What would you do

[Lex Luthier]

I don't normally use this phrase, but it takes a village. If this guy is unwilling to participate in mature relationships and continually makes things difficult for those around him, make a smart, quiet, decisive move that will set him on his humility. Just sayin'.

 

[hardluk1]

Well have you talked with the sheriff in your area yet??

 

[khegglie]

"The "mind your own business" folks would really have felt at home in Germany about sixty or so years ago".

Actually the report to the authorities based on second hand hearsay guys would fit in better.

 

[Loosedhorse]

"The "mind your own business" folks would really have felt at home in Germany about sixty or so years ago".

Actually the report to the authorities based on second hand hearsay guys would fit in better.

Let's please lose the Nazi references, folks. As just demonstrated, they're meaningless and stretchy enough to apply (incorrectly) to all sides of an argument. JMHO, but those who are so ready to compare people to Nazis might do well to read more about them.

As for the OP, two ways to go. You could ASK the guy whether he's been in trouble with the law. Or you could find out via public records.

After you know if he is a violent felon, then you can decide what to do.

 

[dusty14u]

The "mind your own business" folks would really have felt at home in Germany about sixty or so years ago.

Ah yes. First to prove Godwins Law. You can pick up your prize at the front office.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin's_law

It states: "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1 (100%)."[3][2] In other words, Godwin put forth the hyperbolic observation that, given enough time, in any online discussion—regardless of topic or scope—someone inevitably criticizes some point made in the discussion by comparing it to beliefs held by Hitler and the Nazis.

 

[papaairbear]

IMHO we all have an obligation to protect the freedoms we enjoy as gun owners. If this individual is a felon, then he's blatantly thrown the laws into our faces and I view that as a threat to my rights. Talk to the police. If we're not part of the solution we're an accomplice.

 

[DAP90]

If the guy really is a felon and he really does have a gun, then to turn your head, ignore a crime and allow a violent felon to have a gun in their possession is binging yourself down to the level of the criminal.

It’s not like the OP watched this guy commit a violent crime and we’re telling him to mind his own business. He heard a rumor from a not very reliable source that the guy may have spent time in jail.

 

[whalerman]

If you report what you know, and he is not a felon, and the gun is legal, that will be the end of it. The police will do nothing. This is not harrassment. Same as a house with coming and going all night long. If you report suspicious activity, and the police find no problems, then fine. You are not making any judgments about anybody. Report what you know. I don't understand protecting felons who have guns. And if he isn't, no harm done. Some seem to side with the felon, which is difficult for me to comprehend. This is why the anti's go stupid on us. We're giving them the ammo to do so.

 

[Murphy4570]

Snitches get stitches.

 

[buck460XVR]

It’s not like the OP watched this guy commit a violent crime and we’re telling him to mind his own business. He heard a rumor from a not very reliable source that the guy may have spent time in jail.

But what if the guy IS a violent felon and you're telling him to mind his own business?

Reread my post....I said "If the guy really is a felon and he really does have a gun" I assumed most intelligent folks would know this meant checking out the info first before acting upon it.

Snitches get stitches.

I don't understand protecting felons who have guns. Some seem to side with the felon, which is difficult for me to comprehend.

It's the tough guy image some folks like to portray. Remember, this is the internet, home to keyboard commandos.

 

[DAP90]

But what if the guy IS a violent felon and you're telling him to mind his own business?

If the police go and talk to him, anonymous tip or not he’s going to make a mental list of people he thinks might have tipped them off. Since they work together there’s a chance the OP ends up on that list.

If the OP had firsthand knowledge that the guy is a felon, and he was sure the felon had a gun, and he thought he could give the police enough information that they could go find it I could see maybe making a call.

He’s sure of none of those things and the only likely outcome is the the guy ends up angry and not in jail.

Is this crusade for truth and justice worth creating a potentially hostile environment at work? A place we spend a lot of time at.

Don’t get me wrong, I once turned in a 14 year old kid for having a handgun that he stole. Long story, but I found out the kid had been shoplifting from where I worked when the father returned a bunch of video games he’d found under his bed. He mentioned he thought his son had a gun and that I should be careful.

I turned the kid in for theft and mentioned the gun when I did. As it turns out he did have a gun and he spent time in juvie for it. I was worried about what he might try to do when he got out. That was a little different though as I had evidence of another crime. In this case all we have is useless rumors.

 

[cassandrasdaddy]

whats your gut tell you to do? you are there you get a real read on this guy. trust that feeling

 

[ATBackPackin]

If you decide to do something, make sure you are doing because it is the right thing to do and not because you don't like him. Do it because violent felons are not allowed to have firearms.

First step would be to find out if he really is a convicted felon.

Step two is to show the police evidence that he is a convicted felon and that you personally saw him with a handgun.

Step three is to know that there is nothing more for you to do.

 

[Hanzo581]

No one is tell the guy to call the cops based off a rumor, it will take some simple searching around to find out about the guy.

 

[khegglie]

How will you like it when some butt head comes sniffing around your business, doing web checks and such , based on what joe told him?

 

[Old krow]

Ah yes. First to prove Godwins Law.

Those who subscribe to Godwin's Law wouldn't have been adamant about it 70 years ago.

Sorry, completely irrelevant.

It should be a matter of public record. It could create a hostile work environment. It could be nothing at all. It could lead to something far worse. Best to make an informed decision.

 

[BK]

But what if the guy IS a violent felon and you're telling him to mind his own business?

But what is the guy ISN'T a felon and you're assuming something that you have no business assuming.





Okay, your turn to spin the WHAT IF wheel again.

 

[Sunliner]

I am the op. I've read all the post and I appreciate the advise. I am a self professed 2nd amendment fanatic. One part of me says if the rumor is true he's paid his debt to society and should be able to own a firearm. The other part of me thinks the guy may be unstable. I decided rather than to approach the sheriff, I contacted the FAA. Anonymously explained a felon may be carrying a firearm on airport property. I'm not worried about being fingered because from what I understand he's bragged to anyone who will listen about what a sharpshooter he is with his new gun and how he never leaves home without it. Hopefully the rumor is just that and the egomaniac can have his gun. I just pray I have not done an injustice.

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

Do a web search.

If he really IS a felon, then an anonymous tip to the local LEO is in order.

 

[doc2rn]

I would contact local LE if he beat his wife bad enough to do a yr on a felony wrap he should not own a firearm. He has no self control, as previously evidenced, which could only lead to something catastrophic down the road. I would error on the side of caution. Grandpa always said an ounce of prevention was better than a pound of cure.

 

[BK]

I contacted the FAA. Anonymously explained a felon may be carrying a firearm on airport property.

You're stating that his firearm possession is an unknown, but his felony record is fact.

 

[Sunliner]

What's done is done

 

[BK]

That is true.

Only this shall pass.

 

[Gav-n-Tn]

I think I would do a little research and find out if the felony is real first. That should be public record.

Good answer. I'd want more than 3rd party hearsay to go on. The guy might be an idiot but that's a whole different thread. Gather some hard facts first. Arrests and convictions are public information and not hard to find. If you care that much, do the leg work.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[EmGeeGeorge]

Doesnt have to be a felon if he has dv convictions...

Call the cops, maybe they might not search his house but if they contact him he might get rid of the gun for fear of them getting a warrant...

I'm all for giving those who deserve it their due karma... and for the guy who said snitches get stitches, I hope youre kidding, that ghetto trash b.s. annoys me everytime I hear it.