You See a Man Carrying a Gun - Do you Alert the Police?

Mr. Obvious wrote:

Do the police talk to people for walking on the sidewalk? For driving safely?

The police aren't doing anything wrong by talking to him. They may ask to see the man's license, run a quick background check to confirm he's legal to be in possession of a gun. They can also tell if he's been drinking or appears to be in a normal state of mind. So no, there's nothing wrong with it, so long as they don't force him to do anything he doesn't have to do.

One time I was pulling out of my driveway in my old neighborhood, and when I looked in the rearview, I saw a guy across the street sitting on his porch with a gun in his hand. I'm not sure if he lived there (a lot of people were always coming and going -- it was a really sketchy neighborhood). I stopped and told my wife about it. She asked why the hell I was stopping and told me to drive away as fast as I could. I didn't report it. I wasn't sure what to report. Besides, there was already a significant amount of tension on our street, and I didn't want to add anything to it by being the one to report something to the cops. Maybe he was just cleaning the thing. I don't know what he was doing. Never found out. But no one on the block was ever killed, at least not while I lived there.

Dennis Reynolds wrote:

Mr. Obvious wrote:

Rifles and Shotguns may also be open carried legally in my state.

That is straight up stupid.

Why is that stupid? Do you have any idea how little crimes are committed with rifles/shotguns? Sounds like an irrational fear of an inanimate object to me.

sleeping with evil wrote:

But is it wrong to open carry an AR 15??

I don't want to see civilians, uniformed or not, carrying AR-15 in public. This is the US, not Chechnya. I don't think civilians NEED them or that it is really a critical right to specifically own an AR-15. If you own one, fine, but keep it on the range or in your home. Don't make me have to see you carrying it.

neanderthal dream wrote:

The police aren't doing anything wrong by talking to him. They may ask to see the man's license, run a quick background check to confirm he's legal to be in possession of a gun. They can also tell if he's been drinking or appears to be in a normal state of mind. So no, there's nothing wrong with it, so long as they don't force him to do anything he doesn't have to do.

I'm afraid you are mistaken.

Well, technically they may ASK to see ID but he is not obliged to provide it until they suspect him of a crime. Until that happens it is a consensual stop as opposed to a Terry stop (Terry v. Ohio) where the man is detained. It has been determined and upheld by the SCOTUS that merely possessing a gun is not sufficient grounds to detain someone.

To answer the OP's question, no I wouldn't call the cops. I'd ask him what he's carrying and show him mine, though I generally carry concealed because most people these days don't know the law and freak out when they see a firearm.

Dick Doobey wrote:

neanderthal dream wrote:

The police aren't doing anything wrong by talking to him. They may ask to see the man's license, run a quick background check to confirm he's legal to be in possession of a gun. They can also tell if he's been drinking or appears to be in a normal state of mind. So no, there's nothing wrong with it, so long as they don't force him to do anything he doesn't have to do.

I'm afraid you are mistaken.

That's what I meant by "so long as they don't force him to do anything he doesn't have to do." Cops will ask you to do all kinds of stuff, but most people don't know their rights.

I don't know why anyone would want to carry out in the open. Just inviting trouble.

I don't know why anyone would want to carry out in the open. Just inviting trouble.

How is it inviting trouble? Why would anyone cause trouble with someone if they know that person had a gun?

neanderthal dream wrote:

That's what I meant by "so long as they don't force him to do anything he doesn't have to do." Cops will ask you to do all kinds of stuff, but most people don't know their rights.

I don't know why anyone would want to carry out in the open. Just inviting trouble.

Well, you're right. Most people do not know their rights. I'm in a family of police officers, but local and federal and I support the profession but I don't comply with unlawful request and demands. Not that I have many law enforcement interactions...

Open carrying in certain cases is inviting attention for sure. Hopefully not too much trouble though. There is certainly a fad of open carrying to bait police officers into illegally detaining people, which doesn't help those of us who just want to be safe.

This is the strained, forced ignorance that makes NRA members sound like sound-bite regurgitating zombies. Are you f-ing kidding me? If you are carrying a gun around, I am supposed to assume you are legal and have any idea how to handle it appropriately?If you want to carry, know this: you are going to raise the blood pressure of everyone in the room when you walk in. No, we don't all think you are the lone ranger and suddenly breath a sigh of relief.

blahhhhhhhh wrote:

How is it inviting trouble? Why would anyone cause trouble with someone if they know that person had a gun?

Ajax wrote:

sleeping with evil wrote:

But is it wrong to open carry an AR 15??

I don't want to see civilians, uniformed or not, carrying AR-15 in public. This is the US, not Chechnya. I don't think civilians NEED them or that it is really a critical right to specifically own an AR-15. If you own one, fine, but keep it on the range or in your home. Don't make me have to see you carrying it.

^^this. If you check out the list of countries with gun related murder similar in number to the U.S., you come up with places like Chechnya and very un-developed and poor areas like El-Salvador or drug war infested Mexico.

normal here wrote:

This is the strained, forced ignorance that makes NRA members sound like sound-bite regurgitating zombies. Are you f-ing kidding me? If you are carrying a gun around, I am supposed to assume you are legal and have any idea how to handle it appropriately?

If you want to carry, know this: you are going to raise the blood pressure of everyone in the room when you walk in. No, we don't all think you are the lone ranger and suddenly breath a sigh of relief.

blahhhhhhhh wrote:

How is it inviting trouble? Why would anyone cause trouble with someone if they know that person had a gun?

I live in a nice suburb of Georgia. Open carry is legal here with a permit. I was out for a run one morning and saw a guy running pretty fast with a gun holstered to his hip. He looked like an army guy, because he had the black shorts on they all wear and we live close to the base. We smiled and waved at each other. I felt safer knowing he was around the bend. However, if i ran into someone dressed like a thug with a holstered gun I would run the other way.

OP wrote:You See a Man Carrying a Gun - Do you Alert the Police?

Yes-only after I run for my life.

neanderthal dream wrote:

Mr. Obvious wrote:

Do the police talk to people for walking on the sidewalk? For driving safely?

The police aren't doing anything wrong by talking to him. They may ask to see the man's license, run a quick background check to confirm he's legal to be in possession of a gun. They can also tell if he's been drinking or appears to be in a normal state of mind. So no, there's nothing wrong with it, so long as they don't force him to do anything he doesn't have to do.

Sure. You should let the police search your vehicle or your house any time they want to as well. After all, you don't have anything to hide.

Do you really not see the difference between the police going into your house without permission and the police talking to a person walking around a public place displaying a weapon that could be used to kill multiple people in less than a second?

I was talking to a GOP/NRA friend of mine about this.

he said.

If the guy is white. No need to call the police.

If the guy is black or hispanic. He would call the police. He said 99% of NRA/GOP types would probably feel the same way.

he may be a little racist but at least he's honest. I suspect the same holds true here.

WhitePony wrote:

Do you really not see the difference between the police going into your house without permission and the police talking to a person walking around a public place displaying a weapon that could be used to kill multiple people in less than a second?

No. I don't think the police have a legal reason in either case. Sure, I guess they can ask but I wouldn't answer them any more than I would give them permission to search.

I guess I'm just not afraid of guns like some people are.

The police have NO RIGHT to just stop someone who is legally exercising their right to hold a gun. I don't want my freedom infringed on me by having to show identification just to prove i'm a legally licensed gun owner. Just another ploy by Obama's fascist storm troopers to curb freedom.

We don't need our police officers wasting their time ID'ing everyone who carries a gun. They should spend their time ID'ing everyone with tan skin to make sure they're not here in America illegally to mooch of the rest of us.

Sheriff Arpaio wrote:

The police have NO RIGHT to just stop someone who is legally exercising their right to hold a gun. I don't want my freedom infringed on me by having to show identification just to prove i'm a legally licensed gun owner.

Don't need a licesne to open carry in my state. There is literally no legal question that they could ask that is relevant.