SCARY gun shop story!!!

[BigBlueEyedDevil]

I was at Turner's today purchasing a 4" Springfield 1911. I'm waiting to checkout. There is a short mexican guy in front of me. He met the perfect profile of a gang member and being that we were in San Bernardino, it was probably a good guess.

Anyways, he's buying a box of ammo(didn't see the type) He puts his hand in his pocket to pull his money out. As a pulls out a large wad of mostly 20's and 100's, something falls on the ground out of his pocket. I look down, and I am looking at a CRACK PIPE. He quickly picked it up and looked around to make sure nobody saw him. He didn't look back at me. I was so dumbfounded by what I saw. This is really really scary. BIG BLUE

 

[fjolnirsson]

Yikes. Personally, being a $$$$ disturber, I probably would have said something like, "Dude, you dropped your crack pipe."
But that's just me.

 

[killermarmot]

I had something somewhat similar to that happen to me at the trader's in san leandro. I was looking at a really nice Winchester 94-410 and this guy walks in gang tatoos and so on. points at a remington semi-auto remington shotgun with a a rifled barrel and a leupold red dot on it. The guy points at it and says "hey, man, how much is that leupold rifle?" The guy behind the counter told him his mistake and he shook it off and asked for a box of 40 hollow points on the counter. Pulls out his wallet that's full of 20s and out falls like 2 or 3 little baggies with what looked like E to me in em. he didn't even bat an eye, reaches down and picks it up. after he left I made a little call to san leandro police and on my way back to the freeway our little friend was bent over the trunk of a squad car being cuffed, it felt good to see that taken off the street even just for the night.

 

[Norton]

BIG BLUE.....darn right that's scary We all know that people like this are out there, but it's still a shock to be confronted with it as we go about our daily lives. Actually, it's a very good lesson in that we know there are people out there who wish to do us harm....we just believe it will never happen. This is what criminals depend on...that element of surprise..



killermarmot.....good on ya'....if us law abiding folks just stand by and don't get involved in helping the police get these guys off of the street, we're going to lose big time. I hope that guy has met his new roommate, Bubba, and they are exchanging sweet nothings

 

[Jim March]

Hey, where I work, I'm about convinced half the place is on crack.

 

[Greg L]

Jim,

Where you work, half would be an improvement .

 

[Waitone]

What kind of world do you people live in out there I mean, there are laws are there? Ain't it against the law to carry illegal pharmaceuticals and associated equipment? How can this be? People clearly violating the law.

No wonder you guys are slipping into the Pacific.

 

[Sisco]

I'm still waiting for the "Just because he looks like a gangbanger, talks like a gangbanger and carries a crack pipe like a gangbanger doesn't mean he's a gangbanger" replies.

 

[MrMurphy]

Yeah, I've been to that Turners back when I lived in Kalifornistan (I used to live in Walnut), odds are high the dude was a banger.

 

[7.62FullMetalJacket]

The proprietor has a right to refuse service to anyone. Or is the PRK different?

killermarmot, good situational awareness and good result.

 

[Kestrel]

Jim,

What kind of work do you do, with that many questionable people? (If you don't mind me asking.)

Steve

 

[ThreadKiller]

Everytime I watch "COPS" on Fox, I am amazed at how much crime drugs are responsible for. Never ending supply.

Why do people want to melt their minds so badly?

Tim

 

[Old Fuff]

All of you people must be wrong …..!!

After all we have laws don’t we ……??

They ABSOLUTELY PROHIBIT ……!!

The manufacture or importation of these controlled substances.

Any form of trafficking in them,

The possession of, or selling of any of them.

And ingesting them in any way.

So there is no possibility that they exist. It’s all a figment of your imaginations.

Now I’m going to go back and think up some more reasonable and sensible laws to control guns. It’s well ….. for the children.

 

[general]

killermarmot:
Just a querey..
BigBlueEyedDevil: not a thread hijack I swea®.

after he left I made a little call to san leandro police and on my way back to the freeway our little friend was bent over the trunk of a squad car being cuffed

Didn't you have to do anything but make a call?
I just get the willies when people are accused, accosted and or intimidated/imprisoned by unsubstantiated and unanswered accusations.
Yes, I realize you were on the right side of this... BUT.. just for a minute, let's walk around to the other side of this situation and see the overipe for abuse side.
Now - I'm walking, minding my own "bidness", drop something and reach down to get it when FLASH! -just a bit of my lawful CCW 1911 is exposed to an overmedicated MMM'er and off she runs to breathlessly explain my "irrational brandishing of a weapon" to her local 911 dispatcher. I get in my car and drive off, unaware. Until... officer friendly pulls me over and I get

bent over the trunk of a squad car being cuffed, it felt good to see that taken off the street even just for the night.

Now, before we get into this, take a moment and think. How would you feel? If an unsubstantiated accusation was all it took to put you in the system, generate paperwork on you? Joe (or Joette) Gunowner pulled over and questioned in the street like a thug. ("Welcome citizen! Please have a seat! No, don't worry about those wires.. they're nothing.")
Anyone?
(Disclaimer: Just tring to generate polite discourse on the original thread of BigBlueEyedDevil and see if calling the PD is the way to go.. or if MYOB is the name of the game.)

 

[BarnsBeware]

general-

Here in the PRK I am usually asked my name and phone number when I tip the police by phone. They trace all calls, so I assume on their end, if its a false alarm and its obvious that the caller was being malicious, they would come after them. I don't know what they do in other states, but here they get the informant's number if they can.

My anecdote: One time we had a guy in a shop that was a burrito short of combination plate point a gun at himself and pull the trigger like it was a joke. He was promptly removed from the premises in a "brusque" manner. Then he too, was "bent over a squad car" after he started screaming in the street in front of the shop about racism and doomsday prophecies.

I really hate it when you don't know they're crazy until AFTER they screw up.

 

[Chuck Dye]

General,

Dropping the dime only gives officers a place to look. It is up to the officers, once they look, to meet due process for a stop or arrest. Many years ago, I spent several summers driving from King City CA to Sacramento CA. Departing between 1:00am and 2:00am put me on the road just as the drunks were closing the bars. I, and many drivers, routinely reported DUIs to the California Highway Patrol. I had many Citizens’ Band (in those pre-cellular days) conversations with an officer known only to me by his handle, Wooden Nickel. The Nickel said he was able to catch up to and observe just over half those drivers reported over the CB and that only about half of those provided him with probable cause for a stop. Wooden Nickel attributed that to the ease with which CHP cars were recognizable by their headlight layout and the fact the drunks, especially experienced drunks, can often drive well when the know they are being observed. The Nickel was adamant that we continue our reports, regardless of our success rate.

Are there officers who violate due process? Certainly. Will the possibility that my report will be handled by such an officer figure into my making that report? Not at all!

 

[Sactown]

Hey, where I work, I'm about convinced half the place is on crack.

I didn't know you worked at the state legislature!!

 

[Werewolf]

ThreadKiller wandered about and opined in wonder why:

Everytime I watch "COPS" on Fox, I am amazed at how much crime drugs are responsible for. Never ending supply.

Why do people want to melt their minds so badly?

I remember reading once that drugs are directly and indirectly responsible for something like 50% of all crime that occurs in the US. IIRC 80% of home burglaries are drug related and are done by folks stealing to get money to buy drugs.

Just legalize the darned things and let the scum rot their brains buying legalized drugs out of a pharmacy - it's cheaper and they get what they want. Crime goes way down, the governemt at all levels gets some tax revenue out of it and saves on police costs (won't need as many) and society will eventually rid itself of the dead head scum bags who can't deal with real life without drugs. LEGALIZE DRUGS AND EVERYONE WINS!

 

[tommytrauma]

Jeeze, lighten up guys. Just because he looks like a gang banger, talks like a gang banger and carrys a crack pipe like a gang banger, it doesn't mean he actually IS a gang banger.








Sisco, you owe me lunch.

 

[Waitone]

Just legalize the darned things and let the scum rot their brains buying legalized drugs out of a pharmacy - it's cheaper and they get what they want.

Wish it were true.

We as a society will NEVER legalize drugs with a view to letting people suffer the consequences of their own stupidity. I think we will move toward legalization but our institutional bliss-ninnies will see to it there is plenty of money available to help those who were too stupid to avoid doing drugs.

We might save a little on the cost of crime but will more than make up for it on the rehabilitation scam.

Legalization as a social policy will work only when society absolutely refuses to provide rehabilitation services at public expense. Take a hard look at alchohol and alchoholism for a snap shot view of legalization of drugs.

 

[dustind]

Waitone: Rehibilitation could never cost more than the WOD. I forget the price, but it it countless billions.

Plus the extra freedom and lower crime would be worth it right there.

I was so dumbfounded by what I saw.

I am glad you are all right now, having seen that big evil gun, er-um crack pipe and all.

 

[killermarmot]

I love it when threads explode into like 5 diferent topics and you have to view them every ten minutes or you're completely hosed cause you'll get lost and have an extra 20 min of reading . But to answer your query General

Didn't you have to do anything but make a call?

I didn't have to do anything but make a call, give my name, phone number, and location i was calling from. I wasn't about to interview this guy in the middle of this shop. Downtown san leandro isn't the nicest place and E 14th street is right on the edge of a pretty rough neighborhood. The last thing I need to is to shout out "Hey bud you dropped your narcs" and have a friend waiting for me when I went back out to my car. I assume the good folks at the san leandro police Dpt gave the guy a thurough search before arresting him. (no I'm not being nieve I understand some cops ignore protocalls and abuse their power I live near Oakland after all). The guy got what he deserved, this was no CCW carrier getting wrongly accused by a fanatical mother, although I see your point. I actually was pulled over for suposedly carrying a weapon a couple years ago. I had a little bulge in my shirt on my right hip and aparently someone called in that I was carrying a gun at school (De La Salle in concord) I was going to get ice cream and when I came out there were two concord police cars waiting for me. They were rather short with me and frisked me and noticed it was a leatherman strapped to my belt and I had my cell phone in my pocket and asked me a few questions, I was nice to them, and they left. I thanked them for going out of their way to be safe and not just ignore the complaint we chatted for a minute and that was it.

As far as legalization goes I think it's fine to allow drug addicts to destroy themselves if they want and as much as I really really hate to use this argument. Think about the other people they effect while on said drugs. A) I don't think it will stop crime, they will still have to buy the drugs from someone, perhaps the cost will be lower, but they will still cost something, and they will stil get strung out and still run out of money. B) Junkies care about nothing except their fix, if there are family, especially children around, well I'm sure you all know what happens there. C) I've seen a guy on PCP lemme tell ya, he ain't just hurting himself. I won't rant anymore but the simple fact is drugs are far to volatile and unpredictable to be sold from longs. Yes there are some drugs that don't have these imediete effects, but people always want what they can't have and until human nature changes, we're F$%*ed

 

[Sisco]

tommytrauma
Steaks are on the grill. Can you be here by 7:00? Bring beer, this is Sunday in Kansas and I'm out.

 

[general]

killermarmot: Yeah - I do see the point and I don't blame you for not conducting the interview youself. I too wouldn't have wanted a box of hollowpoints purchased by an obvious 'banger (who with his actions demonstrated a lack of judgment) on my conscience when he showed up on the 5 o'clock with the cuffs on and now bodies about.
I only used the CCW as an example we here could relate to - could be one of many senarios. As far as drugs go - I don't think that is the real issue here - I think it is "how to you spell intent"?
So - "preventative maintenence" is the watchword - those who falsely report are weeded out through PD dispatch records of names given anonymously over the phone?

 

[Carbon_15]

And just how do we know what Crack Pipes ad Extacy looks like..hmmm