picture of a man in JCPenney with a rifle goes viral **pic added**
RIVERDALE — The gun debate continues to rage, and one man has gained a lot of attention. A picture of him wearing a rifle inside the Riverdale JC Penney has gone viral.
The picture received more than 10,000 comments on the KSL Facebook page with people wondering who the man is and why he carried a rifle into a public store.
The man is Joseph Kelley, and he says he did it to show that weapons aren't that bad, but he didn't expect this type of reaction.
Cindy Yorgason took the picture while she was waiting in line to return an item at JC Penney on Thursday. She saw him and noticed other people looking at him, so she snapped a picture on her cell phone. She posted the picture on her Facebook page and people went crazy.
Yorgason says she never felt threatened by the man, but believes a place like JC Penney is an inappropriate place to bring a weapon.
"There are just other ways that are a better way to take a stance," Yorgason said.
Other people that commented on the picture had different opinions about the man carrying his rifle in public. Joe Herbalist says that the right to bear arms shall not be infringed. He also says that he is a peace abiding citizen.
Mike Ford says, "If he's going to carry his weapon around he needs to be mindful about not just his own safety, but others around him."
Kelley was not asked to leave the store, and he was not arrested. Riverdale police said that they never received one phone call about the man being in the store with a gun.
This is from ksl.com
little.worthen
Quoting Lizard_Lina:
Omg it doesn't?! Didn't you know guns kill people?! And the kind he has causes mass murders! All by itself! Turns the gun owner bananas! Plus he's a white guy, those people were lucky to make it out alive!
Quoting pamelax3:Well that is because he was not a threat, just because you have a gun does not make you a threat to other people
Quoting ramonafrog:
Lady, he walked in, was not waving the gun at anyone, conducted his business as usual, and left. How does that make him a loser? Are you anti-gun? That's the only explanation I can find for you to have a problem with this.
Granted, walking around in public carrying a gun, not concealed, wasn't his smartest move... But I totally defend his reason. Guns don't kill people, people who don't practice safe gun ownership kill people. I haven't read anywhere that says whether he did or didn't have the gun loaded. But I would be willing to bet it was not. so, tell me what the problem is... Btw your accusation carry no real foundation... You sound like a not job anti-gun activist. No one takes those people seriously.
Quoting lga1965:
Quoting ramonafrog:
I think all gun owners should be allowed to open carry. There would be a lot less nuts out there killing people if they knew the penalty was gonna be return fire.
I would say I'm shocked at the negative comments bashing the guy, but I'm not.
wellllll....sorry, but walking into a JC Penney and seeing a guy with a BIG gun slung over his body is bizarre. Totally an example of a socially inept mental midget.If you know anyone like this guy, run...run in the opposite direction. And please don't defend this guy or guys like him. He's a LOSER. Losers get bashed. Get used to it.
How would you feel if the man was Asian, hispanic, black , or middle Eastern, who walked in a public place,, library, movie theater, or mall carrying a rifle on his back, and a pistol in his pocket? would you feel the same way, as you feel about jc penny guy?
It was a shotgun with birdshot, not a rifle with a bullet.
Quoting Gracesgma:I guess I would have to ask if the gun was loaded. Interesting little article in the paper today about a man who brought a rifle to a gun show in NC to sell privately and, as he was unzipping the gun bag for inspection, the gun went off, shot the security guard in the hand and shot two bystanders. Obviously this was not a responsible gun owner or he would have made sure the gun wasn't loaded and the safety was on. If the gun owner at Riverdale had not checked his gun to make sure it wasn't loaded and safety on, the same may have happened at JC Pennys..and who carries an unloaded gun in public, the issue being the gun is there to protect the owner from harm, I assume, so it would have had to be loaded. Not too responsible to me.
I am not anti gun, at all, but some one walking in to any place of business with such a weapon on him..........he has some issues. Plain and simple. A complex that does not serve him well. Showing off, parading around as if you are some how more secure, better off, or otherwise, causes people to think they are indestructable and can stop any thing from happening.
A false sense of security is quite unwise.
As for the public arena he chose... Had I seen this man (or any person for that matter) in public with a rifle strapped to his back I would keep my eye on him and have my hand on my own gun that I carry in my purse (ready in case he decided to go postal). In all honesty I wish this more regular in our society. As I previously stated, if not people were allowed to open carry nutjobs would be less likely to walk in blowing people away... They'd know the consequences would be dire. Btw, there are probably far more people walking around, that you pass daily, carrying concealed guns. 80% of the people I know have a CHL and carry 100% of the time. And here's a shocker... Some of them are even black and Hispanic *gasp
Quoting ambam594:
Quoting ramonafrog:
Lady, he walked in, was not waving the gun at anyone, conducted his business as usual, and left. How does that make him a loser? Are you anti-gun? That's the only explanation I can find for you to have a problem with this.
Granted, walking around in public carrying a gun, not concealed, wasn't his smartest move... But I totally defend his reason. Guns don't kill people, people who don't practice safe gun ownership kill people. I haven't read anywhere that says whether he did or didn't have the gun loaded. But I would be willing to bet it was not. so, tell me what the problem is... Btw your accusation carry no real foundation... You sound like a not job anti-gun activist. No one takes those people seriously.
Quoting lga1965:
Quoting ramonafrog:
I think all gun owners should be allowed to open carry. There would be a lot less nuts out there killing people if they knew the penalty was gonna be return fire.
I would say I'm shocked at the negative comments bashing the guy, but I'm not.
wellllll....sorry, but walking into a JC Penney and seeing a guy with a BIG gun slung over his body is bizarre. Totally an example of a socially inept mental midget.If you know anyone like this guy, run...run in the opposite direction. And please don't defend this guy or guys like him. He's a LOSER. Losers get bashed. Get used to it.
How would you feel if the man was Asian, hispanic, black , or middle Eastern, who walked in a public place,, library, movie theater, or mall carrying a rifle on his back, and a pistol in his pocket? would you feel the same way, as you feel about jc penny guy?
Assumptions are awesome btw.
Quoting ambam594:It's true, guns don't kill people, people kill people especially if they are vigilantes and mentally ill. how is anybody to know if this man in the story is sane or insane? He might go home and beat the sh@* out of his wife and kids
Sometimes u feel like a nut sometimes you don't
Holder to investigate....Holder
Do people judge other peoples children harsher than their own?
- little.worthen
on Jan. 18, 2013 at 5:24 PM