Florida has a reputation for having a colorful local life. It’s something many people come to expect when they visit the Sunshine State. What you might not expect is a driver waving a gun out of the window while they’re cruising down Interstate 95. Footage captured by another driver shows one man exercising his right to open carry… By waving his right to bear arms out of his driver’s side window.
The video, initially posted by Rodneshia LaShay, went viral, garnering more than 6,000 shares. At first, it appears to be typical traffic traveling along Interstate 95. After a few seconds, the camera zooms in on a red Ford pickup truck. The driver waves a handgun out of his window, seeming unfazed by all the other cars passing by him.
As the video goes on, the truck swerves in and out of the lane. The entire time, the driver proceeds to wave the gun around, pointing it in no particular direction. The pickup truck jostles back and forth between lanes, with other drivers keeping a notable distance. Some might say it’s just another typical day in the Sunshine State. One Reddit user echoed this, commenting, “It’s Florida, the cop will probably compliment him on the gun.”
Another Reddit user, smitteh, commented, “With a target in front, too…could have got some practice shooting in,” referring to the Target truck in front of the red pickup. One more commented, saying, “In my experience, that’s just how we wave hello or ty for letting me into that lane on Florida roads.” To the post, Reddit user Broccoli_Final responded, “The way he’s kinda swerving leads me to believe that yeah, he may very well be shooting, and if I had to guess, drunk as well.”
As it turns out, the man, 62-year-old Samuel O’Neal Gardner, did fire his gun three separate times. While his mental state is unclear, he was arrested on six counts. He also pointed the weapon at the authorities, who pursued Gardner until he ultimately crashed his car. Authorities called his behavior “reckless,” although some Reddit users say it’s “Just Jacksonville things.”
