St. John: Now's not the time for more gun control

While one of the cofounders of the Alamogordo Second Amendment Task Force believes Friday's movie theater shooting is a tragedy, he says it's not a time for more gun control laws.

Alamogordo Second Amendment Task Force cofounder Matthew A. St. John said he believes gun control has no effect on criminals.

"It's point blank period," St. John said. "It's what makes them criminals because they don't pay attention to the law. I still carry every day. I went to go see 'The Dark Knight Rises' last night at the opening at the theater and I was carrying it at that time."

The city of Alamogordo settled a civil case in 2009 with St. John for $21,000 over a violation of his Fourth Amendment right "against unreasonable searches and seizures."

According to U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico records, St. John entered the Aviator 10 movie theater in Alamogordo to watch a film on June 27, 2008.

According to U.S. District Court records obtained by the Daily News, St. John was wearing, in plain view, a handgun that was holstered on his belt.

After the firearm was seen by other customers, a complaint was made to theater management about the presence of the firearm. The manager then contacted the Alamogordo Department of Public Safety and said that a customer was in possession of a firearm on the premises, according to records.

Officer David McColley and six other officers made contact with St. John and a friend, who were watching a movie, and confirmed St. John had a firearm. St. John's friend was not carrying a gun.

Officers ordered St. John to stand up with his hands in sight, then seized St. John by his arms and physically removed him from the theater, according to records.

Once St. John was outside the building, officers conducted an invasive pat-down search and repeatedly asked him why he was in possession of a firearm.

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St. John: Now's not the time for more gun control