Carrying a weapon is serious

We blame Hollywood for instilling the opinion that guns are playthings. How often do you hear the comment "oh, you should be shot!" or "I could have shot him for saying that" or similar. In the fantasy world they live in, shooting someone is how to resolve frustrations.

In reality, the decision to use deadly force is a serious thing.

It's one thing to say "I could shoot my iPhone" and quite another to say that and pull back your jacket to reveal a holstered firearm. That changes things from silly ignorant speech, to possibly threatening behavior. Quoting from the article at wired.com now:

<blockquote>But we can't level with this incredibly stupid Cincinnati resident Daniel Goodrich, who told an Apple Store employee at Kenwood Towne Centre he was so mad at his iPhone he could "pop a 9mm at it." He allegedly went on to open the right side of his shirt, revealing that he did, in fact, possess a black, 9mm handgun.

That's when the Apple retail employee got her manager to call the police. Goodrich was charged with aggravated menacing and causing fear of harm to an Apple employee, according to WCPO.</blockquote>
--<a href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/iphone-shoot/">Police Arrest Customer Who Allegedly Threatened to Shoot iPhone</a>

The story describes someone with a stunning lack of sense. Besides the obvious reasons why this is all bad, it also serves as a reminder that your actions may just give all gun owners a black eye, even if it is something less overt.

Comments

"Right now, I could kill [...]," she said at the Adam's Mark Hotel and Conference Center in Dallas.

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa070712...

[note: The quote shown in this article has been truncated. Please follow the link for the actual quote -- editor]