A reader in Northwest Arkansas supplied the photograph and wrote the following:
I was eating lunch at a Popeye’s today in Springdale and looked up to see a gun pointed directly at me.
The Arkansas community corrections officer in the picture has a leg/thigh combat holster. When he sat down at his table, the gun pointed directly at my gut. I tried to ignore it but could not, so I got up and moved.
I sat parallel to the officer and politely advised him that I moved so that I did not have to eat with a gun pointed at me. He replied: You are free to sit wherever you want, it’s a public restaurant.
The point is that the officer needs to be aware of where his gun is pointed and should not be allowed to wear the leg/thigh holster when sitting in a public place. It could have been pointed at a child. Yes, it was holstered, but guns can malfunction. A weapon should never be pointed at an innocent member of the public in a public location.
Someone needs to help raise this issue. What are your thoughts?
The law officer exception aside, it’s a question worth considering as Arkansas moves toward official acceptance of open carry. Thoughts?