# Florida Movie Theater Shooting Leaves One Dead In Altercation Over Texting **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 13, 2014, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717 "2014-01-13T22:44:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4bbf92/32.png) [@Charlie\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/101 "2014-01-15T07:23:11Z")
They have a strict no-weapons policy. What other kinds of weapon policies are there? . lenient no-weapons policy? . no guns allowed but swords and knives are OK? . some weapons are permitted but only if you get prior written approval from the theatre management. . body guards are allowed? . weapons are allowed before and after the picture is showing - but not during the picture. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 7:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/102 "2014-01-15T07:41:38Z")
Does Cobb theaters play the ‘turn off your cell phones/no texting’ prompt before or after the previews? I can’t imagine how long a 71 year old. retired cop would fare in the general population of a Florida State Penn. Not long is my only guess. Of course that’s no reason to not send him there. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/103 "2014-01-15T08:03:27Z")
Jesus wept. I went to the movies yesterday. The woman next to me was one who enjoys commenting on the action and giving her views on what the protagonists should do or say. I asked her to stop yakking. She did. I know the shooter was the one pissed off with the texter but I’d be wary of asking anyone in the US to stop doing something annoying in light of the ubiquity of guns and the ease with which some people like to use them. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/104 "2014-01-15T08:28:42Z")
I bet if the shooter hadn’t had a gun with him he wouldn’t have shot the other couple Which is an odd coincidence because if George Zimmerman hadn’t had a gun with him he wouldn’t have shot Trayvon Martin. In Australia we have regular cases of drunk dickheads punching people for no good reason and killing them. People try to work out arcane solutions to the problem without ever thinking that it’s because Aussies glorify drinking. No drunken dickheads roaming the streets no killings. And it’s not as though there is nowhere on earth that you can not be shot or not be killed by a drunk. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/105 "2014-01-15T09:41:52Z")
Quite true, **don’t ask** but I reckon I’ve got a better chance of spotting a drunken dickhead at 20 paces and avoiding him/her than knowing which idiot has a gun and is prepared to use it. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 10:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/106 "2014-01-15T10:01:10Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > In Australia we have regular cases of drunk dickheads punching people for no good reason and killing them. People try to work out arcane solutions to the problem without ever thinking that it’s because Aussies glorify drinking. No drunken dickheads roaming the streets no killings. I’m not the fastest guy in the room, but when I’m not one of the drunken dickheads, I find I can usually outrun most of the other drunken dickheads. I suspect I can’t outrun a bullet tho. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/107 "2014-01-15T10:27:09Z")
> [@DragonAsh](#): > > I’m not the fastest guy in the room, but when I’m not one of the drunken dickheads, I find I can usually outrun most of the other drunken dickheads. > > I suspect I can’t outrun a bullet tho. In Australia you don’t outrun the drunken dickhead. He walks up to you in the street and, without any provocation, finds some excuse to punch you in the head. You fall unconscious to the ground and suffer a life ending brain injury. Sometimes the guy doesn’t say a word to you before he kills you. Stuff like [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osJV_moIWNc). How do you run away from that? ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/108 "2014-01-15T11:38:50Z")
If you have thousands of people dying from drunken dickheads punching people unprovoked, then a) you have far bigger problems on your hand, and b) it’s a really really good idea you have gun controls; think how many more people would be dying if all those drunken dickheads were packin’! I’ll take my chances vs the drunken dickhead punch over random idiot with a gun, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/109 "2014-01-15T11:41:01Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > I can’t imagine how long a 71 year old. retired cop would fare in the general population of a Florida State Penn. Not long is my only guess. Ex-cops are never admitted to General Population, they are always given much higher security. However, unlike snitches and sex offenders, prison guards will show him respect and maybe even sneak in some gifts like porn mags or a bottle of brandy; LEO types always protect their own, rest of humanity be damned. > [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > Which is an odd coincidence because if George Zimmerman hadn’t had a gun with him he wouldn’t have shot Trayvon Martin. True dat, but odds are that Zimmerman himself may have been killed or crippled due to physical assault. Granted, Zimmerman brought the attack on himself, but that doesn’t change the potential consequences of his actions. ---
**Author:** ![DragonAsh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DragonAsh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DragonAsh)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 11:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/110 "2014-01-15T11:45:04Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > True dat, but odds are that Zimmerman himself may have been killed or crippled due to physical assault. Granted, Zimmerman brought the attack on himself, but that doesn’t change the potential consequences of his actions. Oh god, pls I don’t really want to open up that can of worms, but…if Zimmerman wasn’t packin’ that day there is \*zero fucking chance \*he ever gets out of the truck. ZERO. Otherwise, I must have missed the part where Martin pulled Zimmerman out of the truck and started whalin’ on him. ---
**Author:** ![Atomic\_Alex](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atomic_alex/32/175_2.png) [@Atomic\_Alex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atomic_Alex)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/111 "2014-01-15T12:58:16Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > In Australia you don’t outrun the drunken dickhead. He walks up to you in the street and, without any provocation, finds some excuse to punch you in the head. You fall unconscious to the ground and suffer a life ending brain injury. Sometimes the guy doesn’t say a word to you before he kills you. > > Stuff like [this](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osJV_moIWNc). How do you run away from that? That sort of thing isn’t unique to Australia unfortunately, its getting increasingly common here _(Northern Ireland)_ as well. A couple of years ago I was standing outside a nightclub, a man about three meters away was standing on the pavement his back to the road, as he put his head down to light his cigarette another man with no connection to him turned as he walked past and punched him as hard as he could in the face. The first man dropped like a sack of potatos and landed on his back in the road, narrowly missing being run over by a taxi. The second gentleman simply strolled off casually and disappeared into the crowd. Its some sort of problem with attitudes in society and I’m not sure how it could be fixed. Ironically while terrorist violence has gone down here general common violence has gone up. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/112 "2014-01-15T13:21:52Z")
Do former policemen in Florida have the ability to carry a firearms despite strict no weapons policies? ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/113 "2014-01-15T13:27:42Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > No, people shouldn’t be shot for texting during the previews at a movie theatre, but people shouldn’t be texting during movies, either (someone texting during the previews who gets into a fight over it wasn’t going to stop during the movie, either). People are getting away with anti-social shit all the time; you get to be 71 years old, you’re tired of all that shit from everyone all the time. Having the no weapons policy is going to keep the theatre from being a party in the wrongful death suit. Those little signs of “Acme enterprises bans guns in these premises” (or whatever they say in Florida) are going to save them tens of thousands in legal bills. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/114 "2014-01-15T13:33:31Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Do former policemen in Florida have the ability to carry a firearms despite strict no weapons policies? I don’t know the law in Florida. Iirc in some states if you post a sign saying its a gun free establishment it is illegal to bring a gun in. In most states something like that would just be a company policy with no legal weight. Other than it could be grounds to kick you off their property. If you are otherwise legally able to carry of course. ---
**Author:** ![Cartooniverse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cartooniverse/32/3084_2.png) [@Cartooniverse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cartooniverse)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/115 "2014-01-15T15:12:23Z")
> [@Zebra](#): > > Does Cobb theaters play the ‘turn off your cell phones/no texting’ prompt before or after the previews? > I can’t imagine how long a 71 year old. retired cop would fare in the general population of a Florida State Penn. Not long is my only guess. > > Of course that’s no reason to not send him there. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/116 "2014-01-15T15:39:39Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > I just think you should be able to murder anyone who talks during movies, and texting should be a crucifying offence. Upon reading the thread, it looks like he was texting during coming attractions, so the proper thing would have been to just point the gun at the back of the guys head, but if he’s still texting during the opening credits for the movie: BLAM! Your ideas intrigue me and I wish to subscribe to your newsletter. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/117 "2014-01-15T15:51:48Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > … and texting should be a crucifying offence. … I can’t agree. The only things more annoying at movies than texting are crucifixtions. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/118 "2014-01-15T16:10:38Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > I can’t agree. The only things more annoying at movies than texting are crucifixtions. But those are often more entertaining than the movie. ---
**Author:** ![kellner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c2a13f/32.png) [@kellner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kellner)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/119 "2014-01-15T16:31:46Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I don’t know the law in Florida. Iirc in some states if you post a sign saying its a gun free establishment it is illegal to bring a gun in. In most states something like that would just be a company policy with no legal weight. Other than it could be grounds to kick you off their property. If you are otherwise legally able to carry of course. Well, if he wants to go the SYG route, then he has to be careful that technically he had a right to be where he was. (That and the whole _reasonable_ belief thing of course.) ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2014, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717/120 "2014-01-15T16:36:50Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > According to the Judge’s instructions to the Jury in the Zimmerman case, as long as the shooter felt his life was in danger, even if he is wrong about that threat, he has a right to use deadly force and must be found Not Guilty. This guy could and probably very likely will walk. That’s extraordinarily inaccurate – you fail to mention that in addition to Zimmerman actually believing his life was in danger, the judge’s instructions clearly and specifically said that the appearance of danger must have been so real that a reasonably cautious and prudent person under the same circumstances would have believed that the danger could be avoided only through the use of that force. [Cite. PDF, page 12.](http://www.flcourts18.org/PDF/Press_Releases/Zimmerman_Final_Jury_Instructions.pdf) > [@Snowboarder\_Bo](#): > > Aye, I mention that he had said the magic words in [post #60](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=17013468&postcount=60). Nay. Again, a remarkable oversight given the detailed analysis and discussion that the Zimmerman case enjoyed on the SDMB. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/florida-movie-theater-shooting-leaves-one-dead-in-altercation-over-texting/678717.md?page=7)