Boulder Daily Camera - Boulder police respond to gun scare at Barnes & Noble

I'm not sure how much longer this story will stay on the Camera's servers, but this is interesting...

ANOTHER case where a sheep panicked and made the call... on a woman JUST WEARING AN EMPTY HOLSTER and the Boulder paper still calls it a "Gun Scare."

Sadly, the Camera simply moved on instead of attempting to follow up with the police or (God Forbid) the woman who was unfairly singled out during the course of shopping in a store which we've been told doesn't prohibit open carry. It would have been very interesting, thought-provoking, and productive for all of us (the sheep and the regular Joes and Janes who carry) to see a follow-up stating the legality of open carry, explaining that legally-armed citizens do not present a threat to the public and, in certain cases could have or have stopped violent crime from carrying on. Instead, they just let it die on the vine.

http://www.dailycamera.com/news/ci_17065637

Boulder police respond to gun scare at Barnes & Noble
Camera staff
Posted: 01/11/2011 02:04:16 PM MST

Boulder police responded Tuesday afternoon to a report of a woman with a gun at the Barnes & Noble bookstore at 2999 Pearl St. It turned out the woman only had a holster with a magazine, but didn't have a weapon.

According to police radio traffic, the woman was seen near the store at about 2 p.m.

Initial reports were that the woman had a 9mm handgun and was wearing "commando" gear.

Police searched the bookstore and found the woman nearby, who was wearing the holster but did not have a weapon and was not threatening anyone, according to radio traffic.

Armed and Dangerous Librarian

So, Where was her gun?

Probably locked in her car....

I openly carried in that B&N frequently when I lived in Boulder a few years ago. Thank everything holy I don't live in that wackjob town anymore.

Ya, where was the gun. From the looks of it she wasn't going anything illegal and why carry a magazine for the weapon that isn't on you.

strife1013 said:

... why carry a magazine for the weapon that isn't on you.

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I could imagine having a lock through the action, to a cable lock attached to the locked car, tucked under the seat.
Tuck the magazine in the holseter absently, so it's handy to reload after you're done shopping.
I could readily imagine thinking it might spare you some hoplophobe calling 911...

It's still really hard to believe that there are so many anti's up there that it is nearly impossible for people to OC without the cops showing up... and yet we seem to consistently hear something about it. However, they did at least get the terminology correct in calling it a magazine instead of a clip; if that's worth anything.

I still think we should all have a very public event up that way later this year. It was brought up a few times but it never really got farther than a cursory suggestion. I know a lot of the issue is that we don't have many members that live out that way, but it may be worth some consideration.

ZackL said:

It's still really hard to believe that there are so many anti's up there that it is nearly impossible for people to OC without the cops showing up... and yet we seem to consistently hear something about it. However, they did at least get the terminology correct in calling it a magazine instead of a clip; if that's worth anything.

I still think we should all have a very public event up that way later this year. It was brought up a few times but it never really got farther than a cursory suggestion. I know a lot of the issue is that we don't have many members that live out that way, but it may be worth some consideration.

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Boulder is definitely outside the "norm" when it comes to the general acceptance of the fact that guns are NOT the boogeyman and, in the hands of law-abiding folks, can be a good thing. They scream and moan about protecting the civil rights of the poor, the indigent, the minority and the sick, but they fail to acknowledge our uniquely-American rights to legally and legitimately bear arms among those civil rights.

I happen to know at least some of the Camera's editorial staff are savvy about gun terminology and equipment, but it doesn't change the overall tenor of the conversation within the community. The fact that a woman could be walking around with an EMPTY HOLSTER and still freak out the sheep drives me to want to keep anything I may or may not be carrying with me that day, in that town, concealed. That's not meant to incite the open vs. concealed conversation -- but I have no desire to be contacted by BPD while I'm looking at Photoshop magazines in Barnes & Noble or shopping for a new Apple laptop.

If you are looking to get into the news, an OC event in Boulder would certainly do that. If I were organizing such an event, I would secure a "friendly" venue, notify Boulder PD in advance, and carry on. I'm sure it'd draw a crowd of angry protesters, result in the Boulder PD being called, and become a less-than-peaceful gathering of like-minded legally-armed individuals having lunch... and not by your actions. Having someone from the PD onsite may, in fact, provide a legal buffer from you and a "protester" going too far or disturbing the peace and serve our cause more than his or hers.

WTF is "commando gear"???

Lol. COMMANDO GEAR!! LOOK OUT!!!!!

There should definately be an OC get together in Boulder. We can all wear a camo hat.

What are the police up there using instead of the law? An interoffice memo? Seriously, the law is the law, and in this case, it's the law of the land. If it allows OC, then the police need to respect the law, as well as people who open carry. It's not a "gun scare." It's a lawful activity engaged in by law-abiding people for their personal protection. Harrassing them is wrong is so many ways.

What needs to happen is for 911 operators to ask about the individual's behavior. If the carrier is simply out and about, they should remind callers that it's legal.

For the paper to report it as a "gun scare" is totally irresponsible journalism. Probably some anti-gun editor with a beef.

I think I'll make a "man without a gun call" and see what they do.

Gunslinger said:

I think I'll make a "man without a gun call" and see what they do.

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In Falcon? They might laugh...

Still, I wouldn't provoke them. Not much sense in poking a bear - it just pisses him off.

since9 said:

In Falcon? They might laugh...

Still, I wouldn't provoke them. Not much sense in poking a bear - it just pisses him off.

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If I called about a man 'without' a gun in Falcon, they'd send the SWAT. Must be a Kalifornia illegal...