My wife got tickets for us to go see American Sniper Friday night at the AMC Westgate.  

We got our tickets and worked the line to the check in dude.  I was surprised to see that they had an ARMED private security man stationed in the lobby.  I've see a lot of bitching about carry/no carry in theaters, but I've never heard of that.  Good job AMC theater, smart move.

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How the hell did THAT happen???????

I went and saw it saturday ans there were armed guards on both ends.    That way if theres more than one maybe they can get the other one.

Concealed means concealed.

Exactly.


Maybe I'm missing the issue?

Oh I know concealed means concealed.    I wasn't posting this as a criticism, just as information.  I was surprised the theater actually took security of it's patrons seriously enough to post their own armed people.  I think it's a plus.  We often complain when places post "no weapons", mainly because it leaves the place wide open......but not in this case.

My wife and I saw it last week. No security guards ate the Ahwatukee AMC. I was though.

Did they have metal detectors?  If not, I fail to see why you'd be unarmed.

If you've ever worked in security, especially armed, you must know it has nothing to do for the customers......

For me, I don't want to rely on a security guard to protect me and mine. If something were to happen, there could be a couple magazines emptied before the guard ever got to the scene. I know they can be a deterrent for some criminals, but not for a person bent on creating havoc.

I do find it funny that the theaters would provide armed guards for this movie, and not for one that has the rappers/ghetto theme.

In the past, Harkin's never had any signs on the doors regarding guns.    Although, I did hear a rumor once that they had a sign up at the Harkins 25 at Superstition Springs Mall that said "No Guns, except concealed per HR...."    I never could substantiate that rumor, not even with their managment staff.

Regardless, they now have very small (gotta squint to see them) no firearms or knives stickers on the doors, which seemed to go up a few weeks after the Aurora Theater shooting.  

Sooo a few months after the stickers went up, the wife and I are in there one evening (concealed yes), and I see three Maricopa County Sheriff officers in uniform in the lobby.   So I walk up and pull one guy to the side and said "Look, I have heard Dan Harkin on KFYI radio before, and he seems like a pretty Conservative guy and all, and these "No gun signs" are new, so what's the beef.   Plus you guys are in here as well."    The officer in a rather hushed voice said "Look, the word we got is that if we don't see it, we don't worry about it.   That's what we have been told".      

So on that note, I do what I have to do to ensure that me and the wife are protected in public.   And as for Harkins -- I still go by what the Sheriff officer told me.

Armed security at a movie theater?  

Yep, the terrorists have won.




Guess ticket prices will triple now.

They had the small "no firearms" stickers on the bottom of each door at the entry.  I don't think that's legal.

I cannot confirm nor deny if I was armed or not.  

Clearly AMC is trying to shield themselves from liability in the event of a mass shooting - but I'll give credit where it is do.  If there ever was some dude hell bent on causing mayhem, they would be pretty likely to pick a different theater without the armed security.

I've been there a couple of times in the last month, but during the day. Armed Security isn't always there.

 

Didn't the Colorado wacko prop open the exit door so he could return with long guns? The security guard's worthless in that case.

And those theaters got sued for not maintaining a safe environment or whatever it was.  Now the theater can transfer liability to the security company if something happens because the theater did more than the industry standard for security by contracting with an armed security guard agency.  They used to hire off duty cops for the same job, but its about 2-3 times more expensive per hour and it often times does not transfer liability from the theater itself.

Oh yeah and the Colorado whacko did pick the closest theater that had NO GUNS signs posted, driving past others that did not.  So armed presence on the property could dissuade some, not all, criminal activity.

I think Harkins hires the off-duty Deputies more to prevent teenaged asshole behavior from deterring adult customers than they do to prevent mass shootings.

You wont find me at a theater without my little buddy....

FIFY

LOL, that too...