Man arrested for (legally) open carrying AK47, scaring people.

[kermit315]

forgive me for oversimplification, but:

he has a right, he exercised the right, he was punished because somebody else didnt agree with him exercising his right.

sounds like a rights violation to me. when we dont exercise our rights for fear of having them taken away....we have already lost our rights.

 

[JohnBT]

My interpretation is that your interpretation is an oversimplification. The people who saw him and talked to him made their decisions based on real live experience with him. And we still don't know how he was acting. The original story said he was walking up and down the street. Was he on guard duty or something or simply acting in a bizarre manner?

John

 

[sterling180]

Well from the police's point of view,carrying a loaded "assault weapon" in public means that a person is up to no good whatsoever,whether they are law-obiding citizens or just a crank like the one from Hungerford,who is planning to kill the innocent.He carried an AK47 and caused carnage with it-so you can see how people can get upset over it.

Spree killers like Whitman,Purdy,Ryan,Bryant,Hamilton and the psychos from North Hollywood,play on peoples minds and the instinctively think that a person is like those deranged few that commit some of the worst types of gun massacres,in history.

Now I know that not all cops are like this but quite a few of them are like this and feel threatened by the sight of an AK.

 

[kermit315]

well, once they figured he wasnt a threat, that should have been that. I dont have a problem that the police were called, i have a problem that one person can dictate what rights another can and cannot exercise. he wasnt arrested for a firearm charge, he was arrested for disorderly conduct. he was punished because somebody else didnt want him to exercise his right.

if he was mentally unbalanced, i am sure they would have petitioned a judge for a mental evaluation.

he wasnt a felon, because he wasnt charged with unlawful possesion of a firearm

didnt mention anything about a restraining order.

he was walking with a rifle. it isnt normal. that was the crime...it wasnt normal.

 

[Sonora Rebel]

They..???

Who is THEY? Some gardener? He gives an account to these cops... (2nd hand... hearsay) The kid didn't have a mag in it.... (doesn't matter) 'cause it's legal to CARRY A RIFLE in Alabama! Key word... LEGAL! If it'd been a Winchester Model 70 bolt action, or a Remington 870 duck gun... would this gardener putz been spooked? Ahh.... NO... most likely. BUT... it was the dreaded boogyman AK-47 (look-alike) with it's deadly pistol grip and menacing bayonet lug... 'may even have had a terrorist folding stock. A threat is actual... not percieved. Disorderly Conduct is an action... Walking with a rifle slung over your shoulder is not a disorderly action. Did these cops see him while he carried the weapon? No! Just the word of some overreacting Drama Queen. I know the type... I was a cop for 3 years (Baltimore City). You can't even get locked up in Baltimore for carrying an unloaded weapon (such as a rifle) openly.... no matter who you scare. That's their problem.

"Well from the police's point of view,carrying a loaded "assault weapon" in public means that a person is up to no good whatsoever,whether they are law-obiding citizens or just a crank.."

No... that's not what it MEANS at all. Legal is legal. I carry a 1911-A1 .45 automatic into a Denny's. Does this mean I'm up to no good? The police arrested this man in his home... and siezed his weapon on a complaint. They had no warrant even. This wasn't an 'on-view'. If I were this kids lawyer... I'd have a whole bunch of lawsuits goin' on.

 

[White Horseradish]

Be advised, open carry in Minnesota is not legal with long arms.

You are wrong. If you have a carry permit, it is perfectly legal.

See Minnesota Statutes 624.7181, Subdivision 1, Section b, Paragraph 3:

(b) "Carry" does not include:

(3) the carrying of a BB gun, rifle, or shotgun by a person who has a permit under section
624.714;

See entire statute here:
http://ros.leg.mn/bin/getpub.php?pubtype=STAT_CHAP_SEC&year=2006&section=624.7181




As to why one may wish to carry a long gun in public, I could see that as making a statement and exercising both First and Second Amendment rights at the same time.

 

[LT1coupe]

I'm armed most of the time, but I would'nt appreciate someone openly carrying an assault rifle in my neighborhood, just because it's legal.
That kind of exposure in a quiet neighborhood I view like straight pipes on a Harley, yeah you can do it, but it doesn't help the cause.....

 

[otasan]

As usual

The media reporter doesn't know guns.

A semi-automatic AK-47 is NOT an assault rifle.

 

[bg]

Exercising his constitutional rights, including the right to free expression. That's all.

Now ya see ? That's what he was doing wrong !

 

[MechAg94]

My how this thread has gotten long.

If he was carrying it peacably and lawfully and safely, he can do it in my neighborhood all day. It doens't affect me. I am not scared by the sight of someone else with a gun especially a law abiding citizen.

 

[Elza]

LT1coupe: That kind of exposure in a quiet neighborhood I view like straight pipes on a Harley, yeah you can do it, but it doesn't help the cause.....

I see/hear them all the time around here. I’ve yet to see or hear of anyone arrested for it.

 

[Neo-Luddite]

.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

It doens't affect me. I am not scared by the sight of someone else with a gun especially a law abiding citizen.

How do you know they are law abiding and how do you know they are a citizen?

 

[WeedWhacker]

How do you know they are law abiding

Is he comitting a criminal act *right now*? Then he is innocent until proven guilty. Being around frightened people is not a crime - there is no "right to be free from fear".

how do you know they are a citizen?

Irrelevant. "All men are created equal" - nothing about citizenship. If we truly honored the Constitution, a dude from Mexico going for a stroll down Main with his loaded AK would be perfectly fine.

 

[ProficientRifleman]

Sonora Rebel

Well said! Finally!

 

[sterling180]

A semi-automatic AK-47 is NOT an assault rifle.

They call it an 'assault rifle' because it is a legal variant of an actual 'assault rifle,that has a semi-auto function only.It is easier for them to get their message across to their readers,without long words and to make them anti.


It's really sad that an innocent law-obiding citizen is harrased by the law,for this.

 

[m21black]

It's real simple the lazy cops in this town would rather bust this guy than pick up illegal aliens wondering our American streets... To bad this is the rule not the exception in America today.

 

[JohnBT]

"I think both the complainant 'n the cops overreacted."

You were there? You have some knowledge of the facts other than what you've read on the web?

John

 

[MechAg94]

Do you have some other knowledge?

If he was acting strange or in a threatening manner, they wouldn't have had to wait for a judge to get permission to arrest him. They would have done it on the spot.

 

[MechAg94]

You know on the open carry threads on this site, everyone talks about reducing the irrational fear of guns that many people seem to have. After reading some of these posts, it looks like a lot of gun owners out there have the same irrational fear of 'people-they-don't-know' with guns.

 

[Bad Voodoo]

Some interesting responses to this, to say the least. Situational awareness, common sense, call it what you will. It's highly ABNORMAL to see someone strolling along the sidewalk with an AK, unless of course there had been confirmed reports of Russian/Cuban shocktroops floating from the sky on parachutes.

Seriously, if trying to prove a point by practicing a valid 2A right to bear arms, why not a holstered sidearm? In most instances openly displaying a loaded long-gun in a public space, even if "harmlessly" slung in some way, is begging a volatile response from the public and agency officials alike. Kinda like poking a Rottweiler in the eye w/ a stick, don't you think?

Edit: Side bar, what would you do if Mr. AK changes course and begins walking up your driveway? Personally, I'm not letting him get to my front door without drawing down on his dumb ass.

-voodoo

 

[Lone_Gunman]

I think the people who would simply ignore a man with an AK 47 walking around in a residential neighborhood are living in "condition white".

Face it, walking around with an AK 47 on a public street is an out-of-the-ordinary event. If you see someone with a gun out on the street, you need to at least consider that they may be up to no good. I am not sure I understand why someone would do this, and while it might be constitutionally protected, it still raises the possibility the guy might be unstable.

I think appropriate response would be to call the police, and have them check the guy out. If he is clean, then I don't expect the police to harass him, or trump up disturbing the peace charges. I don't think he ought to be arrested if he isnt breaking the law. I do think it would be ok for the police to tell him he is making people nervous, and maybe he ought to take a walk with his gun elsewhere, for his own safety.

This has nothing to do with "irrational fear". If you are willing to let a stranger wander around through your neighborhood with an AK, and not at least raise you situational awareness, then you are living in condition white.

Does anyone know why this guy felt the need to walk around with his gun out? Was he just seeing how far his second amendment rights would take him?

 

[BigRobT]

Last I read is that he WAS arrested for "disturbing the peace" and taken to jail, bail posted, and released pending a court date.

UPDATE>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
http://www.al.com/press-register/stories/i....xml&coll=3

Teen arrested after seen with AK-47-style rifle
By RON COLQUITT
Staff Reporter

Mobile police arrested Michael McLeod Freeman, 19, Monday evening and charged him with disorderly conduct in connection with Freeman carrying a semiautomatic AK-47-style rifle through the Spring Hill neighborhood where he lives, officials said.

Freeman was taken to Mobile County Metro Jail, where he was released on $250 bail, jail records show.

While it is not illegal to carry such a rifle, a Mobile police spokesman said that it is unlawful to alarm people in the community. That is why Freeman was charged with disorderly conduct, Officer Eric Gallichant said.

Members of Freeman's family declined comment Tuesday, referring questions about the incident to family attorney Paul Brown. Brown could not be reached for comment.

Freeman graduated from St. Paul's Episcopal School in May 2006, according to a Press-Register story.

Sean P. Costello, who lives near the Freeman family, said Monday that his gardener spotted Freeman with the rifle about 6 p.m. Friday walking along
Oakwood and Dilston lanes. Freeman did not point the rifle at anyone or threaten anyone, Costello said.

Costello said Freeman was also carrying a 30-round magazine, but it had not been inserted into the rifle at that time.

The gardener was so frightened that he left the area, Costello said. A bullet can be loaded in the chamber of a semiautomatic rifle even when the magazine is not inserted.

Gallichant said that police confiscated the rifle after they arrived at Freeman's home and found it loaded with a magazine in it. The police report on the incident did not say whether the rifle was loaded at the time Freeman was carrying it through the neighborhood, just that it was loaded when it was confiscated, Gallichant said.

The rifle had not been returned to the Freemans he said. Also, he said that investigators had not determined where Freeman got the gun.

Larry McCoy, owner of Larry's Gun Shop on Pleasant Valley Road just off Government Boulevard, said Monday that anyone 18 or older who is not a convicted felon can legally purchase a semiautomatic, AK-47-style rifle.

McCoy said he sells them only to people 21 or older because he does not consider a teenager mature enough to buy such a rifle.

An employee of Larry's Gun Shop said Tuesday there was no record of Freeman buying the rifle from them.

 

[Double Naught Spy]

Is he comitting a criminal act *right now*? Then he is innocent until proven guilty. Being around frightened people is not a crime - there is no "right to be free from fear"

The problem is, lots of bad guys aren't bad all the time.

As far as there being no right to be free from fear, true enough, but there are laws against causing said fear and those laws are in place via the Constitution.

I am kinda more surprised people aren't all pissed at McCoy refusing to sell rifles to folks under 21.

 

[Picknlittle]

I asked this question but can't find my post. I guess it got arrested

Who determined the rifle was loaded. A frightened neighbor? Did one of these concerned citizens ask? One place says he was walking as if in transit to a particular place. Then the article says he was walking up and down the street. I'm going to go out on a limb here and speculate that he was walking down the street from point A to point B, minding his own business, not pointing, not threatening, not creating a scene other than the one imagined by his nosey neighbors.

There are many more scary people driving down the street with cell phones, or reading, watching a dvd or putting on makeup, but we as a society accept this as the norm. Dead bodies and all. I'll admit that walking down the street with an exposed rifle was in poor judgement but not illegal if in fact the gun was not loaded.

Would the response have been the same if Joe Hunter were coming home with his 30-06 slung over his shoulder walking home from a friend two blocks down? Probably, because folks are afraid of guns because liberals and the media have made them afraid. The response by neighbors was likely out of order.