By Dean Weingarten
Arizona – -(Ammoland.com)- The mass stabbings that occurred at the Crossroads Center (Crossroads Mall) in St. Cloud occurred in a gun free, weapon free zone. It appears that the armed citizen who stopped the attack was not allowed to legally be armed in the mall. The armed citizen was an off duty officer from another jurisdiction.
Examples of specific activities that are prohibited include but are not limited to:Â
- Disruptive profanity, vulgar or threatening languageÂ
- Unnecessarily blocking walkways, roadways or storefrontsÂ
- Running, horseplay or disorderly conduct of any nature
- Excessive loiteringÂ
- Operating unauthorized recreational and/or personal transportation devices in the shopping centerÂ
- No firearms or illegal weapons
The mall is a privately owned property. Guests who do not act responsibly may be asked to leave. If they refuse to leave the property, they may be arrested and prosecuted for criminal trespass.
The policy does not make any exceptions for off duty police officers. As a privately owned property, the Mall may exclude off duty officers as they are not acting in an official capacity.
Ironically, early reports state that the attacker was dressed in a security guard uniform. From sctimes.com:
Eight people were injured and the suspect died at Crossroads Center on Saturday after an attack reported about 8:15 p.m.
St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson said the victims were stabbed by a man dressed in a private security uniform.
An off-duty police officer from another jurisdiction shot and killed the attacker, Anderson said. Anderson did not say where that officer serves during the news conference that started after midnight.
It became a common tactic for Islamic terrorists to dress as police or in the uniform of Iraqi soldiers in order to facilitate terror attacks. It appears likely that this was another Islamic terror attack. From kstp.com:
“At approximately 8 p.m., an armed suspect entered the Crossroads Mall. That individual made some references to Allah and we confirmed that he asked at least one person if they were Muslim before assaulting them,” said St. Cloud Police Chief Blair Anderson.
I doubt that the mall will pursue legal sanctions against the armed citizen who stopped the attack.
They are fortunate that the officer chose to ignore the mall rules that required people to be disarmed. The rules did not dissuade the attacker.
This is likely another incident of “sudden Jihad syndrome”. The current administration has gone to great lengths to characterize such incidents as “not a terror attack” because the attacker did not conspire with others from a known and recognized terror organization in order to conduct the attack. A retired police friend referred to such characterizations as “no paid up Al Queda member ship card was in his wallet”; therefore it was not a terrorist attack. The Fort Hood Terrorist attack was characterized as “workplace violence”, even though Major Hassan claimed to be an Islamic soldier, repeatedly, in court.
With a dead attacker, it is easy for authorities to find some other motivation besides radical Islam for the attack. A great many Islamic attackers have significant personal problems. Martyrdom for Islam offers a simple, easy way to end the personal problems and to obtain a sure-fire guaranteed ticket to paradise.
©2016 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
About Dean Weingarten;
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30 year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Speaking of mall attacks: Houston, Texas. Nathan DeSai, Lawyer by profession. Dressed in Nazi attaire, adorned w/Swastikas, shot six (6) people at random. Luckily he was killed by police before he could do more damage. He has Nazi paraphernalia in his apartment & car. He had previously been seen by neighbors waving around his AR in the apt.complex. As all gun nuts, he had multiple weapons. In his car there was a .45 auto & a .45 Tommygun + 2,600 rounds of ammo. This was the NINETEENTH (19) mass shooting in Texas, so far, in 2016. If ANYPLACE need a… Read more »
The government and the corporations do not care about law abiding citizens lives. The law abiding citizen or employee is a known quantity, they can place a value on the people. Mainly the life insurance policies, that is what governs a persons value. But the criminal or terrorist is an unknown quantity that they cannot put a value on. That scares them. Thus they would rather sacrifice the people or employees instead. That saves on the costs of lawsuits and such. Anyway that is what the government and companies really think of their law abiding citizens or employees. The people… Read more »
Well now maybe the idiots who own the mall will get there heads out of there asses and take down those idiots signs, but then pigs will learn to fly before the signs come down. I as a legal conceal carry person is taking a stand I might be alone in it but here it is from now on it I go some place and there those sign with a telling me I can not come in side armed then so be it I will not go in side armed cause I will not go inside period. They have just… Read more »
They should post a proper warning sign.
CAUTION
UNARMED VICTIM ZONE
ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK
i guarantee ya that if that off duty officer would have been a every day run of the mill average person that believes in self defense would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law….and we are aware of the gun free zones, because so far, theyve only attacked gun free zones, the criminal in this case wasnt aware that somebody ignored an unjust law and was able to shoot back!!!
I would actually welcome the attempt. First, the worst a person could be charged with is trespassing which stipulates a maximum $25 fine for the first offense and they can’t take your gun. Plus the trespassing charge doesn’t kick in until someone asks you to leave and you refuse. Then of course there’s the part of the law that says that landlords can’t legally post. It would be an uphill battle for the prosecution. Especially with the PR aspect. I’ve read some articles mentioning that there was security footage of the shooting. I’m hoping that will be released sometime in… Read more »
Actually, that off-duty LEO is only a part-time officer whose primary job is running his own tactical shooting school and gun range. He is also an NRA certified instructor and competes in national tactical type shooting matches. I’m sure his tactical expertise is far more beholden to his real job and competition/training than to his part-time, off-duty (and he was not in his own jurisdiction either) LEO status. So he is really more like the rest of us citizen shooter/CCW folks than he is like the average LEO. I’m glad he was there. But the MSM’s characterizing him only as… Read more »
Yeah I must have understood wrong. I could have sworn at Sportmans warehouse and scheels they say ANY weapon must be unloaded and unholstered but it’s been awhile since I’ve been there. I could be misremembering
And since they’re sporting goods stores it wouldn’t make a lot of sense for them not to support carrying firearms. My bad.
I see. I must not have read the signs correctly. I could have sworn the signs at cabelas, scheels and Sportmans warehouse say that ANY weapon entering the building must be upholstered and unloaded and must be checked at the counter before proceeding but it’s been awhile since I’ve been to scheels or cabelas (nearest one to me is 2 hours away) so I must have just read it wrong or misremembered. Considering it’s a sporting goods store you’d imagine they support carrying firearms.
Cabela’s has no problem with legal concealed carry. The signage refers only to firearms being brought in as returns or for gunsmith work, or to be sold there.
Agreed. Gander Mt. and Scheels take the same position. The sign is for firearms being brought in for service or sale only.
I read something on an email from this site a few months ago that more states are slowly crating laws making it entirely acceptable to sue a store or business that rejects your right to carry, if you are attacked and ARENT carrying because of the store or business rules. Ex: if you’re in Scheels or Cabelas and someone attacks you, and you have no means of defending yourself since those stores require any weapons to be unloaded and in a case to enter the store, you would have every right to go to court and I feel like you… Read more »
You should read the sign at Cabelas carefully. They only require the “check-in” if you are going to be doing business with a firearm you are bringing in. They do not preclude you from carrying concealed. At least that is the case here in Idaho and I would assume the company policy would be the same for all their stores.
Signs will NOT deny me the right to protection for myself and my family in ANY case.
Malls……FREE KILL ZONES
Avoid at All Cost , Check out the local ,
little shops outside , Safer and you might just ,
get a better deal !
Malls ,movie theaters haven’t got my cash in 25yrs. God ,guns and guts made America great.Lets make America great again. Trump ,Pence 2016.
I dont understand how this can happen, its a no hurt zone. Dont bad guys understand this! Cant they read the signs?
Incorrect, see this link. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_Enforcement_Officers_Safety_Act
I’ve carried in the mall for years. I am a mn resident. It is legal to carry open in mn. I always carry concealed, I’ve never had anyone say anything about my firearm anywhere. Signs are suggestions, not the law, with the exceptions of federal property, school buildings, etc. If a private establishment tells you to leave, do so and no longer give them your money. There are not very many places I go that I actually see any signs, and I don’t look for them either. I am not out to break the law, I am looking to defend… Read more »
Take a look at Right2Carry.com ! They have business cards that you can leave at establishments like this mall that prohibit concealed carry. They cards put them on notice that they are creating “Un-safe” zones when they are intending just the opposite. It also states that they may be held accountable if someone is injured on killed because of their ban! GOOD STUFF. They are free to print on you can order them for $5. I’m waiting for mine to arrive.
Except that they WILL NOT be held responsible because private property owners have the right to regulate behavior on their property. Much easier solution: don’t patronize establishments that don’t want you to legally carry a firearm.
You may have read an earlier article be Dean about the Mall of America and their restrictions on permit holders carrying in the mall.
If I ever win the lottery, I’m going to get myself arrested to be the test case as to the legality of their restrictions on legal carry and how it conflicts with state law.
In Minnesota, it’s legal to carry on public property and private property which is open to the public. For the latter, if they do not want people to carry, they must post signage. However, if a permit holder enters posted property, this alone is not a criminal violation. The law is only broken if an agent of the property owner (employee) informs the permit holder of their policy and demands compliance. If the permit holder refuses to disarm/leave, they have committed “Trespass with a Firearm” and can be fined $25. This law was first passed in 2003. We researched this… Read more »
I want to throw in on this because I’m a carry permit holder in Minnesota and I was actually at Crossroads mall last weekend with my kids. And I carry routinely. In Minnesota, for a business to legally post banning guns in their establishment, they have to use a sign that falls under a very specific format. The sign rules were developed to help insure that its easy to see. The sign posting the rules doesn’t comply and I can assure you is routinely ignored be permit holders. I’m assuming that the sign is talking to those carrying illegally. And… Read more »
If I were a licensed concealed carrier and attacked by this guy, this mall would be talking to my lawyers tomorrow. We need to take these malls and gun free areas to court when these incidents happen. The bad publicity of a trial defending themselves from someone wanting to protect themselves in this day and age should make them reconsider.
Sorry; but you would lose in court. Private property owners have the right to decide the rules on their property. If you don’t agree with their policy then don’t give them any of your ca$h and shop elsewhere.
Here another option. Maybe if enough people leave this message they will see a financial incentive to reconsider. See Right2Carry.com
j
Yes they have the right since it is private property but they then take on a moral duty to protect those who use their service. I am trying to make the point that we as gun owners and carriers must not simply acquiesce to the position that the store and mall takes. But rather push back hard and make the store/mall understand that there is a penalty to taking their action of posting “No Firearms” signs. Until they understand the cost they won’t change.
Minnesota state law requires signs on all doors.. Not done at the Crossroads mall. JPH
As a CCP permit holder in MN I can assure that you are right on that law. The only thing the mall can do is ask you to leave if they see you carrying. I tell friends to enter through businesses whose doors are not posted on the exterior (i.e. Younkers, Target, or who ever is attached to the mall that has their own entrance. They usually don’t post because the corporation does not want to take a position on this.
We need to focus on the real question here. What is motivating these sort of attacks?
As a former Muslim, it seems to me that the Qur’an and hadith are the real motivation for Jihadists.
‘And fight them until there is no fitnah [paganism] and [until] the religion, all of it, is for Allah. (Al-Baqarah 193).’
Muhammad said, ‘I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped, but Allah and that Muhammad is Allah’s Apostle.’ (Sahih Bukhari 2:18)
A Former Muslim
http://www.aformermuslim.com
What is motivating such attacks? Easy answer which has nothing to do with Jesus, Muhammad, global warming or even The Wheel of Fortune.
It is insane people committing insane acts of senseless violence against innocent people they don’t even know.
Solution: .357 Magnum and the willingness to use it.
As a former Muslim you are at risk from all Muslims, as the punishment for leaving Islam is death. I ask God’s blessing and protection for you. But there is a problem. The policy of taqiyya means that I can not trust you or any Muslim to be truthful about your conversion or your rejection of Islam. I will have to trust in God that you are sincere, but I will not turn my back upon you. I say this without hate, but in the spirit of self-preservation.
Has anyone ever gone to jail for carrying in a GFZ (gun free zone); or been fined, or convicted of
anything related? Unless one were carrying open, or used the gun in defense such as this, how would anyone even know? This whole subject seems a no-brainer to me. Keep your dang mouth shut and carry.
Are gun free zones voluntary? Do they have metal detectors or anything to screen people with? What would the penalty be, if you entered and were caught with a weapon?
Since it is private property the ‘penalty’ is telling you to leave the premises. If you refuse you are subject to arrest for trespassing. The better question is why are you giving any of your ca$h to a place which does not allow you to legally carry a firearm?
I would love to see somebody start publishing a list of anti-2A business. So far, the only major one I ‘ve heard of is Levis.
There is actually an app for that. For the iPhone, there is an app called, “Posted!-Carry List Anti-gun Locations”. It allows you to search by city, zip, or name. It also lets users add anti-gun businesses to the database to include a photo of the business with its sign if you wish. I’ve added several businesses to it myself.
I think it might cost a buck. I cant recall, and since I already have it doesn’t show a price.
Another example of the way to stop a bad guy with a gun or other weapon is a good guy with a gun.
How’s this for a “What could go wrong?” recipe?
Take a once-peaceful populace; add a bunch of third-world troublemakers, ingrates and Jihadi wantabes; subtract self defense.
Wonder what pistol the off duty officer used?