Lesson From Ja Morant's Stop at Shotgun Willie's: Don't Get Loaded If You're Packing

Armed with a gun and a phone, NBA superstar Ja Morant set the sports world on fire this past weekend — posting an Instagram Live video of himself with a pistol at Shotgun Willie's — in what was being investigated as a crime under state law. But exactly what Morant did wrong still isn't clear to some people.

"Does Ja Morant not have 2nd amendment rights?" asked one confused Twitter user on March 7, as footage of Morant's gun escapade circulated on social media.

"In Colorado, you do not need a permit to openly carry a handgun in public," said @LeftSentThis. "Which means that Ja Morant, however one feels about his maturity & intelligence wasn't 'breaking the law.'"

While it's true that the 23-year-old Morant broke no laws by flashing a gun at Glendale's legendary jiggle joint after the Memphis Grizzlies game against the Nuggets on March 3, there was still a way he could have been charged — and even tossed behind bars — by Glendale authorities after they launched a criminal investigation on March 4 for prohibited use of a weapon. But on Wednesday, March 8, it was announced that Morant had been cleared by police after investigators were unable to find "available evidence" to charge him.

According to Glendale Police Department captain Jamie Dillon, the Grizzlies phenom would have been perfectly fine just walking into Shotgun Willie's, the four-decade-old strip club at 490 South Colorado Boulevard, with a loaded pistol and flashing it on Instagram Live early on March 4. Where Morant could have messed up, Dillon says, was by drinking alcohol while doing so...although there was no evidence that he did.

"Have you seen the video? He's not pointing [the gun] at anybody, he's not threatening anybody. Nobody has come forward saying [he threatened them]," Dillon notes. "Just being in possession of the gun is not enough to fulfill the requirements of the law for it to be a criminal violation." Would the cops have even looked into the incident if alcohol weren't possibly involved? "Probably not," Dillon replies.

"Again, there [were]  no complainants at this time, no police response that night, no reports of a crime," Dillon repeats. "If there was a charge, it would have been prohibited use of a weapon, which would be possessing a firearm while under the influence of alcohol."

As Dillon points out, Colorado is an open-carry state, and "every city has an option of making a more strict set of rules. In Glendale, there are no additional laws." Glendale, a tiny enclave surrounded by Denver, is its own municipality that allows bars to serve alcohol until 4 a.m.; the mayor, Mike Dunafon, is married to the owner of Shotgun Willie's.

While it's legal to carry a gun in Glendale and most cities around the state, a Colorado Revised Statutes law change made in 2016 ultimately prohibits the possession of a firearm while intoxicated, regardless of where the individual lives; it's considered a Class 2 misdemeanor punishable by up to 120 days in jail. Glendale Municipal Code also bars people from being in possession of a firearm "while under the influence of intoxicating liquor," per the city's website. But there was no evidence that Morant was under the influence.

Morant fans and Second Amendment diehards definitely thought that authorities should leave the athlete alone. They keep pushing their case on social media — even going so far as to call out the Denver Police Department, despite that agency having nothing to do with the investigation.

"Lmao mind ya business dude," said @DMVCoop301 in a March 6 tweet, since deleted, aimed at the official DPD Twitter page. The user, who is from Maryland, was one of countless people who had no idea that Glendale was actually its own municipality. So the DPD decided to inform the person in the most Denver way possible.

"If you'd like to tag the appropriate agency, see @Glendale_PD_CO dude," wrote the @DenverPolice account, prompting more than 500 likes and retweets.

"DPD is savageeeee," said one Twitter user in response.

"DPD from the top rope," another blasted.

"OK DPD earned that one," added @JFredBeck2.

Asked about the Twitter clapback, DPD communications director Doug Schepman says that it provided a perfect opportunity for the department's social media team to flex its funny bone.

"It’s not uncommon for Denver police to receive questions from local and national media outlets or to be tagged on social media when high-profile incidents occur in the Denver metro area but actually occurred outside of DPD’s jurisdiction," Schepman notes. "And sometimes a comment or question on social media inspires a moment of levity, such as the 'dude' response."

The DPD forwarded the messages it was receiving about the Morant incident to Glendale. "Denver called us on Monday morning and said, 'Hey, we have all these voicemails and emails, and we're gonna send them over to you," Dillon recalls, adding that most of the feedback came from people who were confused about where the Morant incident actually took place. "We thought they were funny," he says of the Twitter response from DPD and ensuing comments. "Especially the 'from the top rope' one."

On March 8, Glendale investigators said that there would be no charges.

In the meantime,though, Morant's Instagram video wound up earning him a two-game suspension from the NBA, and he quickly removed his social media posts and issued an apology. “I take full responsibility for my actions last night,” he said in a statement.“I’m sorry to my family, teammates, coaches, fans, partners, the city of Memphis and the entire Grizzlies organization for letting you down. I’m going to take some time away to get help and work on learning better methods of dealing with stress and my overall well-being.”

This story has been updated to include Glendale's decision not to file charges.