Man faces felony gun charges for allegedly attempting to bring gun into Six Flags Great America

Reminds me of the bad ol days of the 90s. Yet another reason I have to not go

Why? For a change, it seems like the security measures in place were actually effective.

Touchdown: Seriously? You can easily be shot at any public place like a mall, grocery store, retail store, bowling alley, movie theatre, etc. where they DON'T have metal detection.

I don't understand why the situation warrants (if I may use that word) arrest and charges. "Unlawful use of a weapon?" What "use?" According to the story the only thing the guy did was to carry the weapon (which he is apparently legally entitled to do, at least in IN; I don't know if IL recognizes IN permits) and get scared when he got to the metal detectors. He should have been denied entrance to the park, and the incident should have stopped there. Had the security officers not escalated the incident by chasing him down, hie would probably have returned the gun to his truck and either left it there, or he would have left the premises.

I wonder if there is more to this story than the News-Sun is reporting...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Regardless of that Rideman, why would they even attempt to take a weapon into the park? That just screams stupidity.

Illinois is strict on gun control. I am pretty sure they don't care how legal you are in another state.

It seems suspicious that the couple would see the metal detectors, get out of line, then run from the security when they were asked to stop. Security saw them acting oddly and did their job. An innocent person doesn't run away. They were up to something IMO.

I don't understand the felony charge either, unless it's rooted in the fact that he doesn't have the permit for that state. I'm very pro gun control, but other than being a moron (and perhaps the permit issue), I'm not sure what he's guilty of.

Illinois does not have a concealed carry permit. There has been much talk about allowing concealed firearms but the bill failed to make it through the Illinois House.

Only a moron would attempt to carry a gun inside an amusement park, whether there are metal detectors or not. What I can't understand is the mindset. Why do they think they need the gun in the first place? Are they going to threaten someone who cuts in front of them in line?

-Tina

He should have went to Holiday world where there is no metal detectors. His pic should be in the dictionary for the definition of an idiot.

I'm a little lost here. Dumb to take a gun in? Yeah. Go put it in the car, and go in!? What am I missing?

Having lived in Texas for 5 years, I know enough people who carry a gun enough of the time that they don't even think about it until they walk up to the metal detectors. That said, "Oops, I forgot. Let me go chuck this in my car." is probably a much better response than "Run!"

Well, from some of your responses I understand the man's reaction better: "Oops, this is Illinois! Oh, crap, I can get into trouble for this gun here. Now what do I do?"

Still, I don't get "unlawful use." Illegal posssion?

Of course, there is an easy way for someone packing a concealed weapon in a place where concealed carry is not allowed to become legal in a hurry: pull the weapon out and put it where everybody can see it. But how do you do that without spooking everybody in the process? If he had made it to the magnetometer, calmly revealed his piece, then turned around and returned to his truck, would the outcome have been different? I'm willing to assume that this is simply a matter of literally forgetting he had the thing until he got a reminder at the gate. But Andy is right; his response was all wrong. I just don't understand how it escalated as far as it did.

For the record, I like to stay as far away from firearms as I can. I don't want you to think I'm actually defending this guy. But as usual, I'm trying to stand up for somewhat rational thinking.

Oh, and most of the time I pack a Victorinox Spartan AND a Leatherman Kick so I occasionally have to deal with the unexpected checkpoint. Thing is, it's easier for me because neither of those objects is fundamentally a 'weapon'

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Chitown said:
why would they even attempt to take a weapon into the park?

Lex Luther and The Joker hired him to take care of Batman and Superman...

The article states, "She indicated she had an Indiana concealed-carry permit." So the guy carrying the gun is illegal and we don't know if he has a prior record either which could escalate the charges.

We know she has an Indiana permit, but we know almost nothing about the guy. We don't know whether he has a permit or not. Previous statements in this thread indicate that it really doesn't matter because apparently IL doesn't honor IN permits, so IN permit or not, either one of them packing is illegal.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

My family and I were at the park Sunday, and kudos to park security and the local police for nabbing this guy. It scares me to think why he needed a loaded gun on him in the park.

For protection, and the Constitution, obviously.

I think he must've been protecting us from the government, or something...