Would you call the cops?

[Gimmered]

The 1000 ft bufferzone include college campus. I live less than a block from our college. Last year a neighbor came home from the range and was proudly walking around with his rifle not realizing he was violating federal law while he was off of his property. Apparently it was called into our local PD as the dorms were put on lockdown until they figured out what was going on.

 

[the_hustleman]

I'd politely, yet carefully ask the guy if he knew it was illegal. If he knew, then yes I call.

If he didn't, I'd recommend he put it away before the next guy isn't nearly as nice.

*swyped from the evo so excuse any typos*

 

[JustinJ]

Quote:
Quote:
I would not call the police, but I would keep a watchful eye on him. As long as it stays strapped on his back, it isn't posing a threat to anybody. When he reaches around and starts to raise it is when I would worry.

And at that point, the cops are too late.

Well...so what? How is this different from any other person you'd see with a firearm outside of a shooting range or hunting field? Aren't they just one small step away from the cops being "too late?"

Its different because there is a rational reason for said person to have an AR15 outside a range or hunting field. Walking down the street near a campus...not so.

For those who say they would not call, what if he was walking towards a school in which you had a love one attending or working at?

A person technically has the right to walk around with a ski mask on his face but common sense dictates he probably has nefarious intentions unless there are ski poles on his feet. Same thing with an AR over the shoulder on a city sidwalk.

 

[NavyLCDR]

Its different because there is a rational reason for said person to have an AR15 outside a range or hunting field. Walking down the street near a campus...not so.

For those who say they would not call, what if he was walking towards a school in which you had a love one attending or working at?

A person technically has the right to walk around with a ski mask on his face but common sense dictates he probably has nefarious intentions unless there are ski poles on his feet. Same thing with an AR over the shoulder on a city sidwalk.

There is a large group of people who say exactly the same thing about people who walk around with holstered handguns...permits or not.

In response to your question in the middle paragraph, my answer in post #23 still stands.

 

[JustinJ]

There is a large group of people who say exactly the same thing about people who walk around with holstered handguns...permits or not.

Yes, they do. But there is a strong counter in that a holstered handgun is a suitable weapon for self defense given that LE carry them around on their person, unlike AR15s.

 

[ny32182]

The answer is going to vary based on the situation we all see in our heads, which is going to be different for every person, in terms of what they imagine.

I can tell you that had I seen a guy heading through the middle of campus with an AR openly displayed during my days at Clemson (assuming he wasn't part of an ROTC formation), I wouldn't have to call the cops, because the other few hundred students within visual range already would have. I'd be rapidly getting as far away from the area as possible. That has nothing to do with my support or lack thereof of the 2nd amendment, or any other idealistic goals for society; it has everything to do with the fact that the practical reality of that place and time is that any sane individual would know that in that context and place, the only result of openly carrying a rifle in that fashion is going to quickly result in something between getting arrested, and getting dead.

If I see someone who I know is well armed and doesn't care about getting arrested or getting dead, I don't want to be anywhere in the vicinity for whatever is going to transpire in the next ten minutes, because any way you cut it, it is not going to be pretty.

 

[Agsalaska]

I support post #31.

 

[Sam1911]

Sam, I'm not particularly interested in the law in this case.

I think that's the point I was making. An armed person appears to make you nervous. If he happens to be in a 'gun-free' zone, you see that as an convenient means to eliminate his presence, making you feel safer.

If he's out on the street where it happens to be legal...well, that's too bad, I guess. Maybe you could follow him and see if he jaywalks. You could call the cops then and have him removed.

I carry for self defense. If I am allowed to carry somewhere, and I see someone with a gun, I'm not that concerned unless I see him draw, because I know I have an equal option to defend myself. That's the difference. It's that, in this situation, I don't have a gun, and he does. If that's because I chose at random not to carry, then it's my fault. However, if it is because I was following the law, then yes, I would be afraid.

So you wouldn't be afraid unless the reason you weren't equally armed was that the law said you couldn't be? The presence or absence of the law itself is what defines whether you are safe or in danger?

I guess I did miss the part about road...if he's not on campus property, then I wouldn't see an issue. If he was, then I'd personally be worried.

How could you NOT see an issue? He has a RIFLE. He could remain safely off campus property and kill people over 300 yards inside campus! Doesn't that worry you?

 

[Sam1911]

The 1000 ft bufferzone include college campus. I live less than a block from our college. Last year a neighbor came home from the range and was proudly walking around with his rifle not realizing he was violating federal law while he was off of his property.

No, the federal Gun Free School Zone Act(s) do not cover colleges and universities.

The term “school” means a school which provides elementary or secondary education, as determined under State law.

 

[Sam1911]

Its different because there is a rational reason for said person to have an AR15 outside a range or hunting field. Walking down the street near a campus...not so.

NavyLCDR gave a couple of perfectly rational reasons.

I spent MANY days carrying rifles across more than one college campus back in the day. Now, I don't believe any of them were ever uncased, so folks would have had at least a 3-second extra warning had I decided to uncase them and kill me some folks.

Are we so deluded as to think there's some magic involved in whether a rifle is cased or slung?

Like I said, I'm more worried about all those HIDDEN guns. Aren't they SCARY?

 

[Agsalaska]

You are making the assurtion that carrying an AR-15 on a college campus is rational. First, I do not for a second believe that someone would actually carry an ar-15 on the street slung over his shoulder without knowing whether or not it was legal. I just dont buy it. The reason guys do it where they can is because they can. But you better believe they know whether or not they can do it. If they dont find that out in today's climate there is something wrong with the, So making that assumption, which in my mind is a fair assumtpion, the guy either A. There is somethign wrong with them or B. He knows and doesnt care. Either one of those instances would be reason to worry and call the cops.

You cant sit there and twittle your thumbs and act like everything is normal all day long with an AR-15 in an area it was legal. But if you are somewhere that it is not legal than people will and should call the cops on you.

 

[fatcat4620]

Is there a mag in this rifle?

 

[Isaac-1]

There is a case going on now here in Louisiana where a guy was caught open carrying a handgun (which is normally legal) in the parking lot at an event center while a public festival was going on. His bad luck is he did not know the event center is owned by the local university not the city, etc. (it is located a mile or so away from their campus and the name does not directly imply the university) which made it a firearm free zone.


To answer the question, yes I would probably call, most likely either the guy is seeking attention, means harm, or has permission

 

[Old Shooter]

As long as it stays strapped on his back, it isn't posing a threat to anybody. When he reaches around and starts to raise it is when I would worry.

At this point, if he is a bad guy, somebody is going to die.

If he is a good guy, what's he gonna do, shoot a woodchuck?

I'd call the cops and let them sort it out.

 

[JVaughn]

No. Not my business. Just a man exercising his 2A rights.
If I passed him, he passed and armed man too - he just didn't realize it.

 

[buck460XVR]

I tend to agree with Agsalaska. Ain't many folks out there that own guns that don't know they are illegal on campus grounds. If one knows this and still open carrys, he knows he is gonna get called out on it and in some cases may WANT to be called out on it. If they are that uninformed and don't know the law, then they deserve to be questioned by LEOs and suffer the resulting consequences. As a gunowner, you are responsible to know know what is legal or not, ignorance of the law is no excuse. Saying there may be a legitimate reason for a average citizen to have a uncased gun on campus is ridiculous......there IS no legitimate reason. So said the Police Chief at the University where my son goes during parent orientation. Not calling the cops because you don't agree with the law is your choice, but don't try to disguise it by claiming "oh well, odds are he has a good reason". If the gun toter does turn out to be the next Virginia Tech shooter, I wish you good luck living with yourself.

 

[zxcvbob]

Yes, I would call the police. We are a nation of laws and are bound by them. This is what separates us from Iran, China, etc, where the law is meaningless when government officials kidnap and execute or imprison whoever they want whenever they want.

The rule of law must be adhered to.

Whenever I hear someone like Obama (or Bush) or someone else in power saying "Nation of laws, not of men" in a speech, I know he thinks he's personally above the law and he's talking about everybody else.

Anyway, in the scenario as it was presented I would mind my own business. And I would hope the rifleman would give me the same courtesy if a gust of wind blew my shirt up and my CCW was exposed.

__________________
"The law is a ass" -- Mr. Bumble, from Oliver Twist

 

[jerkface11]

Yes you should always call the police when you see a tyranical unjust law being broken. Remember "if you see something say something".

 

[Ankeny]

The answer is going to vary based on the situation we all see in our heads, which is going to be different for every person, in terms of what they imagine.

I agree. Based on the situation I see in my head I would call the police on a non-emergency number just as an informational item.

 

[AABEN]

You will get all kind of answers and WHO is wright???

 

[robMaine]

Whether I called or not really depends on the gut feeling I would get. No matter what I would probably leave.

Regardless of arguments of legality, our constitutional rights and whether or not I think it should be socially acceptable to carry a slung rifle, there is one fact. In our country currently, carrying a slung rifle across a populated area/campus is NOT socially acceptable and everyone knows this. This tells me the person is either up to no good, completely oblivious to laws and social norms, or looking to make a statement/attention. Either way they are not someone I want to be around with a loaded gun.

 

[Teachu2]

Situational awareness is paramount in this decision, and we all color the scenario according to our perceptions. I fully support gun rights. I'm also old enough to have hunted dove before school and locked my 12ga in the trunk of my car in the high school parking lot. When I was in college, I had a CCW - and carried on campus, with the knowledge and consent of the State Police officers assigned to the campus. They even allowed me to store guns in their lockup when I lived in the dorms. When I started teaching high school in 1996, it was still legal for me to carry at work!

Times have changed. Nobody could have imagined Columbine, VA Tech, or the DC Sniper in 1980. Now such incidents inspire other tortured souls to aspire to do the same.

Rights come with responsibilities. The right of free speech doesn't mean that I'm free to slander anyone, anywhere, anytime, or to yell "Fire" in a crowded theater. The Second doesn't give us the right to carry in a prison, courthouse, or commercial airliner.

Anyone walking down a street in the vicinity of a school - or shopping mall, or sports stadium - openly carrying a gun and expecting to not draw the attention of law enforcement is delusional.

 

[tomrkba]

Is the man breaking the law? It seems not based upon the description given. A slung rifle is like a holstered pistol and is completely safe. His behavior is not alarming.

There is no reason to call the police.

 

[wep45]

live and let live

 

[Millwright]

I'll give everyone, instead, a "real world scenario" I participated in when I was in college in the Sixties. It, too, had a "gun ban" . It also had guns in significant numbers in dorm rooms - male and female alike - as well as a lively trade in guns ! Target shooting/plinking was a regular activity at several "on but off" campus dorms, one of which was adjacent to - and in full view - the college President's house !

No one got shot or killed ! I do recall one student getting temporarily detained by the FBI when boarding a flight out of Washington National he responded to the CA's question regarding the weight of his carry on package with "its a German submachine gun" . (During his scheduled layover he visited a milsurp dealer in D.C. and bought a dewat MP-40 . The FBI took possession and shortly delivered it to his home in NJ with no problems !)

IOW, the question posed is unanswerable given the limited data presented. The individual might well be an ROTC member enroute to an activity . He could equally as well have been a "dog hunter" hiking over to a buddy's in order to go out ! IOW, just because what you see is "unnatural" to your experience it isn't necessarily threatening or unusual to that particular location. >MW