• We are now running on a new, and hopefully much-improved, server. In addition we are also on new forum software. Any move entails a lot of technical details and I suspect we will encounter a few issues as the new server goes live. Please be patient with us. It will be worth it! :) Please help by posting all issues here.
  • The forum will be down for about an hour this weekend for maintenance. I apologize for the inconvenience.
  • If you are having trouble seeing the forum then you may need to clear your browser's DNS cache. Click here for instructions on how to do that
  • Please review the Forum Rules frequently as we are constantly trying to improve the forum for our members and visitors.

Open Carry news story regarding someone carrying in the mall

skeith5

Regular Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2012
Messages
356
Location
United States
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/190321871.html


"Man carries gun openly into mall, gets verbal lashing"

"Mendiola says his weapon does draw glances in public, but he says he means no harm and meant no harm at the Sears in Vancouver Westfield Shopping Center on Wednesday when he stopped in to look at some tools."

Glad to see the police don't appear to have been involved in this incident and that it was resolved without their interaction.
 

gogodawgs

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Oct 25, 2009
Messages
5,669
Location
Federal Way, Washington, USA
http://www.katu.com/news/local/Man-...s-verbal-lashing-from-employee-190305991.html

VANCOUVER, Wash. – One man believes he's within his rights to openly carry a gun in a mall, but almost two months after the Clackamas Town Center Shooting, that belief triggers an immediate gut reaction for many.

But how do Derek Mendiola's rights stand up against a store's right to kick him out?

Mendiola says his weapon does draw glances in public, but he says he means no harm and meant no harm at the Sears in Vancouver Westfield Shopping Center on Wednesday when he stopped in to look at some tools.

He went in wearing his 9 mm Taurus pistol on his shoulder. He says he was surprised how an employee took issue with his gun and started verbally attacking him for having it.

"For somebody to harass me for just following my rights is a pretty big deal. It's just like telling me, I can't breathe air, I can’t live," he said.

He claims he would have been perfectly happy to leave if he'd simply been asked politely to do so.

He said he wears it outside his clothing because "if you have it tucked in, it's considered concealed and then if you don't have a concealed permit that is illegal."

Mall general manager Paige Moreau said she was aware of the incident. She said the mall's code of conduct prohibits firearms in the mall. But she couldn't confirm whether that rule was posted anywhere inside the mall. KATU News did not observe any signs posted Thursday prohibiting firearms and couldn’t find a notice posted on the mall's website.

Washington's open carry law allows gun owners to legally carry their weapons in plain sight. But Moreau said the mall is private property, so it's allowed to make these rules.

Washington gun rights expert and author, Dave Workman, says she's right. But a simple sign or two would help.

"It is their private property," he said. "But still it wasn't posted off limits to firearms and so he really didn't violate any law by going in there open-carrying a firearm."

Later in the day Mendiola said now that he knows it’s against the mall’s rules to bring a firearm on the premises, he’ll respect that and leave his gun at home.

Still, he says it would help a lot if they'd post a notice somewhere.

He says he’s applied for a concealed weapons permit, but mall rules don't make an exception for concealed weapons permits. So even if someone has one, and is carrying, the mall can legally ask the person to leave and have them arrested for criminal trespass if they refuse.

The law is essentially the same in both Oregon and Washington and businesses in both states have the right to set the rules for how they manage their private property.
 

Fibresteve

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2012
Messages
50
Location
Woodland, WA
I've open carried in this mall before prior to the Clackamas shooting. Tend to conceal whenever there now.
 

Alpine

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2012
Messages
671
Location
Idaho
We've heard of lots of people asked to leave malls due to OC on here, but never once did it make the news, I guess the local NW media is declaring sides in this war on firearms...
 
Last edited:

amlevin

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2007
Messages
5,937
Location
North of Seattle, Washington, USA
He says he’s applied for a concealed weapons permit, but mall rules don't make an exception for concealed weapons permits. So even if someone has one, and is carrying, the mall can legally ask the person to leave and have them arrested for criminal trespass if they refuse.


So if one is carrying concealed, and nobody see's it, is it really there???
 

hermannr

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2011
Messages
2,327
Location
Okanogan Highland
I believe Sears has a "follow state law" policy. Don't know for positive, but I believe that is(was) their policy.

If the guy was in Sears, he was complaining to the wrong people, and the security guard was way out of line.
 

Lord Sega

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 10, 2010
Messages
311
Location
Warrenton, Oregon
Even if Sears is firearms friendly and follows Washington State law (and I'm not sure what Sears Corporate says about that), by Sears being a leasee of the mall would they not fall under the mall owner's rules (or however it might be written into their contract)?

So, even if he entered by the Sears door, shopped only in Sears, and never stepped into the mall proper, and left by the Sears door, the mall owners (by their representatives i.e. mall cops) could trespass him... correct?

OR we can push the "public accommodation" in that that while the mall is a private business, by being open to the public, the public can enter to do business and the public does not lose their Constitutional rights (as long as it does not interfere with the business... i.e. standing in the middle of Sears waving a Bible or Koran and shouting out about the End of the World would be interfering).

LINK: Judge Napolitano on Gun Rights
 
Last edited:

amlevin

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2007
Messages
5,937
Location
North of Seattle, Washington, USA
I believe Sears has a "follow state law" policy.



So just exactly what does that statement mean? "Follow State Law" doesn't really mean anything as there is no State Law requiring them to allow firearm carriers on their property.

State Law does, however, give them the right to ask one to leave and if that person refuses then file a trespass complaint against them.

This "follows State Law" discussion has been chewed more than a street hooker's bubblegum.
 

deanf

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2007
Messages
1,789
Location
N47º 12’ x W122º 10’
OR we can push the "public accommodation" in that that while the mall is a private business, by being open to the public, the public can enter to do business and the public does not lose their Constitutional rights

Public Accomodation does not deal with constitutional rights. It secures access rights to private property for protected classes. Gun carriers are not a protected class.
 

arentol

New member
Joined
Apr 10, 2009
Messages
383
Location
Kent, Washington, USA
So just exactly what does that statement mean? "Follow State Law" doesn't really mean anything as there is no State Law requiring them to allow firearm carriers on their property.

State Law does, however, give them the right to ask one to leave and if that person refuses then file a trespass complaint against them.

This "follows State Law" discussion has been chewed more than a street hooker's bubblegum.

Are you being intentionally obtuse? I have to think that if you are familiar with the discussion of these policies here then you still don't have a clue what they are about.

All this means is that the company has a policy of allowing firearms on their property as long as the firearms are carried in a manner compliant with state law.... In other words, so long as the carrier "Follows State Law".

That being said, what this mean in real life when you walk into a given store of a company that has this kind of policy is NOTHING. If you walk in the store OC and the first employee to see you asks you to leave you have to leave. Get their name and call the store management and get it straightened out. After you have the store management straightened out walk into the store again, and if that same or another employee asks you to leave then you have to leave. If you get it finally straightened out for real, and you go to the store every day for 5 years straight without incident, and then one day an employee asks you to leave... you have to leave. The existence of this kind of policy, and your knowledge of its existence, will never be a defense against a trespassing charge.

Also, State law does not give shopkeepers any right to trespass someone. That is a natural right of the shopkeeper, as natural as the right to keep and bear arms, or trespass someone from your home. The only thing that we the people (the first branch of the government) allow the State to do is limit this right in necessary ways for the betterment of society, such as not letting you trespass someone from your business based on their race, gender, religion, etc.
 

Freedom1Man

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
4,462
Location
Greater Eastside Washington
- But we should be. At least that we should be from government.
- As for private property rights vs. my right to carry in an establishment open to the public.... mixed feelings here.

Bat, my compatriot, I see your second statement there under 2 different lights.

If it's someone running a business by way of a state permission slip (business license) and the shop is generally open to the public then, gun carries would be in a protected class.

If a citizen is running a business of common right (no permission required) then the property is truly private and as such even if generally open to the public, private rules can be established even against the government listed protected classes (eg you could ban guns, wheel/power chair people, anyone who can't speak English).
 
Last edited:

Freedom1Man

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 14, 2012
Messages
4,462
Location
Greater Eastside Washington
I feel there should be no such thing as "protected" classes on private property.

If that was in response to my post, I hope you understand why I posted the two views.

They do not disagree with you at all. All I am saying is that taking a state issued license you are agreeing that, in those licensed endeavors, you're going to play by the state's "rules" right wrong or otherwise.
 
Top