Ah yes. Sung-Ho Hwang decided to take in a late showing of The Dark Knight Rises last night. He also decided – seeing as how the movie wasn’t scheduled to let out until about 1:00 a.m. – that it might be a good idea to pack his pistol. For protection, he said. No problem there, he’s duly licensed in the state Nutmeg State. All well and good, right? Only Sung-Ho doesn’t seem to have the “concealed” part of concealed carry down very well. Which is why some of the other patrons in the theater were a tad concerned by the man with the gun in the theater . . .
You can probably write the script from here. Or maybe not. The courant.com story isn’t exactly clear as to whether Hwang, the president-elect of the New Haven county bar association, was making any effort to conceal the pistol or not. Only that police “removed a loaded handgun from Hwang’s waistband at the small of his back.”
Police received a number of calls about a man in the theater with a gun before the movie started, so how concealed could his heater have really been? Here’s a safe bet: Hwang wasn’t there to see the movie, he was there to make a point. He wanted the cops called and was on the horn with his attorney when they arrived. He got what he wanted.
The first arriving officers searched the theater, where patrons said they’d seen a man with a gun in a holster. They first searched a theater where “The Watch” was being shown, then found him in a neighboring theater where the Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises,” had not yet begun.
Officers went into the theater, ordered the approximately 12 patrons to put their hands up, and had them file out of the theater. They were then patted down as they passed.
When officers located the armed man, who they later identified as Hwang, they drew their weapons and ordered him to put his hands up. He did not comply with their orders and remained in his seat while using his cell phone, police said.
Officers then took him into custody “by force,” police said.
Guess Hwang was squeezing in his one phone call even before he was arrested. He’s been charged with breach of peace and interfering with police. At a press conference today (yes, he held a press conference), Hwang said,
“There is no posting at Criterion that states that weapons are not permitted. As far as the law is concerned, I have a right to carry there,” he said. “We should focus on the real question. Why is New Haven so unsafe? Why do law abiding citizens feel that they need to carry a weapon?”
And a very good question that is, too. But here’s another one: why did he open carry at a late night Batman flick post-Aurora?
Yes, with a license in the Connecticut, he’s allowed to open carry. That’s understood. But refusing to comply when looking at a bunch cops with their guns pointed at him showed more than just steadfast support for the Second Amendment. It showed a fairly reckless disregard for his own health. He’s lucky his popcorn wasn’t sprayed all around the theater along with a good portion of his bodily fluids. Just sayin’.