fallout mike
Member
Imac, you literally made no sense. Its not regulated bc its just expected to be called into the police. How can a person come up with something like that?
imac98374 said:I am pro second amendment, pro AR-15, and went to a large state school in a fairly gun-friendly state. If I saw someone with an AR on his back walking through campus, I would absolutely call the police. The reason that the AR is less tightly regulated is because if someone is carrying one in an inappropriate place, it should be fairly obvious and it is expected that the LEOs will be called.
I think that the reason that handguns are more tightly regulated is because they are more easily concealed, thereby allowing a would be criminal to come in "under the radar." The man AR on the other hand is pretty conspicuous, and I think that that is the point.
Your perspective is typical of those who walk about unarmed, with no means of self-defence, relying on others to defend you if necessary. People who practice the right to self-defence are not intimidated by the sight of arms, and respect anyone's right to bear the same.
Familiarity with weapons, their purpose and application, gives some insight into the apparent motives of their display. AR15 slung over the back - open to interpretation, according to circumstance and location. Maybe the guy was walking down the block from home to a shooting range. Or on his way to rob a bank.
As a non-self-defence practitioner, you will be alarmed by the sight of any weapon, including a knife on a belt sheath. As the Californians I read about who wrote a letter to their local paper, in late nineties, expressing shock and horror by the people in Arizona openly displaying weapons on their belt while in the grocery store. I suppose if they were in Oakland, the SWAT teams would have been deployed, but in Arizona, it was just regular people buying groceries.
And that is why I would NOT call the police. Until ALL criminals starting finding certain places as inappropriate to commit crimes in, then I do not feel that there are any inappropriate places for persons to be able to defend themselves against those criminals. The actions described in the OP may be illegal, yes; but inappropriate for any reason other than an inappropriate law prohibiting it? No.
You gave more information in your scenario than the OP did in his! If I had that much information about the guy walking down the street, such as reloading a mag and pointing it carelessly or firing it off into the air...Yeah I'd call the cops! Here in Florida we don't have licence plates on the front of our vehicles so that isn't even a suspicious thing. But in your scenario, there is enough to make a much more informed conclusion. I'd call the cops on these guys in a NY minute! Probably let them know that I had called the cops and the homeowner as well....from a safe distance with my weapon at the ready, not drawn. Like comparing apples to turnips.Another scenario: You're working in your front yard one day, and you notice a rental van backed into your neighbor's driveway. It has no front license plate, and you can't see the rear one. You and your neighbor are friendly, and you have seen some of his collection of outstanding Walker Colts, and the 1911 his father carried in WWII and Korea. His garage door is up, and two men are removing a gun safe from the house and loading it into the van, using a pair of skateboards as a makeshift dolly. The one facing you appears to have a Glock tucked in his waistband. Both are perspiring heavily, and appear to be in a hurry.
Do you:
1) Mind your own business.
2) Assume they are engaged in interstate commerce, thus under the protection of federal law.
3) Offer them a cold drink?
4) Call your neighbor's cell phone and leave a voice message?
5) Assume they are taking the safe with the owner's permission, and get excited for him. He must be getting a new safe!
6) Suspect something criminal may be happening, but decide that the system doesn't work anyway, they'll be home by dinner, you don't agree with prison time for burglary, and besides - he's got homeowner's insurance.
Agreed.Honestly, I have a hard time envisioning a scenario where an ar-15 is the right choice for a person in a public place in a civilian capacity.
Like the Westpoint graduate (I assume he was retired military) who let his CCW peek out from under his shirt at a Costco in Los Vegas? Somebody called in a "MWAG!!" and they evacuated the store -- LVMPD shot him as he exited the store (shooting into a crowd of people?) and then waited until he was good and dead before make any attempt to render aid. It was a good shoot, of course. In Los Vegas, they are always ruled to be justified. The whole investigation was just a character assassination of the victim.However, to all those who wouldn't call, I hope that this scenario never presents itself to you. The potential price to be prevented far outweighs any inconvenience to this one man, especially when considering all the factors. As gun owners we have a responsibility ("with great power, comes great responsibility" ) to act in a manner befitting our exercise of that right. For example, when carrying a gun we have a duty (at least a moral one, in my opinion) to deescalate threats, and to not respond to insults or egging on. The man in this scenario has the duty not to carry in illegal and sensitive areas - V Tech was not that long ago, and there were over 50 casualties, with 32 dead. How would you feel if you had seen the V-Tech shooter with his Walter P22 and Glock 19, who, before the shooting, was just walking around campus, not doing anything crazy, and had not called the cops? Could you live with yourself? Would you really rather have people die than report a violation of a law you don't agree with? I know, I know, you don't think this guy is going to shoot anybody. But given his lack of respect for sensitive areas and criminal law (yes, everyone knows you cannot carry on a college campus. Everyone), I'm not willing to take that risk.
So tipro, I once again ask, do you call the cops when you see underage college kids drinking? Its against the law. And deaths attributed to DUI is a little more than murder.
So tipro, I once again ask, do you call the cops when you see underage college kids drinking? Its against the law. And deaths attributed to DUI is a little more than murder.
Like the Westpoint graduate (I assume he was retired military) who let his CCW peek out from under his shirt at a Costco in Los Vegas? Somebody called in a "MWAG!!" and they evacuated the store -- LVMPD shot him as he exited the store (shooting into a crowd of people?) and then waited until he was good and dead before make any attempt to render aid. It was a good shoot, of course. In Los Vegas, they are always ruled to be justified. The whole investigation was just a character assassination of the victim.
Would I sue you, and successfully demand your expulsion from school, for making false and/or misleading statements to the police about me? Yes. If I'm not breaking the law, and your actions could reasonably have been anticipated to cause a violation of my civil rights, the police lawyer is going to throw you under the bus.