Regal Cinema's new "security policy"

[soberups]

My wife and I went to see a movie last night at the local Regal Cinema and got to experience the absolute joke of their new "security policy", which consisted of a "no guns allowed" sticker on the door and teenage girl sitting in the ticket booth asking all the women in the line to open up their purses for inspection.

When my wife's turn came, she didn't empty it out, rearrange anything, or even open it wide enough to see into the bottom, and the girl made nothing more than a cursory glance from behind the glass of the booth. All in the name of "keeping patrons safe."

My wife politely asked the girl why it was that only the women were being subjected to this search and that men were not being asked to empty their pockets. The girl replied that "any man who brings a purse or bag in will also be asked to open it."

OK, so let me get this straight. Regal Cinemas wants us to believe that the way to prevent a psycho from shooting up a theater is to ask the women who are waiting in line to open up their purses for a half-assed "search" by an unarmed teenage girl sitting in a ticket booth. Do they actually think the public is that stupid? And do they actually think the general public will accept the blatant sexism of a search that only women are subjected to?

When the "search" was over, my wife and I proceeded to enter the theater...she with 2 bottles of water and some candy hiden in the bottom of her purse and me with a concealed Glock 26 and a spare mag clipped to my belt. Heckuva system ya got there, Regal!

 

[Catatonic]

My wife and I went to see a movie last night at the local Regal Cinema and got to experience the absolute joke of their new "security policy", which consisted of a "no guns allowed" sticker on the door and teenage girl sitting in the ticket booth asking all the women in the line to open up their purses for inspection.

When my wife's turn came, she didn't empty it out, rearrange anything, or even open it wide enough to see into the bottom, and the girl made nothing more than a cursory glance from behind the glass of the booth. All in the name of "keeping patrons safe."

My wife politely asked the girl why it was that only the women were being subjected to this search and that men were not being asked to empty their pockets. The girl replied that "any man who brings a purse or bag in will also be asked to open it."

OK, so let me get this straight. Regal Cinemas wants us to believe that the way to prevent a psycho from shooting up a theater is to ask the women who are waiting in line to open up their purses for a half-assed "search" by an unarmed teenage girl sitting in a ticket booth. Do they actually think the public is that stupid? And do they actually think the general public will accept the blatant sexism of a search that only women are subjected to?

When the "search" was over, my wife and I proceeded to enter the theater...she with 2 bottles of water and some candy hiden in the bottom of her purse and me with a concealed Glock 26 and a spare mag clipped to my belt. Heckuva system ya got there, Regal!

PR

 

[Jones]

It's just a bare minimum deterrent, the idea is probably that if they just say they have a security policy and check for weapons that it will have some effect. If they put a real security checkpoint in place ticket prices will go up to pay for it, and they would probably also have found your glock and your wife's snacks.

 

[moreluck]

They're just looking in those large purses for the smuggled-in candy, popcorn and can of pop. Things that threaten their profitability.

 

[bbsam]

What would you like? A policy that says, "We encourage all patrons to carry any weapon they would like."

It doesn't have the deterrent you think it does. Rival gangs don't enter each other's turf thinking it's a "gun free zone". They expect the violence.

So if everyone carries, "good guy" and "bad guy" alike when the bullets start flying in a darkened theatre, how is that safer?

I understand the rationale behind deterrence but I also understand that a 22 year old with a 9 on his hip isn't necessarily rational either.

 

[MrFedEx]

What would you like? A policy that says, "We encourage all patrons to carry any weapon they would like."

It doesn't have the deterrent you think it does. Rival gangs don't enter each other's turf thinking it's a "gun free zone". They expect the violence.

So if everyone carries, "good guy" and "bad guy" alike when the bullets start flying in a darkened theatre, how is that safer?

I understand the rationale behind deterrence but I also understand that a 22 year old with a 9 on his hip isn't necessarily rational either.

I know a lot of people who carry all the time off work, and they are more of a concern than another Holmes. Most of them are itching for a confrontation that will get them their 15 minutes of fame. That's just weird. I wouldn't trust most of them with a garden hose nozzle.

And if another Holmes were to attack a theater, they would probably kill people, just not the shooter.

 

[bbsam]

I know a lot of people who carry all the time off work, and they are more of a concern than another Holmes. Most of them are itching for a confrontation that will get them their 15 minutes of fame. That's just weird. I wouldn't trust most of them with a garden hose nozzle.

And if another Holmes were to attack a theater, they would probably kill people, just not the shooter.

A stray bullet from a "good guy" kills just as effectively as one from a "bad guy".

 

[Rainman]

Or just maybe an armed citizen may save your life one day.

 

[soberups]

What would you like? A policy that says, "We encourage all patrons to carry any weapon they would like."

It doesn't have the deterrent you think it does. Rival gangs don't enter each other's turf thinking it's a "gun free zone". They expect the violence.

So if everyone carries, "good guy" and "bad guy" alike when the bullets start flying in a darkened theatre, how is that safer?

I understand the rationale behind deterrence but I also understand that a 22 year old with a 9 on his hip isn't necessarily rational either.

I believe that Regal should have the right to implement whatever policies it wishes to in regards to guns. They own the building, they make the rules. I happen to think their policy is stupid and pointless, and I am under no obligation to obey it, but that is beside the point.

My issue is with the manner in which they are enforcing that policy. An unarmed, untrained 17 year old girl peering into open purses from behind the glass of a ticket booth is not security, it is a joke. Requiring all of the women who enter the theater to be "searched" in this manner while making no effort at all to frisk the men is blatantly sexist as well as being useless as a security measure. The fact that I walked right in there with a concealed handgun is proof of that fact. Most women who carry concealed keep their guns in a purse, whereas most men carry in a belt holster hidden beneath their shirt. This means that Regal's policy will unfairly target women, who are the ones at greatest risk of being victimized in the first place.

 

[soberups]

A stray bullet from a "good guy" kills just as effectively as one from a "bad guy".

So are you saying that the patrons of the theater that Holmes shot up were better off being unarmed and helpless? And since the police are supposedly the "good guys", are you saying that they should also be unarmed?

Stray bullets from a good guy are bad. Aimed bullets from a bad guy are worse.

 

[Sportello]

@soberups, Wouldn't carrying a firearm into an establishment that has a sign posted prohibiting it make you a criminal?

 

[sailfish]

@soberups, Wouldn't carrying a firearm into an establishment that has a sign posted prohibiting it make you a criminal?

Hell no. It's not the courthouse.

 

[Sportello]

Hell no. It's not the courthouse.

I was asking a question. All I could quickly find on Oregon law was this:

Q. Are there places I can't carry my handgun concealed?
A. Yes. There are several locations in which you cannot carry a firearm, even with a concealed handgun license, including:

• Any federal facility -- federal courthouses, social security offices, secured areas of airports, airplanes.
• Posted private property where the owner prohibits firearms possession, and others.
• Many private businesses have conditions regarding the possession of firearms on their premises. If you violate these conditions you could, under certain circumstances, be subject to arrest under Oregon trespass laws, in which case, if convicted, your concealed handgun licensee would be seized and/or revoked.
• National parks marked or posted with signs prohibiting all firearms.
• Indian reservations or property -- you may not carry a firearm concealed without the written permission of the tribal judge; this may also apply to certain casinos on tribal lands.
• Courts -- in a courtroom, jury room, judge's chambers, or adjacent areas that the presiding judge determines should be free of firearms to ensure the safety of litigants, court personnel witnesses, and others.

 

[MrFedEx]

Or just maybe an armed citizen may save your life one day.

That's the fantasy, and sometimes...it happens. But I don't hear of it happening very often. What I do hear about is a father shooting his 16 year-old trying to sneak back into the house after a party, kids killing each other when they find Dad's gun, and people killing others while "explaining" their expertise at the range.

Guns, the substitute for an adequate penis.

 

[sailfish]

I was asking a question. All I could quickly find on Oregon law was this:

Q. Are there places I can't carry my handgun concealed?
A. Yes. There are several locations in which you cannot carry a firearm, even with a concealed handgun license, including:

• Any federal facility -- federal courthouses, social security offices, secured areas of airports, airplanes.
• Posted private property where the owner prohibits firearms possession, and others.
• Many private businesses have conditions regarding the possession of firearms on their premises. If you violate these conditions you could, under certain circumstances, be subject to arrest under Oregon trespass laws, in which case, if convicted, your concealed handgun licensee would be seized and/or revoked.
• National parks marked or posted with signs prohibiting all firearms.
• Indian reservations or property -- you may not carry a firearm concealed without the written permission of the tribal judge; this may also apply to certain casinos on tribal lands.
• Courts -- in a courtroom, jury room, judge's chambers, or adjacent areas that the presiding judge determines should be free of firearms to ensure the safety of litigants, court personnel witnesses, and others.

Trespass laws. They could make you leave if they found out about it, but as long as you comply at that point then no crime has been committed.

 

[MrFedEx]

I believe that Regal should have the right to implement whatever policies it wishes to in regards to guns. They own the building, they make the rules. I happen to think their policy is stupid and pointless, and I am under no obligation to obey it, but that is beside the point.

My issue is with the manner in which they are enforcing that policy. An unarmed, untrained 17 year old girl peering into open purses from behind the glass of a ticket booth is not security, it is a joke. Requiring all of the women who enter the theater to be "searched" in this manner while making no effort at all to frisk the men is blatantly sexist as well as being useless as a security measure. The fact that I walked right in there with a concealed handgun is proof of that fact. Most women who carry concealed keep their guns in a purse, whereas most men carry in a belt holster hidden beneath their shirt. This means that Regal's policy will unfairly target women, who are the ones at greatest risk of being victimized in the first place.

I believe that Regal should have the right to implement whatever policies it wishes to in regards to guns. They own the building, they make the rules. I happen to think their policy is stupid and pointless, and I am under no obligation to obey it, but that is beside the point.

My issue is with the manner in which they are enforcing that policy. An unarmed, untrained 17 year old girl peering into open purses from behind the glass of a ticket booth is not security, it is a joke. Requiring all of the women who enter the theater to be "searched" in this manner while making no effort at all to frisk the men is blatantly sexist as well as being useless as a security measure. The fact that I walked right in there with a concealed handgun is proof of that fact. Most women who carry concealed keep their guns in a purse, whereas most men carry in a belt holster hidden beneath their shirt. This means that Regal's policy will unfairly target women, who are the ones at greatest risk of being victimized in the first place.

The policy is a joke, and if anyone feels more secure because of it, they're an idiot. My point is that Wally Cox and his .44 Magnum penis substitute are probably more of a threat than you imagine. Because Wally wants so much to be a real man, he secretly hopes he'll have to use his Magnum someday. And when he does, he'll probably shoot the person next to him instead of the perp.

 

[MrFedEx]

@soberups, Wouldn't carrying a firearm into an establishment that has a sign posted prohibiting it make you a criminal?

No, because it's a policy, not a law. There are plenty of businesses that will happily fire you for even having a weapon on the property, as in your car, not on your person.

 

[Sportello]

Trespass laws. They could make you leave if they found out about it, but as long as you comply at that point then no crime has been committed.

I'm not so sure about that, but I'm not a lawyer. What you are saying is that it is permissible to trespass, as long as you leave when asked.

In this case, @soberups would be knowingly entering the business without permission. That may (or may not) be a felony.

 

[sailfish]

I'm not so sure about that, but I'm not a lawyer. What you are saying is that it is permissible to trespass, as long as you leave when asked.

In this case, @soberups would be knowingly entering the business without permission. That may (or may not) be a felony.

They're open for business to the public. Until they ask you to leave, you're not trespassing.

 

[Rainman]

That's the fantasy, and sometimes...it happens. But I don't hear of it happening very often. What I do hear about is a father shooting his 16 year-old trying to sneak back into the house after a party, kids killing each other when they find Dad's gun, and people killing others while "explaining" their expertise at the range.

Guns, the substitute for an adequate penis.

You don't always hear the good news. It's the bad news that makes headlines.