Did you call the police?

[John Locke]

The other thread about pulling guns on people got closed, but it brought the interesting question of having to call the police afterwards. I realize that the recommendation is to call, just to ensure that you are the first to call, but it's interesting to know whether most people actually call, and what the consequences of doing or not doing so are.

So, for you guys who have had to pull a gun - did you call the cops or not? How did calling or not calling turn out for you?

 

[Deanimator]

When I had to point the HK93 at the wouldbe carjacker, I'd never SEEN a cellphone, it was somewhere between midnight and 3:00am, and we were in the middle of nowhere in an area neither of us knew at all. Getting off of the interstate in an unfamiliar area, to find cops in a town not even visible from the highway, in perhaps our assailant's home territory would have been an EXCEPTIONALLY bad idea.

Even with a cell phone today, don't count on being able to talk to anybody if you're in the wrong place. My best friend's family farm in Catawissa, Missouri didn't have cell service until last year. The Malvern rifle range down by Canton, where I used to shoot didn't have service for the provider I had at one time.

 

[RangeRoomer]

We call the police because they are the guys with guns. I like to cut out the middle men in some situations :x

 

[jimmyraythomason]

There was no such thing as a cell phone(at least not available to the public) when I had to fend off the 2 hoodlums with a S&W 57. I was on a deserted section of interstate highway just after daylight on a Sunday morning. When the hoodlums saw the weapon they left post-haste. Situation handled,no need for police at that point.

 

[Kleanbore]

We call the police because they are the guys with guns. I like to cut out the middle men in some situations :x

I do not think the OP had in mind calling the police because one needed them; rather, the issue that was raised in the thread that was closed, to which the OP referred, had to do with calling the police after an encounter that had been lawfully and satisfactorily concluded.

This is the comment to which the OP refers:

It has been said here many times before, but the best thing to do after producing a weapon is to report the incident to law enforcement immediately. Otherwise, should the other party report the incident first, they will likely have the upper hand in terms of credibility.

In none of the three home invasions which I successfully defended agains without firing a shot did I notify the police afterwards. Bad idea, but...

• in one, I simply exercised poor judgment by not calling;
• in another, I was prevented from calling by someone else who did not want the bother, and I foolishly complied;
• in the last, the incident occurred late at night far from any other occupied houses, I had no telephone, the interloper took off on foot into the mountains, and I left very early the next morning.

This won't sound very good, but the best thing here is to "do as I say, not as I do."

 

[wishin]

I wonder if there are any statutes in some states that require a report of such an event to the police?

 

[John Locke]

Indeed, in WA it is a gross misdemeanor to witness a violent offense and not report it. http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9.69.100

I'm sure other states have similar statutes.

 

[earlthegoat2]

The only time I ever pulled a gun was in Detroit (surprise). I simply pulled it out and did not point it at some guys making their way toward me as I was going to my car. Places to park are hard to find sometimes in the city. This made them turn around and go away. I did not call the police afterward and probably would not to this day. This was back in the late nineties and I did not have a cell phone.

 

[atlctyslkr]

Only time I ever pulled mine was in the days before cell phones were common. Today I probably would and I would make a report.

 

[Guns and more]

Indeed, in WA it is a gross misdemeanor to witness a violent offense and not report it.

But no violent offense occurred.

The statute refers to you being the witness to a crime and not reporting it.

What would you report? "Five guys walked up to me and I pulled my gun." Sounds like brandishing to me.
No telling if you'd get the good cop or his evil twin.
What would the perp report? "Man, I was jackin' this guy and he pulled a gun on me. You gotta' do something, this city ain't safe."

Now, if a crime was committed, like they were in your home robbing you, then yes, by all means call.
But I don't know if they'd be fast enough to escape between the time they saw the gun and you fired.

In none of the three home invasions which I successfully defended agains without firing a shot did I notify the police afterwards. Bad idea, but...

Am I the only one going........THREE!!!
Where do you live? Somalia?

 

[Kleanbore]

Posted by Guns and more: What would you report? "Five guys walked up to me and I pulled my gun." Sounds like brandishing to me.
No telling if you'd get the good cop or his evil twin.

Well, assuming that you drew your gun lawfully, you would report precisely what happened. I hope you would not draw because someone walked up to you.

What would the perp report? "Man, I was jackin' this guy and he pulled a gun on me. You gotta' do something, this city ain't safe."

Of course not, but they may well report that you pointed a gun at them, and if they can describe the gun, that and the fact that they were the first to report will give the complainants a real leg up in terms of credibility in their report that you assaulted them. It does happen.

The point is to always be first to call.

Now, if a crime was committed, like they were in your home robbing you, then yes, by all means call.

If a crime had not been committed, why would you have drawn?

But I don't know if they'd be fast enough to escape between the time they saw the gun and you fired.

Surely you would not recommend shooting someone who had been attempting to escape. First, chances are very high that they will survive to tell the story, and second, the forensic evidence would likely nail you.

Where do you live? Somalia?

Two of the incidents occurred in an upscale residential neighborhood, but Henry Ford gave many miscreants mobility. The other was in a mountain cabin; like a farmhouse light, the light in a cabin visible from the road or a campground attracts evildoers as a porch light attracts moths.