While I would rather see this in the hopes the shooter takes responsibility for his unreasonable actions I can see an ex Police Captain believing himself justified. Ego takes over from reason.

I also don't think that the heavies on either side of the gun debate are going to be truly happy with a plea deal.

"Guilty" or Not Guilty" is the preferred target for both.

I think she's been pretty apolitical on this topic over here...

You'd know it if she wasn't;);).

I feel badly for the shooter, the old guy.

How scared do you have to be of the world that you have to carry a gun to go outside and pee? That must be a terrible place to be, not to be secure as to who you are and what you are. To expect the world to come crashing down on you at any moment where you would need to shoot someone.

That is a sad place to live. That is to be a prisoner of fear.

I hope it goes to trial. I want to see his name dragged through the mud and his family discredited and forced to move out of the USA. to hell with this loser. Give him the chair and put it on TV.

"I'm sorry sir - I was just checking with my baby sitter. I'll finish my conversation and hang up. Thank you for informing me of the inconvenience I have caused. May I buy you and your lady a bag of popcorn or box of candy at intermission?"

Or

"Go screw yourself old man - this is very important. Besides....the feature hasn't even started yet? Who cares about upcoming features....except idiots like you."

"What did you do....tell on me for texting?!?! You need to mind your own business! Who gave you the right to stick your nose into MY business...jerk off?!? Take that you old fool! (throws something at the old man - allegedly a box of something...allegedly popcorn).



Which is the personality you want sitting in front of you at a movie?

So if option B, pull out your .380 and shoot him in the chest? That's fair.

You'd think most decent folks would go with option A but unfortunately that's just not society in today's world.

I was out at lunch with a bunch of the fellas one day.

There was a table next to us with a guy and his family, wife plus kids around 10ish.

My group was having a good time and there was some off color language being used.

At some point the guy next to us got fed up, slammed his hand so hard on the table that stuff fell over, he spun in his chair and very loudly and angrily called us out on our language.

He was being a douche, he could have quietly leaned over and asked us to tone it down before he worked himself into a rage but that's not what he did.

But, he was right, our language was not age appropriate and we apologized to him for it.

End of situation.

And there was no sign upon entering the restaurant that "Adult Language" was not allowed.

Good point. There's also the A and B for how the conversation was started:
A. "Excuse me sir, would you mind putting away your phone? The movie is about to start and the brightness of the screen, or the noise it's making is disturbing me and we have really been looking forward to seeing this movie. Thank you.

or
B. "Hey jerk, turn off your damn phone before I go get the management and they kick your sorry ass out of here."

Why should he be the bigger man when none of you were classy enough to keep it clean when there were clearly kids within earshot? Nice double standard.

But what if someone in your party brought a kid. ;)

He made a scene that embarrassed his wife and his table slamming actually scared people at other tables. Very inconsiderate of him.

But you are right, we should have told him to **** Off, bad language and lack of class are not against the law and if he did not like it he could move to another table.

What do you think happens next?

We didn't invite that guy.;)

I want a pony for my birthday too. I don't always get my way when out and about in public. Pisses me off but, I'm selfish like that.

While I'd PREFER someone polite, I certainly wouldn't feel like my rights have been trampled when I go to a movie and some one is texting.

I would expect the establishment to enforce their own policies. I would not take matters in my own hands. That is borderline vigilantism.

Me??? If an establishment does not meet my satisfaction, I do not continue to honor them with my business.

Would you start a conflict with an employee at Taco Bell if you thought he might not have taken enough time to wash his hands after exiting the head?

What if you complained to the manager and didn't get satisfaction? Would you go back to take your pound of flesh from the employee?

Okay, the suspense is killing me. I saw this in a movie once - or twice: he bought you all a round!;)

I hope the old man gets life because it's not worth killing over but:

It seems that some people are just destined to get shot. I had some dealings with a guy at work. I was the customer and he was the vendor on a large HVAC chiller job ($750K). He just kept rubbing me the wrong way and arguing about stupid stuff. Then one I was at home with the news on in the back ground when I heard the guy's name related to a shooting. It seems the guy went to pick up his wife at work on Valentine's Day and got to arguing with a guy at his wife's office. The guy in the office went to his car for a gun, came back and put a bullet between his eyes. As much as hate to see someone killed over something stupid, you have to wonder if some people don't keep asking for it until they meet the person willing to do it. (and no, this had nothing to do with his wife cheating, she was an old lady and the shooter was a young angry guy)

I would have liked to have known Pops...and fewer words of wisdom, cautionary council, have been written.

What I do find interesting about this debate is that those who often find the police surly and without merit are rallying to this guys defense.

This is not about the policy of concealed carry. It is about an a-hole with a gun, no different that a drive-by shooting or a robbery gone south.

Given what any of us know right now, I can't find the slightest keen in rallying to this d-bags defense.

You are mistaken.

I think the mother survived her injuries. Oh, and the little girl is without a father because he assaulted the wrong old man.
You have not noticed this habit of hers until now?
It is.

Apparently the deceased routinely behaved in a confrontational manner and assaulted people with impunity up to that point.

This is like the deal where that guy shot that kid for bouncing the back of his head off the ground. It is funny how quick the anti-gun folks try to turn it into something it is not, it starts with the reporters. Pretty tiresome.

This exact scenario played out so many times in my childhood. My father would offer the offenders a single opportunity to apologize to his family for their rudeness. The smart ones took that opportunity.

BTW, I'm not anti-gun. I'm anti cold blooded murder.

me too. Guns are awesome guns are not the problem.

What makes you think people who carry guns live in fear? How does that work? Am I paranoid for having an alarm system? Am I a closet pyro for having fire extinguishers all over my house?

And I am a gun owner and plan to be for the foreseeable future.

Both men were not responsible for this - only one man caused another man's death. Again throwing popcorn, swearing and screaming at each other is never cause to escalate to using your weapon. Someone being rude is never a reason to un-holster and shoot. You deescalate every single time. Deescalate by waiting for the management to have time to listen to your complaint, deescalate by removing yourself from the situation, deescalate by understanding there are rude people and bad behavior everywhere, but you don't take out your weapon and shoot them for it.

You would have liked him. Charming man but he had his flaws as we all do.

20 year guy, Korea and Vietnam.

My brother and I grew up with "boy, when I was your age I was jumping out of airplanes getting shot at, what'd you do today". I miss hearing that.

There's a story about him from Vietnam, they were sitting around playing Pinochle, $40 in the pot, Pop gets the best hand you can get, something like a straight Royal Flush in poker. They start getting shelled, everyone starts to get up to find a foxhole, Pop being the SO ordered everyone to sit back down and finish the hand. It wasn't about the $40, it was about the hand.

His little brother Bill was a CWO and flew medevac helo's in Vietnam.

Bill came home and a year later died in a training exercise in Ft Wolters TX. My cousin Amy had just been born.

I'm not defending the shooter.

I think the whole thing is tragic from both ends.

I got sucked into this because I disagree (in general) with the premise that people who behave inappropriately and affect the quality of my life or experience should be given a pass.

Just like my friends and I did not deserve a pass at lunch.

But in the back of my head I also remember something my father used to say, "don't let your mouth write checks that your body can't cash"

An ex cop was involved, nuff said. Whomever thinks an ex cop with a gun feared for his life apparently has never been around cops, that is total malarky.

A few years ago a friend of mine and I were having breakfast at IHOP. He is a Pennsylvania, Allentown type of guy, son of a coal miner that helped his father buy a gas station and get out of the mines, tough and smart: He doesn't drop F Bombs, he drops Cluster Bomb F Bombs.

Odd thing about Steve is that he went to the Naval Academy, and is an extremely successful investor. We met 24 years ago when is was working DC stuff. Anyway.

We are in the smoking section since he lights up reflexively: Cigarettes are props, punctuations to his conversation.

About ten minutes into breakfast, two or three stories in, an older guy five tables away, the only other table occupied in the smoking section, comes over and levels his gaze: "Your language is unacceptable to me and my wife".

Steve takes a second, then launches into an apology a Head Nun would appreciate. We buy the guy and his wife breakfast, do whatever we can to make sure they realize we were wrong, stupid.

THAT is what is missing today. I don't think Steve and I, dicking around from the moment we met in the parking lot, even knew they were there, five tables away. But once he stood in front of us, it was our problem, not his.

I think this varies with the movie. The last time I was in theater was for Senna, and not a person left or spoke for the whole credits, even when the screen went blank, no one moved, it wasn't until the staff brought the lights up that people moved.

The reason for the above, was it was a documentary that ended with quite a bit of death. I don't know for sure, but I think the movie intended to be played also delt with real world violent death. I would expect a little more respect from movie goers at that movie if I were an old man.

Typically, the theater is playing slides or video clips asking you to shut your phone off before the previews. Phone on during adds is probably ok, but at preview time, shut it up.

I have to agree - some people go around with an attitude that is going to get them shot someday.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/402/402.txt
We have little idea what actually happened in the theater, but I doubt I'd ever have to of worried about being that old man's target, as rudeness doesn't really get you anywhere.

Again, I find all this 'chest out posturing' rather interesting. "Good for your Dad, he didn't take it", and similar pats on the back.

My father was a huge man (in many ways). Also a Korea and Vietnam vet. Always stayed in shape. I would watch men pick fights with my Dad, he always walked away. I watched my Dad politely ask for someone to .... (fill in the blank) i.e. stop their rude/annoying behavior, and if the people didn't my Dad would either go to the people in charge, or just remove himself/us from the situation. My father in no way was a coward or a lesser man for any of his peaceable actions, far from it. I never once felt like anyone was taking advantage of my Dad or that he wasn't 'brave enough'. I believe it takes a much bigger man to just walk away, then to get drawn into a no-win situation.

I don't think anyone is stating that people who behave inappropriately should be given a pass - however, there are a couple of questions - did the texter behave inappropriately because he was texting before the movie started - probably not, just the act of texting before the movie isn't considered inappropriate behavior by most people. Add to that lethal force is not the appropriate response to popcorn throwing and swearing and screaming.

Florida law considers attacking a senior citizen to be a forcible felony. Since Florida law also allows deadly self-defense to prevent the imminent commission of a forcible felony...isn't all the fellow needs to do is show he was attacked or about to be?

Exactly!

That cuts both ways and there in lies the root of this whole tragic story.

It appears both men wanted to "win".

Does that include attack by popcorn? Does it matter if it's buttered or not?

Thank goodness your day job isn't criminal law. ;)

Everyone handling the situation like the adults they are. Too bad the parties in this shooting were both immature.

I don't think people are more or less rude then they were decades ago - I think this is a case of looking at the past through rose colored glasses. There were jerks and stupid people back then, just as there are now. There are also really nice, considerate and all around great people all over the place right now. Every generation looks back with fondness, and often with 'it was better than' blinders on.

Any your's is?:)

Eng. Mgr. :) I don't try to interpret the law like you did in post #350. I think the golden rule is more my speed, and I don't always get that right.

Foxy. you underestimate society's behavioral adaptation to new technologies such as cell phones and texting.

You are wrong...the ratio, polite to rude, is inverse of what it was 20 years ago, let alone when I was growing up.

And no, I won't do homework for you, find a link, go to class, buy into your "anecdotal" clap trap.

It is as plain as can be.

There are always new technologies - horses to cars, mail to telegrams, courier to phone, heck, regular cell phone to 'smart phone' to google glass. If anything I would imagine we are adapting faster to new technologies because they are happening so quickly, and are becoming available to the 'average' person at a far more condensed time frame.

Throwing popcorn now a felony?? How PC we've become. This is a result of coddling generations.

Back in my day we wouldn't call the cops for something like this. We'd respond with equal force...

Milk duds.

I'd love to see everyone's reactions over a straight story of the Police arresting someone and booking them on felony charges for throwing food.

If you swapped rude for violent I'd agree.

Rude will vary by local. Rather than just looking back in time - people may be looking back in time and place.

In regurards to a response to your post, I do not think cell phone use contributes as much to rudeness today as cars and hour + drives every day to get to work and home. People that run through the worst traffic routes in my city display the rudest behavior all over. I pick them out and call the exit they are taking to passengers, and sure enough, there they go taking the exit for 485 towards Pineville, a hell hole currently made worse by construction and a pointlessly unsafe 55MPH speed limit. Some people still go through weaving at their regualar 75-80, some are doing the dangerous 55MPH. A real cluster, and I can pick out when I'm on I-77 the drivers that are going to take the exit for it mainly from extremely rude and short sighted behavior that the route apparently breeds.

Car's don't let you talk to the others around you, so you spend an 1+ a day dealing with people with no communication, and you start to get more self centered as you cannot share view points.

With cellphone use, the people around you can still communicate with you if they really want to.