Arizona man arrested after gun fires at Walmart

[Tom Servo]

This is my problem with guys like Kurk Kirby and Leonard Embody. There's a very flippant attitude about carrying weapons among some circles. This isn't the last time we'll see this happen, and it will come back on all of us.

[STEINER]

You can't be a drunk and own a gun.

[orangello]

I don't carry or have a permit to carry at this time, but i think he needs to remember the social graces for the penis & apply them to his firearm (if he's ever allowed to try carrying again). You don't touch, scratch, or fidget with it in public, and you try to avoid even looking like you are playing with it.

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When he went to a counter to pay for [I][B]a video game[/B][/I]... 


SEE! It's not the gun's fault or the idiot's fault; it was all those first person shooter games.

Seriously, if he was checking out with any kind of mall ninja training game, i'd bet this comes up, probably on that Nancy Grace circus.

[Tom Servo]

As it turns out, the gun was a Jennings 9mm. Who knows, maybe it DID go off on its own.

A few of us were talking about this over dinner last night, and it's a very good thing for Mr. Walters that none of the bystanders was armed. Had I been there, I would have gone red the first time he brandished the gun.

Had I been there when he discharged it, I wouldn't have wasted time wondering whether or not he intended malice. Mr. Walters is a very, very lucky man.

In any case, it's Maricopa County, which means he's Joe Arpaio's problem now.

[RUT]

>>Seems many have to take the "Wal-Mart walk" after getting their CCL<<

Yes, it's a "rite of passage"!!

[azredhawk44]

Had I been there, I would have gone red the first time he brandished the gun.

Had I been there when he discharged it, I wouldn't have wasted time wondering whether or not he intended malice. Mr. Walters is a very, very lucky man.

+1.

I have two modes for folks that OC in Arizona.

#1 - Appreciation. You've got your chosen carry weapon well-holstered and secured in a decent rig made of either kydex or leather. You take pride in the fact that it is tight against your body and not likely to bash into furniture or other people, or be snatched easily from you.

#2 - Code Red. You've got your chosen carry weapon in the $10 gun show "bucket" holster that is a 1 size fits none phenomenon. It tilts and lists away from your body at the grip, pointing the barrel at your femoral artery or knee as it sways back and forth with your walking cadence. About half the time, your pants are about 8 inches too low, and you alternate between pulling your pants up and pulling your holster around to its proper place... because it slides around so much.

#1 folks never fidget with their guns.

#2 folks make my back hole pucker every time they touch their gun.

This guy was #2, and if he pulled that act somewhere I happened to be, he'd probably end up an outline on the ground and costing me some legal fees. His gun, out of the holster, pointed vaguely towards the clerk, coupled with deliberate pistol manipulation, would have me putting him down if he was within 50 feet of me. The "bang" would have me firing to slide stop and reloading to assess.

Carrying a gun is a commitment. Live up to it properly with the right gear. If you can't afford a good holster, then get a P3AT or 642.

[Skans]

Watch the first part of the video - he's darn lucky he didn't blow a hole through his left hand. Why was the gun out? Why did he hit the mag release? Why was his hand on the trigger? Geeeezzzz what was this guy thinking?

FWIW, I'm thinking about going to a Double Action Only semi-auto for concealed carry. I now see the utility in these guns that I once thought were backwards and ridiculous. (this video really didn't influence my decision, but re-affirmed that it's probably a good one for me.)

[BigJimP]

Just another negligent idiot ...... making a lot of responsible gun owners look really bad ...

It does not help our cause .....

[richiep]

what a dumb ass. People like that do not need to have guns and make everyone who owns guns look bad. If your out in public the gun needs to be in the holster. I wonder what he was thinking.

[sakeneko]

+10 on all the previous comments that included the words "idiot", "unfit to own or carry", and the like.

Another plus for revolvers...

• no dropping your mag at 1AM at Wal-Mart

I don't agree. I am not as comfortable handling a semiautomatic as a revolver -- haven't practiced with one as much -- but I know enough to leave A LOADED FIREARM IN ITS HOLSTER WHEN I'M IN A PUBLIC PLACE LIKE WALMART! Somebody who doesn't know that has no business owning or carrying a firearm of any kind, IMHO. :/

[Tom Servo]

Ten bucks says the video game was Call of Duty.

In any case, my biggest worry is what events like this do to public perception. A Phoenix station reporting on the CCW reforms pending in Arizona couldn't resist mentioning Mr. Walters' antics. Look closely at the spin:

But expanded gun rights doesn't always mean expanded responsibility. On Thursday, police charged a man from Surprise Arizona with endangerment after his gun went off inside a Walmart. Witnesses say the man was fidgeting with his gun when it fired a bullet into the ceiling.

Any of us would notice that the article is sloppily written, and that it relies on questionable interviewees, but at the end of the day, 99% of the people reading it don't know that.

They just wonder if maybe expanding carry rights is a bad idea.

[orangello]

In any case, it's Maricopa County, which means he's Joe Arpaio's problem now.

Ouch! It's got to be getting a bit warm in those tents about now. That is going to suuuuuuuuck majorly.

[biohazurd]

Can anyone say brandishing!

[sho'nuff]

First off, El Mirage does not have its own PD. They use Maricopa Country Sheriffs Dept.

I'm pretty sure I got pulled over by the El Mirage PD the other week. It was right next to the walmart where this idiot was screwing around. Both fantastic reasons to stay out of this city.

Those Jennings seem to shoot ceilings pretty good at least.

[glenncal1]

If you watch the second video of the Fox link, there is footage of the judge reading this idiot the riot act and banning him from the Walmart and guns until his trial. You get the feeling this isn't his first time in the "system". Only by the grace of god was no one hurt.