Cindy Yorgason snapped a picture of a man carrying an unloaded AR-15 on his back, a Glock pistol in a hip holster, and empty magazines inside a JC Penney store. The picture taken about four hours after President Barack Obama announced his plans to curb gun violence, was posted to her facebook wall and went viral.
Other customers in the store were apparently making all sorts of faces at the man as well as pointing at him. "It was just something you don't see everyday and I wanted to catch it and be able to share it with other people," Yorgason said.
It is perfectly legal to open carry a gun in Utah but it must be unloaded and require two actions to fire.
Yorgason posted two pictures on facebook that generated about 100 comments. Most of the respondents dislike the man's displaying of a large gun on his back in public.
The man later identified himself as 22-year old Joseph Kelley. He stated the AR-15 was unloaded, and the Glock was a loaded 19C which he has a concealed weapons permit for. He also notified the police of what he would be doing before leaving the house with the rifle. He told reporters that he is a strong believer in the second amendment and carried the weapons into public to show people that guns can be safe in the hands of law abiding citizens.
Cindy Yorgason stated that Kelley was in the wrong place and shouldn't have been carrying at that location. Unfortunately for her, it's the law, and he was well within his rights.
This story clearly goes to show the stigma that are put on firearms by the mainstream media. Vilified by horror stories of mass murders and criminals, American people are left misinformed and scared. The reality however is that millions of law abiding citizens excercise their second amendment rights daily, carrying guns in public, concealed or open. They are individuals that will in the heat of the moment, risk their lives to save a complete stranger if the situation arises. Despite public opinion which is clearly flawed they don't just take them out looking for a confrontation. In fact if the public opinion were correct we would hear stories every day about how concealed permit holders started gun fights in public, but we don't. It's time America gets informed and starts to understand that an armed society, is a safer society.
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