When responding to a call at a residence, how you feel about home owner firearms?
My specs: White male, 32, black hair and beard, 6'1", 250lbs, middle class neighborhood, well maintained property.
My situation last night while visiting my folks:
About 2:30 AM I started to awake to the sound of brush and twigs snapping outside my window (I sleep with it open.) Followed in short order by the door being pounded on and the doorbell pressed (repeatedly.) The house wasn't on fire and I couldn't for the life of me imagine what was going on. I got out of bed and stumbled in the dark for clothes... I didn't want to turn the light on, (no silhouette) I still had heard no voices identifying the people outside so I gave up on clothes and grabbed my .45 (always know where thats at! Have a CC permit as well) then proceeded to the front door in my underwear
I couldn't make out who was out there, I saw a shape but the individual was standing off to the side of the door. I opened it a crack and said "Hello."
The man answered back, "This is ****** P.D...." I cut him off (relieved) and said, "Just a minute, I need to get some clothes." He said, "OK" (I think he said that, its kinda fuzzy) I set my parkerized post-war Colt 1911 on the table by the door and went for my pants. (leaving the front door cracked open)
When I got back I invited him in, he said,"We received a call that there were people here tied up, being held against their will." I immediately realized that my dad was the one who called 911. He just had his hip replaced a few days earlier and was still affected by the anesthesia...(Dad used is cell from the rehab center) Six months earlier, after another surgery, he had ripped out his IVs and catheter thinking his boys had been kidnapped and that it was up to him to find us.
I explained this to the officer and he said, "Is this your gun?" (It was still on the table)
I said, "Yes sir." He said, "May I inspect it?" I said, "Yes sir." He proceeded to have his rookie partner "clear it"...
The officer in charge then asked if he could check the house out, I said, "Go right ahead" and gestured my arm in a way to indicate free range. He asked if there was anyone in the house and I responded that my mother was down the hall in her bedroom. I stayed at the front door with the rookie while he unloaded my firearm (It was condition 3... YEAH I KNOW- Thats just how I roll...) Before he set the gun down he wiped it and the mag with a rag. I had never seen an officer do that when inspecting one of my firearms. I said "Prints" in a joking wise ass way. He chuckled and said "Yeah, I don't want mine on there." To which I answered, "can understand that."
When the other officer finished the search he said, "OK... Where is it that your dad is staying?" I told him and he asked my name and address... gave it too him and apologized for everything. They went on their way.
My dad called them in the morning and apologized-
My question for LEOs on THR is: Is that normal? SOP? Would you have been comfortable in that situation? Would my gun bother you or did it go just the way you would want it to? Did I do anything uncool? Do you feel better about civilians that keep their "house auto" condition 1 or 3? Could my responses have been better?
Your jobs are hard enough without people doing quirky things
Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated!
My specs: White male, 32, black hair and beard, 6'1", 250lbs, middle class neighborhood, well maintained property.
My situation last night while visiting my folks:
About 2:30 AM I started to awake to the sound of brush and twigs snapping outside my window (I sleep with it open.) Followed in short order by the door being pounded on and the doorbell pressed (repeatedly.) The house wasn't on fire and I couldn't for the life of me imagine what was going on. I got out of bed and stumbled in the dark for clothes... I didn't want to turn the light on, (no silhouette) I still had heard no voices identifying the people outside so I gave up on clothes and grabbed my .45 (always know where thats at! Have a CC permit as well) then proceeded to the front door in my underwear
I couldn't make out who was out there, I saw a shape but the individual was standing off to the side of the door. I opened it a crack and said "Hello."
The man answered back, "This is ****** P.D...." I cut him off (relieved) and said, "Just a minute, I need to get some clothes." He said, "OK" (I think he said that, its kinda fuzzy) I set my parkerized post-war Colt 1911 on the table by the door and went for my pants. (leaving the front door cracked open)
When I got back I invited him in, he said,"We received a call that there were people here tied up, being held against their will." I immediately realized that my dad was the one who called 911. He just had his hip replaced a few days earlier and was still affected by the anesthesia...(Dad used is cell from the rehab center) Six months earlier, after another surgery, he had ripped out his IVs and catheter thinking his boys had been kidnapped and that it was up to him to find us.
I explained this to the officer and he said, "Is this your gun?" (It was still on the table)
I said, "Yes sir." He said, "May I inspect it?" I said, "Yes sir." He proceeded to have his rookie partner "clear it"...
The officer in charge then asked if he could check the house out, I said, "Go right ahead" and gestured my arm in a way to indicate free range. He asked if there was anyone in the house and I responded that my mother was down the hall in her bedroom. I stayed at the front door with the rookie while he unloaded my firearm (It was condition 3... YEAH I KNOW- Thats just how I roll...) Before he set the gun down he wiped it and the mag with a rag. I had never seen an officer do that when inspecting one of my firearms. I said "Prints" in a joking wise ass way. He chuckled and said "Yeah, I don't want mine on there." To which I answered, "can understand that."
When the other officer finished the search he said, "OK... Where is it that your dad is staying?" I told him and he asked my name and address... gave it too him and apologized for everything. They went on their way.
My dad called them in the morning and apologized-
My question for LEOs on THR is: Is that normal? SOP? Would you have been comfortable in that situation? Would my gun bother you or did it go just the way you would want it to? Did I do anything uncool? Do you feel better about civilians that keep their "house auto" condition 1 or 3? Could my responses have been better?
Your jobs are hard enough without people doing quirky things
Any thoughts or comments would be appreciated!
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