Saturday, October 3, 2009

Concealed Carry Guy Threatens I-Phone Sales Clerk

The Brady Campaign reports on a story that would be humorous if it weren't so frightening. Here it is from the source, the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Hamilton County sheriff’s deputies say Donald Goodrich, 38, of Westwood, took his phone into the store Thursday at about 12:30 p.m. and told the clerk, "I’m so mad I could pop a 9mm at it. I could really do it right now, look!"

Goodrich opened his shirt and showed the clerk a gun, deputies said.

Chelsea Levine didn’t panic. She reportedly told Goodrich “there no need for that.”

“I told him we’d get the phone fixed (and) walked him to a technician,” Levine wrote in court records.

Levine told her manager to call the police, according to her statement to police.

Goodrich was arrested on a charge of aggravated menacing and carrying a concealed weapon. He has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, but he allegedly did not tell deputies he had a gun, as required by law.

This is what happens when you've got a country that's gun crazy and a President who's afraid of the NRA, a President who's failed to keep his campaign promises concerning gun control. Hundreds perhaps thousands of times a day all over America lawful gun owners misuse their guns. The pro-gun folks hide behind the fact that there are no statistics to prove this, but what statistics could there be to prove incidents that go largely unreported.

The fact is that guys who carry guns sometimes brandish their weapons or show them in a threatening manner, like this guy in the Apple Store. Sometimes they just remind their spouse or the person their arguing with that they have a gun, I mean, for some of them that's what having a gun is all about. They're craven bully boys and their numbers are on the rise.

Is this all gun owners? Of course not. Is it most? I honestly don't think so. But it's too many. Guys with anger management problems, I guess gals too, but I'd imagine it's mainly men who should not have guns in the first place. This is covered in my very popular 10% theory.

What's your opinion? Is this so rare that we need not worry about it?

20 comments:

  1. MikeB,

    First off your title is wrong...is it deliberate in which case it would be a lie or is it because you can't read.

    At no time did the CHL holder threaten the CLERK. He theatened to shoot the phone. Can you not tell the difference between an inanimate object and a live clerk?

    (given some of the clerks I've dealt with that might be difficult)

    The fact is that guys who carry guns sometimes brandish their weapons or show them in a threatening manner,

    And they are arrested, charged and prosecuted as they should be.

    You know how you can tell that this type of story is rare?

    The news media still covers it.

    If it was common behavior, say like a drug bust, drunk driving, or muggings.

    I mean, for some of them that's what having a gun is all about.

    And do you know this from personal experience?
    How else can you make an authoritative statement like that?

    They're craven bully boys and their numbers are on the rise.

    Psychological projection?

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  2. They're craven bully boys and their numbers are on the rise.

    Got a source for that "numbers are on the rise" bit, or is that just another one of your assertions that we're supposed to simply take on faith?

    If the latter, I gotta tell you, with all due respect, that I just don't have a lot of faith in your assertions.

    And finally, what does a trickle of anecdotes about gun owners being idiotic assholes have to do with those teeming legions of us who never behave that way?

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  3. "President who's afraid of the NRA..."

    No he's not.

    The NRA is only 4 million people on a good day. Probably only a million who are dedicated to the cause. As we've learned from the past, that's not nearly enough to make or break a presidential election.

    What he's afraid of is all those gun owners who aren't NRA members. The tens of millions of gun owners who reluctantly voted for him, hoping that he really was change. Those are the ones who will send him packing if he so much as tries to be a "gun control" president.

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  4. Wow Mike...the whole reason I read your blog is that you usually seem open minded. Your comments today befit a 'reporter' who has already made a decision and then tries to force your his worldview and opinions as reality and facts.

    As for this case...in my opinion this guy (and anyone else who abuses firearms rights this way) should face a firearms charge resulting in loss of his right to keep and bear arms. With any of our rights come responsibilities, and I feel that if you abuse your responsibility you don't deserve the right. This country is a little too forgiving (HOW many DUI's does someone have to get before losing their license? In some countries, a DUI is punishable by death).

    BUT, again, your comments are mostly opinion stated as fact to support your opinion. And as others pointed out, if this type of thing 'happened all the time', Brady wouldn't crow quite so much when they manage to get ONE story.

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  5. Oh Boy, nothing like a big fat lie by MikeB in his post title.

    The CCW holder threatened to shoot the PHONE not the sales clerk. (not that is behavior is in any way appropriate. He brandished his carry piece and for that there are consequences)

    "Got a source for that "numbers are on the rise"

    Aww, don't be mean to MikeB. We know he never backs up his statements with facts.

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  6. I realize the guy didn't threaten the clerk directly but claimed he was so angry he could shoot the phone. But, don't you think that is threatening behaviour? I do? And I guess the folks in the store did?

    cj, I'm not sure I follow you about your disappointment at this post. I thought it was classic Mikeb material.

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  7. "cj, I'm not sure I follow you about your disappointment at this post. I thought it was classic Mikeb material."

    +1, CJ you haven't been reading long enugh I'm sure.

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  8. MikeB,

    You've joined the ranks of gun control liars now.

    You know the difference between a clerk being threatened and a clerk feeling threatened and don't seem to care to tell the truth.

    As you've said in the past, many people feel threatened at the mere sight of a firearm. That is there problem, not the gun owners.

    This case is clear cut, the CHL holder brandished a firearm, threatened to shoot a phone...not the clerk.

    Why aren't you questioning his mental status, why aren't you giving him the benefit of the doubt, why aren't you trying to find some justification for his behavior?

    Because you are trying to get guns banned and that wouldn't fit your narrative.

    You don't address how rare these things are because that doesn't fit your goal of banning guns.

    Your true colors are showing clearly now....and those colors don't include telling the trught

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  9. Let's see if I can emulate MikeB a little bit.

    MikeB send an email that contained inappropriate images (I'll leave you to guess what type).....well not really directly sent them but the person receiving them thought they might have been inappropriate.

    Should MikeB's rights be revoked and he thrown in jail ?

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  10. Hundreds perhaps thousands of times a day all over America lawful gun owners misuse their guns.
    Cite? Link to a report evincing this? Without proof, this is known as an "assertion." When all evidence runs to the contrary, it's known as a bad assertion.

    The pro-gun folks hide behind the fact that there are no statistics to prove this, but what statistics could there be to prove incidents that go largely unreported.
    This is just as bad of an argument as me accusing my insurance company of hiding behind statistics when they charge me more for insurance because I'm male. You can't "hide behind" statistics, particularly when they're collected by neutral organizations (such as the FBI UCR).
    Substantive dialogue on gun control is always appreciated even if not agreed with. But what you've presented here doesn't even rise to the level of innuendo; you're trying to extrapolate a single case (which received nation-wide press!) into proof that this happens hundreds of thousands of times a year, even though the media, law enforcement, and federal statistics all disagree with you.

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  11. "He has a permit to carry a concealed weapon, but he allegedly did not tell deputies he had a gun, as required by law."

    Please provide a link to the statute which required him to tell deputies he had a gun.

    It's an honest question because this is a very common misperception. In my home state of Oregon, it is not required at all. Maybe others can chime in about their own states as I honestly don't know if this is required anywhere CCW is in place.

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  12. Kaveman, it looks as if Ohio law does require that the citizen inform law enforcement. per Handgunlaw.us (pdf file):

    (B) No person who has been issued a license or temporary emergency license to carry a concealed handgun under section 2923.125 or 2923.1213 of the Revised Code or a license to carry a concealed handgun that was issued by another state with which the attorney general has entered into a reciprocity agreement under section 109.69 of the Revised Code shall do any of the following:
    (1) If the person is stopped for a law enforcement purpose and is carrying a concealed handgun, fail to promptly inform any law enforcement officer who approaches the person after the person has been stopped that the person has been issued a license or temporary emergency license to carry a concealed handgun and that the person then is carrying a concealed handgun;

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  13. By the way, Kaveman, I'm not endorsing the idiotic law--just stating the article seems to be correct about that.

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  14. Would you also ban alcohol --because I'm guessing you've already covered the issue --are there, as I suspect, more deaths from alcohol-related driving and alcohol related gun-toting --than from gun-toting itself? I bet there are.

    I'm ready to ban casinos, all gambling, cigarettes and alcohol --or at least ration the latter --and make drinking establishments less prevalent.

    But banning guns which may protect us from crazies, burglars, terrorists and the like? It's our constitutional right to carry --not that I do. In fact, I don't.

    My husband bought a new cell phone--every time he stepped outside the Verizon store, it wouldn't work; when he was in the store it would. He asked the clerk to step outside with him --he/or she wouldn't do that --so he finally found an ass't manager after about 7 tries to make the phone work outdoors and said, something like, "YOU --NOW --OUTSIDE --in a very determined voice --THIS PHONE ISN'T WORKING FOR ME!!!!" aND the guy did see what it was --and said, "Oh, yes, I see.....etc."

    So I understand the guy who wanted to shoot the phone!

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  15. Notice how MikeB doesn't address the thousands, hundreds of thousands times a day that people to destroy other inanimate objects...just this one with a firearm.

    How many people have threatened to destroy a car? A fax/copy machine (think of the copier from Office Space), dishwashers, computers, etc?

    Notice also how MikeB doesn't address the violence done by the anti-freedom liberals, especially groups like E.L.F.

    Can you say bigotry?

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  16. But at least, Mike welcomes commentors for the most part --unlike most liberal bloggers who can't sustain a debate with the other side of any issue !!! Or so has been my experience!

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  17. Ryan, I believe what I wrote easily rises above the level of innuendo and clearly into that of assertion.

    I said it happens "hundreds, perhaps thousands" of times a day. Per year that would be 36,500, perhaps 365,000. Do you find that unreasonable?

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  18. Still you leave up your incorrect title, why?

    You know it is untrue. the CHL holder didn't threaten the clerk.

    Leaving it up is tantamount to lying MikeB.

    You know the truth...why not correct the title?

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  19. Bob, You say the title is wrong. I disagree. When one of the bully boys shows his gun like that to a sales clerk, it is a threatening gesture. It is threatening to her even if the offender says he's threatening an inanimate object.

    You can quibble over it with me and you can pick the words apart to make me out to be a liar, you can even call me that a few times. If you do it too much, then I delete your comments and put the comment moderation back on.

    Your other choice is to get off it and back on the real questions. How prevalent is this behavior? Have you ever engaged in it yourself? Of all the gun owners you know, is there not one single one you'd wonder about in a stressful or frustrating situation?

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  20. MikeB,

    Interesting how you phrase this:

    If you do it too much, then I delete your comments and put the comment moderation back on.

    Are you saying that if I quible about the inaccuracies in your posts too much you'll delete my comments?

    Blame me for your decision to moderate comments instead of responding to them and pointing out where I'm wrong?


    When one of the bully boys shows his gun like that to a sales clerk, it is a threatening gesture.

    Your title doesn't say he made a threatening gesture, you clearly state that "Concealed Carry Guy threatens" the clerk....it isn't a matter of quibbling MikeB, it is a matter of intention.

    It is a matter of the law. Threatening a person with lethal force is a completely different crime then brandishing a firearm. I support prosecuting the guy for what he did...but not for what the person perceived.

    It is threatening to her even if the offender says

    I've had people tell me that they feel threatened by me because of my size. Not anything that I've said or anything that I did or any behavior, simply because I'm 6'2" and over 200#.

    Should I be arrested because someone perceived a threat?

    You are, in my opinion, cynically misleading people into thinking the crime was worse then it was. And that betrays your bias and agenda.

    Your other choice is to get off it and back on the real questions.

    Again, you don't get to decide solely what are "real questions". You post and we respond. Your motive, your agenda becomes part of the discussion when it is appropriate.

    How prevalent is this behavior?

    Gee, I thought I addressed that earlier in my comments.....let's see

    You know how you can tell that this type of story is rare?

    The news media still covers it.

    If it was common behavior, say like a drug bust, drunk driving, or muggings.


    Yep, certainly covered it. You didn't address it then.

    Let's also see what the State of Texas shows for conviction rates of CHL. I've picked out a few appropriate ones.

    Aggravated Assault - CHL's -7 Total - 2,513 CHL % 0.2786
    Deadly Conduct - CHL 15 Total 1,432 - CL% 1.0475
    Terroristic Threat - CHL - 6 Total 1,594 CL % 0.3764
    Terroristic Threat (Family/Household) CHL 2 Total 464 - CHL % 0.431%

    No, it is not common. It is not anywhere close to 10%, it is close to the 1% or less that we've shown you in the past.

    Do I get to call into question your "famous 10%" again or will that get my comments deleted or moderated???


    Have you ever engaged in it yourself?

    NO, I have never done it. I've been threatened while carrying at least twice now and never came close to even pulling my firearm.

    I have never threatened anyone with the use of a firearm.

    HAVE YOU?

    You've carried illegally. You've admitted it, wouldn't you be more likely to engage in brandishing or other threatening behavior?

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