test requirement of two "dead-hang" pullups the condition for purchasing an assault rifle. Sales will plummet. '
-Abe Sauer, in "The Awl"

Here's the whole thing:
http://www.theawl.com/2012/12/friends-dont…
4
Good lord, why are junior high school students going on a "field trip" to see The Hobbit?
5
@fidelity axiom:
Adults who are legal gun owners (like this guy, who's had guns for decades, is a licensed dealer, and took concealed carry classes) clearly can't be trusted not to lose a cocked and loaded weapon and then avoid reporting it to authorities. So how the hell can you feel so assured that children are going to be safe around these weapons just because they've had some safety lessons? People who are not "bad guys" make mistakes and do stupid and dangerous things all the time regardless of whether they should know better.
6
@rich, pretty sure its 3 unless standards have plummeted.
8
@ fidelity:

are you seriously defending this dude with your silence? why not come down on this guy and condemn him for being a sloppy-ass instead of pointlessly nitpicking about the definition of 'militia'?

the man had a round chambered! and the safety off! these are exactly the types of folks i've expressed concern about in some our previous conversations here -- an alarming number of these so-called 'responsible gun owners/carriers' are, it turns out, fallible and short-sighted humans like the rest of us, and they clearly haven't the competence or need to be walking around with these things. and this guy is a licensed dealer (according to The Oregonian), with years of experience to boot.

and then the dumbass didn't even make it back to the theatre until nearly 24 hours later despite knowing that it was missing nearly that entire time. and in that whole time "he never thought to call [the theater] about the gun"?? -- THESE are your brothers in arms, man.
9
@geyser - Well, there's the abundance of evidence that not every child dies when they are around a gun. In fact, many homes in America have guns and children, and yet not every child dies...why do you think that is?

Did your parents teach you to avoid a hot stove? It's a similar lesson.

My father and my uncle both gave me the "talk" about firearms, and both conversations were nearly identical. First showing all of their guns to me, then explaining how they work, then explaining the responsibilities of firearms, then we went to the range, shot all day, and had a great time. I was also told never to touch one, but if I wanted to, I just needed to ask permission. Several of my friends had similar lessons, all culminating into the EXACT FUCKING LESSON THESE KIDS GOT AND FUCKING WORKED: Don't touch the gun.

That's the training: don't touch the gun.

Repeat: don't touch the gun.

I reject the notion that this guy "can't be trusted", he didn't deliberately give the gun to children, he made a mistake. Yeah, sometimes adults make mistakes, like this older guy did. Sometimes those mistakes can lead to bad things for other people, but in this case, it didn't. Exactly why should this man no longer be trusted? Because he made a mistake?

Point of fact: several Portland Police Officers have lost their duty pistols over the years. If we start terminating those people on the spot for their sole mistake, Iโ€™ll accept that we should revoke the carry license of other citizens for a sole mistake.
10
@human - I don't speak for every gun owner, nor does this old guy. He made a mistake, just like soldiers and police officers make mistakes. In fact, many of them make this identical mistake with little public outrage. This same incident happens in bathrooms and theaters around the country on a daily basis. What was the harm done here?

Also: most people carry with a round in the chamber and the safety off. I train people to eventually carry that way, as racking a round in the chamber is not always easy. Also, the most popular pistol in the world doesn't have a "safety" in any traditional sense.

I nitpicked the definition of militia because someone tried to make it a point of this story, and their point was entirely inaccurate.
11
I missed Militia training this month. Where is it being held? I need to get trained on how to defend my country against foreign invaders, or rogue local governments. I need to get up to the same lofty standards exhibited by other militia members.

The militia angle is a friggin joke. Any dumbass in America can get and pack a gun. And the result? We have 32,000 deaths a year - or 10 9/11s if you wish - due to our sloppy gun laws. That's far more than other civilized nations. That's not the price of freedom; it's the price of stupidity.
12
@ fidelity:

i didn't realize that "most people carry with a round in the chamber and the safety off" -- wow -- in my experience, with just a little bit of practice, racking a round into the chamber and pressing/flipping the safety button/switch is a trifle of a chore, taking maybe a whole second to accomplish. what's the point of having the safety if one doesn't use it? -- and it could've made worlds of a difference in this situation had those kids picked the thing up.

as far as the "most popular pistol in the world [not having] a safety", i assume you mean the revolver -- you would be right to guess that i would find that to be a flaw in them...especially in regard to those of the 'double-action' variety -- it's just too easy to make a (fatal) mistake.
13
@Human - I was referring to the Glock. Their only safety is actually on the trigger.

@dimag05 - You're just making stuff up. 1) We don't have the highest death/murder rate, we are actually below average:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count…

2) There's background checks - admittedly, these fail and ought to be improved.

3) If you think what's written into law of Oregon, and the law of the United States is a "friggin joke" - well, then, we have a few things in common. Yet, thereโ€™s the law, plain and simple, go read it for yourself.

4) Go back to the link provided in #1, and look at those countries with the highest murder rate: in those countries good citizens are unable to defend themselves from the bad. The majority of citizens are either prohibited from buying weapons for self-defense, or unable to afford one.
14
@fidelity: Not every child dies when they are around a gun? Of course not! Where did anyone suggest otherwise? Have you set the bar low enough yet? Not every child dies, so therefore "Kids + Education + Guns = Safe." That kind of complacency is an embarrassment to responsible and safe gun owners, and there are far too many of the other kind around.

Quakenbush made a incredibly stupid mistake when he let his gun fall out of his holster in a place where kids are and didn't even check for it before leaving. But he didn't just make one mistake; he crossed the line into actual endangerment and recklessness when he avoided reporting it to authorities, letting it go as long as he did so the cops wouldn't have to know. And having a round in the chamber and the safety off just goes to show how reckless and stupid concealed carriers can be. He wants to be able to fire his weapon so fast -- in a crowded movie theater! -- that he doesn't even have to take the safety off or cock the gun. Then he tries to evoke pity for himself, complaining about why he's supposedly seen as a malevolent criminal and saying, "You have people shooting up malls, building bombs. And I'm the bad guy." Fuck this guy -- but the point worth considering here is just how many stupid and reckless people are out there carrying loaded weapons in public places. And for what?
16
@Geyser, OK - so, rather than debate you on the numerous factual errors you just wrote, let's examine this:

"the point worth considering here is just how many stupid and reckless people are out there carrying loaded weapons in public places."

Seriously think about this, because this a point in which WE BOTH AGREE.

The question becomes: how are you going to solve that, or deal with this, or live with it on a daily basis?

One percieved answer is that this behavior should be illegal - and yet, it is strictly ILLEGAL FOR EVERYONE (at least in Oregon) unless they recieve a certification and endorsement from law enforcement.

So, even with this behavior as prohibited, it will not change your underlying premis: "stupid and reckless people are out there carrying loaded weapons"

Another percieved answer is to be dependent upon the government and it's police to protect you from these "stupid and reckless people" - yet, as witnessed, the police never arrived in time.

Therefore there is really only one LOGICAL solution, which is the solution I've adopted, and which you will inevitably adopt: That you are responsible for your own self defense.

If your threats include armed "stupid and reckless people" then you must be armed as well.

Does this make sense?
17
SWOOOON! My hero!! (Unless of course this robber took the gun away from you and used it to kill a lot more people.)
18
@fidelity - No, I'm not making stuff up. You're confusing homicides with gun deaths. Nice way to obfuscate the issue, though.

This is what I'm talking about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_count…

Our gun related death rate, per 100,000 population is behind these - and only these - countries:

El Salvador
Jamaica
Honduras
Guatemala
Swaziland
Columbia
Brazil
Panama
Mexico

My, there's a list of peaceful, civilized nations, isn't it? Nice company we keep.

10 of every 100,000 citizens in this country die because of guns, every year. To put it in perspective, Canada's rate is 4.78, Switzerland 3.5, France 3.0, Germany 1.1, UK 0.25, Japan 0.07
19
@dimag05 - So, in countries where firearms are prohibited, they still have a higher murder rate than in the United States. Right?

Vis a Vis - Reducing the number of guns in society will not make our murder rate significantly lower, nor lower crime.

Simply look at the statistics you provided proves this: the UK has comparable crimes rates (more home invasions actually), and a slightly lower murder rate, even though gun deaths are lower. The murder rate and the gun death rate do not correlate.

If there was a correlation between gun violence, crime, and murder, then the UK would have little to no crime or violence.

In my opinion, the opposite is actually true: less legal guns for civilians means the criminals have the edge, and crime will only increase. Hence, the UK has more home invasions than the United States, because criminals know they can barge into the home of helpless people.
20
Who was that guy who found an un opened bottle of whisky on the bus? What about that 8 year old kid who stole his dad's car?
21
Jesus, I had to sit through Malcolm X on our field trip.
22
Malcolm X, now THAT was a great FLICK! When I was a gradeschooler, we went to see a band of monkeys smash the crap out of skulls with bones in 2001 A Space Odyssey.
24
@ Fidel - "Reducing the number of guns in society will not make our murder rate significantly lower, nor lower crime."

Again, speculation, not facts on your part. The high rates of gun ownership and people getting killed by them does not support the idea that increasing guns = increasing safety.

Please wait...

and remember to be decent to everyone
all of the time.

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