Cops act suspicious towards me while I shop for an AK.

bruss01 said:

A long-haired, tattooed multi-pierced loner in scruffy clothes (or worse yet a long trenchcoat) with a sullen or terse demeanor, who looked like he hadn't slept in days, who keeps furtively glancing over at the cops while fondling assault weapons, might get a second glance. And rightfully so, IMHO.

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Sounds like me - apart from the long hair - and piercings...

I'm usually (especially during riding season) wearing jeans, boots, and my colors. Of course, the "Bikers Against Child Abuse" thing usually makes them relax a touch, after they've read it...

Buying while wearing a kilt though, that gets some odd looks...

Which gun shop was this? Antique and Modern Firearms? Evans?

Take a deep breath...relax and remember this:

They are doing their job.

That's all.

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That's right! How dare he waltz into a gun store and actually purchase <gasp> a firearm!
Dirty pigs oughta mind thier own business....

Did you blow kisses at them and wink? This is usually a good way to drive the police away.

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I worked with a guy that flirted with a few a cops in an effort to get out of a speeding ticket. Said he did it a few times and it worked like a charm.

The last time he did it was when he got stopped by a gay cop.

GENERAL GEOFF - "People frequently comment on it, saying things like "so where's the hit?" and "Getting ready for a 'job,' eh?"

Isn't it at that point where you turn to them, with that cold, 1000 yard stare and ask, "Are you speaking to me? Are you speaking to me?!"

Ordinarily, that'll put the quietus on the busybodies.

L.W.

I'm not an LEO, but I eyeball people looking at different guns and think, "Oooh, I want one, too". But I am just curious.

I used to get the same looks. Big dude, with a six inch long goatee and a buzz cut. Customer service is very important and people seem to have forgotten that.

If it happens again ask rather loudly if the shop deals in class 3.

Next time, pull the LEOs into the mix. Ask them if they have experience with firearm "X". Pros or cons and quirks they know of. Maybe it will warm them up and calm things down...let them see and hear you...not their suspicions.

I'm sure that I would be viewed in the same way if some " over 50ish, gray hair, driving a red F-150" had recently been in the news.

Just keep on being one of the good guys...no worries!

Mark.

I would have politely asked them to (excuse the French) "mind their own damn business"!!

a little trick I learned on my own.

I happened to find that the lowest priced store around for guns (mainly for Glocks) happens to also be VERY popular for police. I've bought enough now that the store staff know me, so when I'm in there, and the cops can tell that I'm a regular, I get treated like a normal Joe, even though I'm relatively (relatively I suppose being the key word) young.

Take a deep breath...relax and remember this:

They are doing their job.

That's all.

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Being a snoop, and being obvious about it, is their JOB?

Anyone ever consider the possibility that the LEOs were interested in getting an AK themselves, and were just listening in on the conversation for purposes of learning more about them?

I know I've listened in on a guy discussing a gun with the clerk, especially if it's a gun I would like to get some day, or one I know little about.

I felt as though my demographic and taste in firearms made me a "person of interest."

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Since you brought it up, what's your demographic?

I'm going with the angle that the LEO may be interested in what you were getting for personal reasons as well.

Now, I DO live in an area where the LEO's are very 2nd A friendly so I kind of give them the benefit of the doubt.

The last time I had to deal with LEO's regarding firearms, the sheriff made a point to say "oh, you are interested in paramilitary-style firearms?" You really need to talk to ______ (on of his deputies). You and he would have a great time talking about that stuff. He loves them. He went on with asking me if I would be interested in buying from him a M-2 carbine that he owns personally if I could get the money and a Class-III dealer lined up.


Now, you will KNOW when the interest ISN'T appropriate, but at this time, you don't know anything.


John

I know that they probably have a heightened sense of awareness after the VT shooting, especially since I am a college student. But this just plain ticked me off. I felt as though my demographic and taste in firearms made me a "person of interest." It weirded me out so badly that I'm sure I seemed a little nervous. I just hated the fact that I was being watched like a suspect, when all I wanted to do was shop for an AK in case of any future SHTF situations for the protection of myself and my family.

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Yeah, I just hate it when cops pay attention to what is going on around them and take an active interest in their jobs to protect the community.

Then again, as you noted, the cops were already there for other reasons, so it wasn't like they followed you in the store.

Also as noted, the cops might have been interested in what you were looking at more so than why you were looking at it. I have done the exact same things the cops were doing because I was interested in learning about the product being shown.

So the cops did not interfere with you and were already there for other business? If the cops made you nervous, that is something you need to work out for yourself.

Take a deep breath...relax and remember this:

They are doing their job.

That's all.

Sorry folks, but we've got to stop giving the police an accross-the-board free pass because they're "doing their job." To point out a couple of extreme cases, Lon Horiuchi was just doing his job, as were the rank and file ATF guys at Waco. Some of you younger guys may not immediately remember it, but many of the accused at Nuremburg used the "just following orders" gambit in an effort to avoid prosecution.
I doubt that either of these officers were of that stripe, in fact I doubt that one in ten thousand LEOs fall into that category. Still, when we write off whatever they do as 'in the line of duty,' we may be doing them a disservice as it can allow them to push the boundaries of duty beyond what is really neccesary.

Someone wrote;

Try being 18 years old and owning more firearms and ammunition than well over 90% of the members of this board. I've got to work to command ANY respect at gunshops.

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I write; Try being 18 years old and not making gross generalizations and assumptions . Additionally respect isn't commanded or demanded it is earned.

Someone also wrote;

I had been using my Letterman as something to rest my S&W 625 on while shooting, and accidently blew a hole through the shoulder/arm area of the jacket.

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I write; Might have something to do with that lack of respect issue.

Sorry folks, but we've got to stop giving the police an accross-the-board free pass because they're "doing their job." To point out a couple of extreme cases, Lon Horiuchi was just doing his job, as were the rank and file ATF guys at Waco. Some of you younger guys may not immediately remember it, but many of the accused at Nuremburg used the "just following orders" gambit in an effort to avoid prosecution.

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Read the original post: They stared at him and listened to what he was saying. No questioning, no detention, no frisking, no handcuffing, no unlawful detention, no beating, and no summary execution. There's quite a leap from "they looked at me mean" to the Holocaust. These cops were doing their job, doing what we pay them to do and expect them to do. Much as we dislike it when cops intrude into OUR business, being suspicious and snoopy IS part of their job. If we decide that's unacceptable, then we're going to have some pretty useless Sergeant Schultz cops cruising around with blinders on saying, "I see nothing, nothing."

My favorite "profiling" story...

My wife (then girlfirend) and I were shopping at Tiffany's on 5th avenue in New York City. I dress...casually...whenever I can, jeans and a t-shirt. We were young, our early 20's. Probably not their normal demographic. She was buying some china as a wedding gift. When she went to pay, the clerk left to ring up the sale, and cam back a few minutes later, and told my wife that the credit card company was on the phone and needed to speak with her. The woman on the phone asked her to confirm her name, where she was, what she was buying, etc. She asked "Is there some problem?" The credit card rep told her that the clerk had been concerned that this was a fradulent transaction.

My wife asked to speak to a manager, explained what happed, and told them that she would not be shopping there again. He asked her to wait a moment, then came back like 5 mins later. "I'm sorry that that happend to you, ma'am. We have spoken to the clerk. Please accept your purchase as a gift from Tiffany's. We have refunded your purchase price."

Turned out well. Don't be afraid to speak up. And, if the cops are looking you over, don't be afraid to say "Hello, officers. What do you think of the AK?"

Gcerbone,

I have the flip-side of your story. I was at work in Orlando, FL when I got a call at my manager's desk from our Fraud Department (My cards were linked to my account with the company I worked for.) They asked me if I had just made a purchase for $974.00 in a Walmart in Boca Raton. I explained that I've been at work all day, so NO!

Turns out that someone had copied my card with a magnetic strip reader-- I still had the card. The card was a manual swipe at the Walmart so they had created a card with my information on it.

The only reason I was alerted is because the computer flagged that purchase as outside of my spending habits and geographic area. They did, however, let the purchase go through.

My account was frozen after they let me clean it out at an ATM, and they promptly reimbursed me the money.

While I don't like that the computer tracked me well enough to know my spending and areas, I am very glad that they were looking out for me at that time.


John

Turn around and ask the cops if they know where you could qet some close quarter combat training. Just try to wiered them out.

"Weirding out" cops is not a way to divert their attention from you.

I was in a local gun shop today, just killing time. I looked around, checked out some new shotguns, looked in all the display cases, looked over shoulders at what people were trading in, listened to nearby conversations (added my comments to couple, ignored some others), disucussed the weather with one guy and home improvements with another, etc. I had a nice visit and then I left and went on about my business. I was off duty, but had I been in uniform I would have behaved the same way because that's what goes on in gunshops, everybody else was doing the same thing. Maybe that's all they were doing too.

Fortunately for me, the local gun shop is owned by two former police officers. On those occasions when brother officers are in the store, the fact that the owners chat with me on an obviously first name basis tends to allay unwarranted concerns.

I have to agree that the actions of the officers in the original post do not strike me as being out of line. After all, we DID just go through a major league campus shooting, and copy cat crimes are not unheard of. In other threads, many of us have complained that various people and agencies overlooked obvious clues that Cho was ramping up do go off the deep end, yet when a couple of officers pay attention to get some sense of the apparent student looking at "assault weapons" right under their noses -- we accuse them of being jack booted thugs. Suppose the OP did buy an AK and did go shoot up his campus. The same people who are dumping on the two cops now would be lining up to ask how the kid was allowed to buy an ASSAULT WEAPON right under the noses of two police officers.

No harm, no foul.

Sorry folks, but we've got to stop giving the police an accross-the-board free pass because they're "doing their job." To point out a couple of extreme cases, Lon Horiuchi was just doing his job, as were the rank and file ATF guys at Waco. Some of you younger guys may not immediately remember it, but many of the accused at Nuremburg used the "just following orders" gambit in an effort to avoid prosecution.
I doubt that either of these officers were of that stripe, in fact I doubt that one in ten thousand LEOs fall into that category. Still, when we write off whatever they do as 'in the line of duty,' we may be doing them a disservice as it can allow them to push the boundaries of duty beyond what is really neccesary.

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I had no idea that paying attention was considered pushing the boundaries of duty what is really necessary.

Sorry, but the cases you cited are in no way similar to cwmcgu2's event.