SOTG 190 - Armed at the Zoo

SOTG 190 – Armed at the Zoo (Professor Paul’s Concealed Carry Lessons)

An Ohio gun owner is doing nobody any favors by grandstanding and attempting to open carry a rifle on to the property of the St. Louis (Missouri) Zoo. Tune in to hear what measures the Zoo has taken to prevent this. People still don’t get it.

We have a “Go Team” moment from Missouri as well. Vermin decided to kick a man while he was down but he turned the table on them with a gun in hand. Our SWAT Fuel Warrior of the Week wants to discuss recommended reading for the patriot.

SOURCES:

Patriot Bookshelf:

From fox4kc.com:

“A fearless homeowner caught not one, but two suspected burglars trying to steal his belongings. FOX 4’s Robert Townsend reports the would-be thieves didn’t expect him to turn the tables on them.

“Man I just couldn’t believe it. I mean who would kick a man while he’s already down?” asked a frustrated Arthur Lindsay.

“I mean those two didn’t say anything and they weren’t scared. They were just like, ‘oh s**t,’ when I walked across the street with my gun and saw them running around my garage, ” said Arthur.

He’s talking about 35-year-old John Woodard and 31-year-old Mariah Veach-Gates, who are now charged with burglary and trespassing. Both suspects are being held in the Henry County jail.

“My neighbor saw them on Wednesday running around and stealing my dining room chairs, lawn equipment, a laptop, and more from my shed, ” Lindsay said.

Lindsay’s house on South Windsor Street in the community of Windsor was burned to the ground.

“I just want to know who would steal from your property after a fire?” asked Arthur.

Investigators say after stealing from Lindsay’s burned out property on Wednesday, the brazen burglars returned to the site in broad daylight on Thursday and rounded up even more of Arthur’s belongings from his backyard shed.

However, this time the pair got more than they bargained for.

“I put a web cam in a window across the street at my daughter’s place where I’m staying, and I caught them pulling up to my property with a truck and stealing my stuff again,” said an irate Lindsay, who this time had his 38 caliber pistol in his hand.

“I told them both to stop, put up their hands and get to the ground. I then called 911,” said Lindsay, who held both suspects down until Henry County Sheriff’s Deputy Tyler Weeks arrived.

“It’s justice man. You know I would say karma will come back around and get you. I love it, good for him,” said Deputy Weeks.

“You bet I’d do it all over again, especially if I could catch them or anyone else stealing from my property. You just don’t do that to people, ” added Lindsay.

Both Woodard and Veach-Gates are held on $10,000 bonds. Online court records don’t list any court dates for them yet.

From www.kctv5.com:

“The St. Louis Zoo was granted a temporary restraining order against an Ohio man who was planning to bring a gun onto their property Saturday.

The zoo filed the paperwork asking the court for a restraining order against Jeff Smith Friday morning.

Smith told News 4 he was planning to enter the zoo at 1:30 p.m. Saturday because, he believes, Missouri allows open carry and the zoo is publicly owned. In an email sent Saturday morning, Smith said he plans to enter the Zoo “wearing an openly worn, empty holster.” Smith did enter the zoo, but only wore an empty holster like he said he would, which complied with the judge’s ruling.
Smith wasn’t alone, however. Several gun owners joined him at the zoo entrance, including one openly carrying a gun in a holster on his hip. Police officers stood nearby; they kept an eye on the situation. “This is the sort of overreach on the part of a government entity which diminishes gun rights and privileges that are clearly there under the Missouri statutes and the Missouri constitution,” Smith said. “As far as I’m concerned, this is not about shoving my viewpoint down someone else’s throat.”

Additional Links
Activist says guns should be allowed at zoo
Ohio man plans to enter St. Louis Zoo with gun Saturday
In the restraining order documents, the zoo says that around May 31 Smith contacted them to question their weapons policy and demand the “no weapons” signs be removed from its entrances. After zoo officials told Smith they would not change their policy, the document states, Smith created a Facebook page announcing a “Firearm Rights Challenge” would take place on June 13.

The document also states the zoo’s gun policy is “consistent with the laws of the State of Missouri, St. Louis Zoo’s mission and the family-friendly environment it seeks to promote”.“

From www.kmbc.com:

“Officers working in the area said they heard shots fired just before 4 p.m. Tuesday.

Witnesses said the shots may have been fired as a crowd at the zoo became unruly.

Police said as they moved to the area where they heard the sounds, they encountered large crowds leaving the zoo, which was closing for the day as scheduled.

“I heard, ‘Pow, pow pow pow,’ and then she was hollering and screaming,” said a woman who told KMBC 9 News she was talking to her daughter at the time. “I wasn’t assuming a shooting at the zoo where all the kids are.”

Police said they were unable to locate whoever fired the shots. There was no indication anyone was hit.

Several officers stayed at the scene to help provide security and traffic control. Officers took several people into custody in connection with fights that broke out in the wake of the shooting investigation.

Today was a free entry day at the zoo for Jackson and Clay county residents, who pay a tax to help fund the zoo. About 19,000 people came to the zoo Tuesday.

Police were called to the zoo during another free day last April due to fights between patrons. This year, the event was moved to a weekday to try to prevent problems with the large crowds.

Zoo Director Randy Wistoff said there were twice as many people providing security at this free admission day than when the problems happened last year.

“There were lots of off-duty police here, there was a commander that was here running the off-duties. I think we had 10 or 12 off-duties and that is a number that was doubled from last year,” he said. “They had a few problem people, they said, ‘Hey, you’ve got to leave the zoo. We can’t have that in here.'”

The zoo hosts four free-admission days every year to Jackson County and Clay County residents who helped approve funds for renovations.

Wistoff said the large crowd puts pressure on the zoo.

“By about 3 or 3:30 p.m., we were at 19,500,” he said. “We jumped almost 14,000 people in three hours and it just put the strains on us like you wouldn’t believe,” he said.

The Kansas City Zoo released a statement on its Facebook page early Tuesday evening:

“Today, the Kansas City Zoo hosted well over 19,000 guests at the first of four Zoological District Free Days in 2014. It was amazing to see all of the families enjoying the zoo on this beautiful spring day. Unfortunately, a handful of unruly guests marred the day when pushing and shoving created disruptions inside the Zoo. A majority of the events covered by the media took place outside of the Zoo, particularly the shot which was fired west of Starlight. KCPD has commented that no injuries occurred and at least 10 were arrested in separate incidents,” the statement said.

“Our goal is to ensure that every guest enjoys a family-friendly atmosphere, even on Free Days. We will again revisit our Free Day process with all vested parties. While we wish these unfortunate events had not happened, we will work internally and externally to accommodate Free Days as they continue”.“

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Paul G. Markel has worn many hats during his lifetime. He has been a United States Marine, police officer, professional bodyguard, and small arms and tactics instructor. Markel has been writing professionally for law enforcement and firearms periodicals for nearly 20 years, and has hundreds of articles in print. A regular guest on nationally syndicated radio talk shows, Markel is a subject matter expert in firearms training and use of force. Markel has been teaching safe and effective firearms handling to students, young and old, for decades and has also worked actively with 4H Shooting Sports programs. Markel holds numerous instructor certifications in multiple disciplines; nonetheless, he is, and will remain a dedicated Student of the Gun.

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Professor Paul Markel

Founder & CEO at Student of the Gun

Paul G. Markel has worn many hats during his lifetime. He has been a U.S. Marine, Police Officer, Professional Bodyguard, and Small Arms and Tactics Instructor. Mr. Markel has been writing professionally for law enforcement and firearms periodicals for nearly twenty years with hundreds and hundreds of articles in print. Paul is a regular guest on nationally syndicated radio talk shows and subject matter expert in firearms training and use of force. Mr. Markel has been teaching safe and effective firearms handling to students young and old for decades and has worked actively with the 4-H Shooting Sports program. Paul holds numerous instructor certifications in multiple disciplines and a Bachelor’s degree in conflict resolution; nonetheless, he is and will remain a dedicated Student of the Gun.