Rightwing gun nut guns down man for texting at movie theater

HEARTLESS wrote: The Colorado so called "make my day" law applies to someone in your residence only. The law guarantees your absolute safety in your home.

Well ya, a guy kickin in your door is a bit different than getting some bad words and popcorn.

Rick wrote:

PrintSmith wrote: Are you saying that the senior citizen had a duty to wait until such time as he was actually injured before acting Rick? He'd already been assaulted by a man who was angry and clearly unable to control that anger, was he supposed to wait until the man assaulted him a 2nd time?

What damages did this sr citizen have other than an injured ego and possibly some popcorn eye? I agree with you on just about everything, but defending this kind of action doesn't do much to help the 2nd amendment fight imo. I'll wait to hear the evidence, maybe the guy pulled a knife or something that would change the situation. I was sucker punched in a bar one night in the late 80s and I guarantee if I had a gun, I still wouldn't have pulled it. Cops, even old retired ones should use more common sense and just move away from the asshole if he felt threatened.

Has nothing at all to do with 2nd Amendment Rick. What it pertains to is the natural right of every person to defend themselves when threatened.

The law is very specific here. One not need to have sustained injury in order to fear that they are in imminent danger of sustaining injury. A 43 year old man who is willing to taunt an elderly one and escalate a verbal confrontation into a physical one could easily be seen as willing to escalate the matter further still. Read the statute again Rick - it says that a reasonable fear of imminent peril of great bodily harm is sufficient to meet force with force, including deadly force. My mother is about the age of the retire officer. I know for a fact that a single blow from a young, strong man would be capable of doing great bodily harm to her. The elderly are in danger of great bodily harm if they trip over an area rug in their kitchen or slip in the shower simply because their bones are brittle. A single punch could easily land a 71 year old man in the hosptial for an extended stay, which is why an attack on a person 65 years of age or older, regardless of whether or not the attacker is aware of their age, increases the severity of any attack made against them and increases the penalty compared to what would happen if a 43 year old man attacked someone their own age.

PrintSmith, you worry me at times with your reasoning.

As I recall, you were an Obama birther, but later changed your tune.

And now it seems you are defending someone for killing a person who only threw popcorn at him? I know it's early and we don't know all the facts yet.

Based on we know so far, the texting guy was a total a$$hole. And I'll agree the ex-cop did the right thing at first by complaining to management (and the movie theater manager was probably in the early 20's and not making much), until he shot and killed the a$$hole.

How is that justified?

Plus this guy was an ex-cop. Even at 71 he probably could of responded with a fist if he wanted to against a 43 year old punk.

As mentioned before, this ex-cop did not get an MMA style Zimmerman beating. He got popcorn in his eye.

This reminds me of a traffic incident I saw, although it wasn't intentional. A guy in a car was approaching a traffic light to make a right hand turn and he cut off a bicycle rider who I don't think he saw, though he should of seen him if he were more careful. He didn't hit him, but he had an open window and the bicycle rider reached in the window and spit in his face. Should the very fit a$$hole bicycle rider been shot too?

Anyway, incidents like this is why I'll never carry (not that I want to anyway). Way too many risks, too many hormones flying, and even if a shooting is justified under the law you still can get your ass sued and/or face jail time.

Unless something else is disclosed, this ex-cop is toast.

Yep. Sounds to me like the guy lost his temper and pulled out his gun. He should be charged with 2nd degree murder and probably found guilty of something a bit less.

The idiot was drunk with power!

He will never convince a jury that his life felt threatened by words and popcorn being thrown at him.

He was looking for trouble, created it, and now in deep s-h-I-t!

The jury should throw popcorn at him and point and shoot!

I certainly don't know the details of this case, but the thrown popcorn is a mask for more aggressive action. The salt on popcorn will burn the eyes and cloud vision. If more aggression was the purpose, a 71 year old man being attacked by a 43 year old man, may fall under overwhelmed in size and if the wife was adding to the possible assault then overwhelmed in number may also apply. Those that are so quick to judge this based on almost certain half truths and misrepresentation by the media, show too much trust in our media.

HEARTLESS wrote: I certainly don't know the details of this case, but the thrown popcorn is a mask for more aggressive action. The salt on popcorn will burn the eyes and cloud vision. If more aggression was the purpose, a 71 year old man being attacked by a 43 year old man, may fall under overwhelmed in size and if the wife was adding to the possible assault then overwhelmed in number may also apply. Those that are so quick to judge this based on almost certain half truths and misrepresentation by the media, show too much trust in our media.

I don't trust the media at all, but I do trust my own common sense. Until there is evidence the man was physically assaulted to the point where a reasonable person would fear for his life, the shooter was wrong. I'm a CCW advocate and if these kind of shootings were to happen more often, the cause WILL be damaged unless people on our side speak up.

If you witnessed an on duty cop getting popcorn tossed on him, would you not have a problem with him blowing the guy away? Think about it rationally for a minute. We citizens need to be just as responsible with our weapons if we want to keep the right we've worked so hard to preserve.

Has anyone seen a size comparison of the people involved? I don't heal like I did when younger and I'm in my late 50s. Waiting until substantial damage has occurred is great for online talk, but may mean you will be carried by six. We need to wait to see the past of the cell phone man to see if they had a history of violence. If I'm doing something wrong, get called on it, I will apologize and carry on elsewhere if it is truly important. I will not confront an older person to show what a man I am. This needs to play out in court. If there wasn't sufficient grounds to use deadly force, the man with the gun will spend the remainder of their life in prison.

If you have the opportunity to walk away, and don't take it, you are just as guilty of aggression.

This is tantamount to a football player punching a baby. There is no excuse. 70 is not a feeble age. This man was not a responsible gun owner is the the type of idiot that will ultimately insure that none of us who are responsible owners/carriers have the right to continue. He was a bulky and abused the power his gun gave him to confront another bully. As much as some may hope it does, rudeness does not carry a death sentence in this country, nor should it.