Atlanta Airport & Open Carry of an AR15

[BarryLee]

Jim Cooley went to drop his daughter off at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport. Mr. Cooley decided to exercise his right under Georgia law to carry a firearm into the unsecured portion of the airport. What got a lot of attention is his choice of firearm – an AR15 with drum magazine.

Again, under Georgia law this is perfectly legal and although he was briefly questioned and followed by Police he was never detained. Mr. Cooley stated, “If you don’t exercise your rights, the government doesn’t have any hesitation taking them away”.

So, do you agree with Mr. Cooley's actions? Do you believe if rights are not exercised to the extreme we will lose them? Might his extreme behavior actually result in the Georgia Legislature revisiting the Airport Carry provisions of the law?

http://www.ajc.com/news/news/nationa...lanta-a/nmTJ2/

[zincwarrior]

People that stupid should not be allowed to breed.

I'm surprised he didn't get ventilated. If I were on a grand jury I'd be hard put to vote to indict a police officer who saw that (ESPECIALLY AFTER THE LA AIRPORT) and opened up on him.

[TimSr]

What got a lot of attention is his choice of firearm – an AR15 with drum magazine.

I think he is an obnoxious, in your face, type of fool looking for a confrontation. This is the type of stuff that anti-gunner plants do to make us look bad.

I could also exercise my right to publicly call his mother every filthy name in the book, but I exercise my rights with discretion and class so that others are not tempted to push for their removal.

[JERRYS.]

I understand him wanting to protect his daughter, especially considering the impotent TSA agents that were exposed recently. however, because of the environment and that fact that terrorist have already targeted airports, he is lucky to be alive the way he had it slung across his chest instead of over the shoulder.

[kilimanjaro]

What a maroon.

I do think he should have been billed for the TSA agent time that was diverted from their duties of protecting the terminal from aggressive attack to escort him to and from the flight gate.

That, and a psych examination. It would be worth the amount of the civil rights infringement award to arrest him, seize his AR, and evaluate his mental processes.

Were I on a jury addressing his case, the award would be One Dollar and no legal fees.

[mehavey]

With 2A "friends" like that...
... who needs enemies ?

[SamNavy]

I'm not an OC kinda guy, but I think there's something a few people commenting here are overlooking.

"he was briefly questioned and followed by Police he was never detained"

I think this speaks volumes as to how mainstream OC'ing is becoming, and how better educated the police are about it... that a guy could carry an AR15 into an airport and not be hassled is pretty huge. OTOH, I'd like to see a guy with a turban carrying an AK on his back do the same thing... maybe not the same result. But it looks like (at least the ATL police) those cops understand that a guy with a slung rifle who is clearly just dropping somebody off at the airport isn't a threat and not worth their time.

I will say again that OC is not my cup of tea, but isn't the ability to do this what we all want in the end? I know a lot of you would never consider OC'ing a full-size rifle, but this guy did... and there was no issue... and nobody got shot. The negative publicity that OC'ers get is generally because of the police reaction to it. With no police "reaction", there is nothing for the anti's.

Granted, the 2 idiots in the Chipotle a few months back got a lot of attention, but only because MDA saw that as another company they could put pressure on. You're not going to put pressure on the state of Georgia in the same manner... hence, there is no angle here for the anti's.

Shoot, we just got OC and CC in Texas IN SPITE OF Kory Watkins and other people like him. A lot of you are poo-poo'ing what this guy did in ATL... another way to look at it is "progress".

Call me crazy.

[BarryLee]

another way to look at it is "progress".

I don’t necessarily disagree and if the guy had been carrying a 1911 on his hip we wouldn’t be having this discussion. However, when we get too “in your face” and do things that might push the undecided person into the anti-gun camp it concerns me. While Georgia seems like a fairly gun friendly State I suspect most citizens are not very committed either way. I fear that some of these more extreme activities might push more people to oppose firearms freedom.

[Mike Irwin]

Just because you have the right to do something, doesn't mean that you should do something.

It's silliness like that that hurts our cause. It certainly doesn't help it.

At least he wasn't doing port arms with the thing like those jackasses in Texas.

[zincwarrior]

I will say again that OC is not my cup of tea, but isn't the ability to do this what we all want in the end?

NO not at all. The ability to walk around with a rifle at an airport lacks supportable reasoning.

As Mike Irwin noted, just because you "can" do something doesn't in any way mean you should do something. If I were in Georgia, on seeing that I'd be just fine with changing the law to exclude firearms at airports, which just harmed CHLers who were doing the same, but minding their own business and not trying to be Facebook clickbait.

[scpapa]

To those of you who don't support his actions, is it because it was at the airport or are you opposed to open carry period? IOW, what if he was open carrying at local Dairy Queen? I'm genuinely curious.

Rick

[BarryLee]

are you opposed to open carry period

While I support open carry I don’t support these actions that are designed to draw attention and try to make some kind of point. I believe open carry can be done in such a way that few even notice and the few that do pay little attention.

[zincwarrior]

To those of you who don't support his actions, is it because it was at the airport or are you opposed to open carry period? IOW, what if he was open carrying at local Dairy Queen? I'm genuinely curious.

Speaking for myself:
Primarily Rifle OC in a location not designed for it: aka in a nonrural/nonsporting location. In Texas long gun OC has generally been legal since Santa Anna, but people weren't stupid or hick enough to bring long guns into restaurants and such. The police would come,apply an attitude adjustment and try to ascertain why it was your mother didn't teach you proper manners.

It was common to see boys with .22s etc. going down the road in the country, but you knew if you brought said into a decent place your parents would hear about it and there would be "heck" to pay.

EDIT: nowdays with the public shootings that have occurred (re ISIL nutjobs here). This is even worse. You're putting police and CHLers into a bad position in that, seeing "OH BLEEP GUY WITH RIFLE POINTING AT PEOPLE" come in the door of wherever you are, and knowing reactions are instinctive (and need to be so) you're putting good people in risk of having to blow you away because frankly, you're an idiot.

(note this post is not intended to impugn or insult anyone, except of course cat lovers who aren't really people to begin with )

[Glenn E. Meyer]

The airport is a sensitive area and these have been repeatedly targeted around the world by terrorists - including in the USA.

That gives a heightened sense of risk. Given the behavior is unusual (even if legal) it suggests abnormal behavior.

Let me give an example before one goes off on 'rights'. It is legal in San Antonio, to walk around in clothes that just cover your genitals and anus. Thus, just wearing a flesh covered thong is legit and has been done by a person who did such and then bicycled around the fancy neighborhood. Cops were called and it was found to be legal. BTW, the gentleman was disturbed and later killed himself.

So it would be legal for him to dress as such and stroll in front of the elementary school when the kids were getting out. As a parent, would you celebrate his rights or see him as a threat?

The pragmatic trumps the absolute legality in the mind of most people.

Thus, I have no sympathy or give no support for the AR carrier. My research class kids did a little survey of what folks thought about shooting a AR carrier who walked into a restaurant like the Chipolte boys and stood there with a crazy grin. The defendant claimed that he or she perceived a threat. Guess what - the sample was quite OK with shooting the guy or giving a minimal penalty.

[Doyle]

I agree with BarryLee. This idiot was doing it solely to call attention to himself. If you are going to open carry, it should be done so that nobody really notices.

[Tom Servo]

Good heavens, I thought that annoying little trend had ended. Perhaps Mr. Cooley didn't get the memo.

We've certainly covered every aspect of the debate on the open-carry of rifles. Is there really anything to add?

[BarryLee]

Is there really anything to add?

Maybe not, but it seems the fact that he did this at one of the busiest airports in the world has the potential to draw more outside attention. I know I’m being redundant, but we need to find a way to tip the “fence sitters” over to our side and not push them the other way. Most Americans seem to support the Second Amendment in theory, but I fear events like this might change their minds. Also, remember the anti-gun folks are focusing a lot of their attention on State referendums and this is the kind of high profile incident that they love. While I don’t think Georgia is going backwards anytime soon this could influence the electorate in other Sates especially when coupled with the usual misinformation and drama.

[Tom Servo]

While I don’t think Georgia is going backwards anytime soon this could influence the electorate in other Sates especially when coupled with the usual misinformation and drama.

Never say never. Airport carry was a contentious issue when it passed in 2009. Right after the law's passage, Mayor Jackson took it upon herself to pronounce the airport a "gun free zone." It took a subsequent lawsuit and another piece of legislation to clarify the matter.

It might not be tomorrow or next year, but that work could be undone in time.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

There is a strong streak of gun owners and RKBA supporters that are not absolutist and will respond to an absolutist position that looks less than rational and perhaps dangerous.

Military pattern guns (or the 'modern sporting rifles') do generate negative attitudes in some of the gun world as we have seen in the gun press and the research world.

A vivid instance could easily tip into new restrictions. The SCOTUS decisions could certainly be read to shut down AR in the Airport guy. Reasonable restrictions - how about that?

[Sharkbite]

First, i am STRONGLY in support of the RKBA. I think that every citizen of this country has the RIGHT to own the same EXACT weapons carried by the avg soldier. Just as the founders wrote about when debating the Constitution.

BUT, we must temper that with common sense and an eye towards public opinion. This country is still in disagreement about personal firearms ownership. Unfortunately, not everyone feels the way we do.

Open carry tends to scare some folks. Doing so with an AR in an AIRPORT with a large magazine hanging out is an attempt to make people react.

Thats the kind of publicity we dont need

[kilimanjaro]

Regardless of how I feel about the RKBA, Open Carry, whatever, this idiot just put dozens, perhaps a few hundred, people who may have been ambivalent about the RKBA in Georgia and their home states firmly into the anti-gun camp. When the next Bloomberg petition drive starts in their state, they will sign on the dotted line.

[Slamfire]

So, do you agree with Mr. Cooley's actions? Do you believe if rights are not exercised to the extreme we will lose them? Might his extreme behavior actually result in the Georgia Legislature revisiting the Airport Carry provisions of the law?

There is a truth I have seen enacted again and again in my lifetime. Become a large enough nuisance, regardless of what you think your rights are, and your behavior will be regulated out of existence. Openly displaying such a weapon at an International Airport only shows the displayer to be a flaming idiot. What exactly does he expect to find at ATL, hordes of Zombies to shoot at baggage claim?

Some people are insecure to the point of stupidity.

[bandaid1]

I see it this way, many have said that what he did was an extremist act of open carry, others say that there are ways to open carry without being noticed. I think that everyone has a right to carry a firearm, I don't really care if its open or concealed, pistol, rifle, or shotgun. It makes no difference. Some say it does, I guess it's an image thing for some.

To me, carrying a gun is only about one thing, self defense, period, end of story. If someone is offended at the Georgia Airport by seeing a free American exercising his rights, that's his/her issue. If people don't want to protect their lives, that's their issue. The fact is, that this was a issue without an issue. Nothing happened.

I was born in Vermont. Every person I knew had "Guns" I.E. many firearms. Nobody cared. In the Military you're around guns all the time, hell you're even sleeping with the damn things. Nobody cares. I don't get the big deal.

I bet nobody tried to cut him in line. Hehe


Hooyah

[Tom Servo]

Some say it does, I guess it's an image thing for some.

And for those people, the "image thing" can translate into calls for regulation and restrictions.

[bungiex88]

The problem with today is not enough people do this. Everytime someone sees somebody in public carrying a gun people get nervous and think that thing he's carrying is a bad thing that kills people. How do you think these same people would of acted back in the wild west era. Everybody carried a gun openly back in those days and nobody questioned that or got scarred unless it was a known outlaw with his picture up outside the bar. But the point is if more people open carried everywhere they could or concealed I think more of those people that think those pieces of iron everybody is carrying might not be so scary. I just hate when people give you the dirty look if they happen to see you gun slip out from under your shirt for a split second like there thinking o he has a gun he's probably going to start shooting everyone real soon.