POSTED: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 - 12:30pm
UPDATED: Tuesday, July 31, 2012 - 12:34pm
NBC NATIONAL NEWS — A 48-year-old man who was arrested Sunday night at a Thornton, Colorado, movie theater where he wore a holstered weapon said he was simply exercising his right to bear arms.
A concerned moviegoer called police after noticing the weapon on James Mapes' hip.
When officers arrived the theater was evacuated and Mapes realized that his weapon was apparently what triggered the scare.
Officers put Mapes in handcuffs and placed him under arrest, but so far he hasn't been charged with a crime.
Mapes points out that Colorado is an open-carry state, and says he has a concealed weapons permit and that he did nothing wrong.