Man arrested for scaring Texas movie-goers

[rbwhatever1]

Nice finger shooter!!

[brainman]

I'm glad that you're macho enough to not worry about what looks like a crazy homeless guy walking into a movie theater and finger gunning everyone. I guess the more scaredy cat of us will just have to risk your scorn.

I'm not showing scorn, I'm simply pointing out that people have different levels of fear. Those of you that are arguing that someone is a clear threat or that someone should be arrested for pointing finger guns in a theater have zero room to complain when anti-gunners are afraid of us. Your fear triggers when a guy throws a finger. Theirs triggers when a gun is around. What's the difference? According to you, if someone is afraid, then the "threat" should go to jail.

It's not that I'm macho enough not to be worried when a crazy homeless guy walks into a movie theater pointing his fingers. I probably would be worried if I saw such a thing. I'd probably hit condition orange. But crazy homeless people do weird stuff all the time. Unless he actually does something, I'm not calling the police and hoping he'll be arrested for nothing more than pointing his fingers.

[Pacifist]

This is about as funny (and, at the same time, sad) as it gets. We actually have people invoking completely unrelated "road rage" incidents as an explanation of why the sheeple in a San Antonio movie theater completely and utterly overreacted to a likely drunken, decrepit, raggedy, stinky old man pointing his "finger gun" at them?

At the very worst, the "finger-pointer" should probably have been handed a bag of old popcorn, escorted out of the theater, and then asked not to return by management.

In any event, you girls who are so terrified of a "finger gun" will probably want to steer clear of my alma mater on game day as there will most definitely be nearly an entire stadium full of finger guns, and I doubt there are enough diapers to go around.

[VMI77]

Infringing on one man's Liberty because he doesn't fit your mold or he's "scary" will ultimately infringe on all mans Liberties with new Laws that affect everyone. One cannot pick and choose what Liberties will be infringed upon because there is a bunch of men that want to infringe on your Liberty to carry a gun, your Liberty to walk down the street without being questioned or frisked, your Liberty to buy a 30 round magazine and the list is endless. We should be very careful with our Freedoms and defend every Law abiding American because all our Liberties may be next. At some point we will all have to stand up or we will lose everything.

Most people pay lip service to freedom, but what they really want is safety and conformity.

[rbwhatever1]

Absolutely correct. It's amazing how illiterate we have become in just 250 years.

[TexDotCom]

So pointing your middle finger at someone is free speech, but pointing your index finger at them is a felony ?

One of the best quotes I've read anywhere on the Interwebs. Very well played.

[CHLLady]

Not sure of the details of the situation, the article was vague. But, if I am at the theater with my family and a vagrant person comes in pointing and making shooting gestures, YES, that would alarm me. I would immediately secure my kids and keep an eye on him until we were safely out of there. If he came in from the exit, my hand would be ready to draw. (The Colorado nutcase came from the exit!) I WOULD notify the manager. What he does is up to him, but I am removing my children from that scene ASAP!

Laugh as you will, but I do compare that to coming in and shouting fire. What if there were deaf patrons? That is the sign for gun and moving it around is the action sign for shooting. When he makes that sign and gesture, it means he's signing "I shoot you". I know because my parents are deaf and I am fluent in sign language. How do I know if he's about to pull out the real thing?

Kindergarten children making the gesture on the playground, using pop tarts, etc that is absurd to feel threatened. Dark theater, vagrant adult male with wild freaky eyes making the shooting sign at me or my family, heck no, not acceptable.

We all have our life experiences that shape our reactions. Bravo to the management and police in this case.

[VMI77]

Not sure of the details of the situation, the article was vague. But, if I am at the theater with my family and a vagrant person comes in pointing and making shooting gestures, YES, that would alarm me. I would immediately secure my kids and keep an eye on him until we were safely out of there. If he came in from the exit, my hand would be ready to draw. (The Colorado nutcase came from the exit!) I WOULD notify the manager. What he does is up to him, but I am removing my children from that scene ASAP!

Laugh as you will, but I do compare that to coming in and shouting fire. What if there were deaf patrons? That is the sign for gun and moving it around is the action sign for shooting. When he makes that sign and gesture, it means he's signing "I shoot you". I know because my parents are deaf and I am fluent in sign language. How do I know if he's about to pull out the real thing?

Kindergarten children making the gesture on the playground, using pop tarts, etc that is absurd to feel threatened. Dark theater, vagrant adult male with wild freaky eyes making the shooting sign at me or my family, heck no, not acceptable.

We all have our life experiences that shape our reactions. Bravo to the management and police in this case.

I responded to you in a way that I'm told is a personal attack. While I didn't intend for it to read that way I can see that it did. The post has been deleted, but, if you saw it before deletion, I apologize.

[CHLLady]

I responded to you in a way that I'm told is a personal attack. While I didn't intend for it to read that way I can see that it did. The post has been deleted, but, if you saw it before deletion, I apologize.[/quote]

I did not see it.

Here are some more points to be made:

What if the vagrant was deaf and he was telling everyone in HIS language that he is going to shoot?

How do you think secret service would react to someone making that gesture at the president as he does his hand shake walk abouts? I think they'd regret making that gesture when they're flat out eating pavement.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... signs.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/d ... -1.1238749" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My point regarding the 2 links above is that gestures are being watched by gang members and has gotten innocent people seriously hurt. Why is it not ok for me to feel alarmed by this man's gestures in a dark theater? I'm not at a football game. Besides I prefer the Hook 'em Horns sign, which also has another meaning in sign language that I won't repeat here. Just as you don't mention bombs and threats on an airplane, there are more appropriate times for gestures. I welcome a calm discussion.

[Zoo]

How do I know if he's about to pull out the real thing?

How do I know someone in a hoodie isn't going to pull out a gun?

[C-dub]

How do you think secret service would react to someone making that gesture at the president as he does his hand shake walk abouts? I think they'd regret making that gesture when they're flat out eating pavement.

And that's if they're still alive and able to think by the time their body hits the pavement.

[VMI77]

How do you think secret service would react to someone making that gesture at the president as he does his hand shake walk abouts? I think they'd regret making that gesture when they're flat out eating pavement.

And that's if they're still alive and able to think by the time their body hits the pavement.

That's sort of funny if you think about it in a historical context. Hitler rode through town in an open topped car with people covering the rooftops and hanging out of windows --but you can't even point a finger at The One without risking injury, arrest, or death?

[Cedar Park Dad]

How do you think secret service would react to someone making that gesture at the president as he does his hand shake walk abouts? I think they'd regret making that gesture when they're flat out eating pavement.

And that's if they're still alive and able to think by the time their body hits the pavement.

That's sort of funny if you think about it in a historical context. Hitler rode through town in an open topped car with people covering the rooftops and hanging out of windows --but you can't even point a finger at The One without risking injury, arrest, or death?

Hitler also had a bodyguard of thousands and had dozens of attempts against him.
Considering we've had a President or candidate shot about every 20 years, your attempt at comparison is not exactly appropriate no?

List of candidates that were shot or almost shot that I can think of
Teddy Roosevelt
FDR
Kennedy
Kennedy II
Reagan

[VMI77]

How do you think secret service would react to someone making that gesture at the president as he does his hand shake walk abouts? I think they'd regret making that gesture when they're flat out eating pavement.

And that's if they're still alive and able to think by the time their body hits the pavement.

That's sort of funny if you think about it in a historical context. Hitler rode through town in an open topped car with people covering the rooftops and hanging out of windows --but you can't even point a finger at The One without risking injury, arrest, or death?

Hitler also had a bodyguard of thousands and had dozens of attempts against him.
Considering we've had a President or candidate shot about every 20 years, your attempt at comparison is not exactly appropriate no?

List of candidates that were shot or almost shot that I can think of
Teddy Roosevelt
FDR
Kennedy
Kennedy II
Reagan

Actually, it is. I guess you've never watched Triumph of the Will. As far as thousands of bodyguards --I don't even know what that means. It has nothing to do with driving through a city in an open vehicle with people high above him in the thousands, in a situation where someone taking a shot at him would be impossible to stop. As far as the assassination attempts go, none were apparently attempted using a pointed finger. Back in the days of TR, people stood in the audience listening to Teddy while openly armed. And please don't compare a man like Teddy Roosevelt with the absolute scum stinking up the office now --a man who put himself in the line of fire on several occassions, took a bullet and prevented the assassin from being killed by the crowd, and then continued with a 90 minute speech, to this pathetic gutless sociopath and disgrace to the Republic. Also, people used to just walk off the street and right into the White House and actually talk to Abraham Lincoln. I guess Americans were just better people all around back then.....more moral and more courageous. And let's not forget, Lincoln met with ordinary people in the White House during a war, when a lot of people wanted to kill him. And none of those guys took the equivalent of $200 million vacations on the taxpayer's dime.

[Cedar Park Dad]

I mean his contingent of bodyguards was actually huge (not including the SS which started out as his personal bodyguard), and there were multiple attempts to take him out.

As for the US President, there have been multiple attempts and successful assassinations. Thats just how it is now.