Published on May 10, 2012 by usmcbess
Was burning some time on a walk in Washington. As usual I was openly carrying my Springfield Armory XD(M) .40 compact in my Blackhawk level III Serpa duty holster. I had a scary encounter with a state patrolman named Gibson.
I saw this before. This is actually an older video, but yea, the cops are a bunch of fat donut loving, gun-grabbers who abuse their authority and are looking for an excuse to make gun owners who are exercising their 2nd article rights, look bad.
Here’s a novel idea…. Instead of “investigating” a non-crime (open carry) how about officers larry, curly, moe and flip wilson informing the concerned callers that there is no crime (therefore nothing to investigate) in openly carrying a firearm instead of harrasing a law abiding citizen.
The cops kept saying that because they got calls, they had to investigate — that’s incorrect. That’s like saying, people were calling because someone was wearing a tie that clashed with his shirt, and that was a justification for an investigation.
Finally this was brought up, toward the end of video. That should have ended it with the observation that people can call all they want, but they should be told it’s a right, and no investigation needed. At the very least, the cops should have concluded their investigation when they saw it was just a guy with a holstered pistol. Instead, they kept running their mouths, insisting how justified they were, and potentially escalating to something much more serious.
The officer had a problem with him distracting people with rights being exercised. But, that’s precisely the point. The very fact people were ignorant enough to call the police, shows the exercise was valid.
He does not need a reason. That he is proud of his weapon, and/or his right, is reason enough.
That porkbelly’s going to make for a nice EXTRA large target for someone, once the SHTF.
I thought this guy’s actions were strange. It appears as though he set out to provoke some action, especially since he parked his car at the BP and decided to take a walk down a busy highway with a gun and a camera. He said he has taken his weapon into the BP and the Chinese Restaurant many times before. Why didn’t he just drive from the BP to the Restaurant… all the while keeping his gun on him as he has done in the past? I would wonder what he is up to also (but I don’t think I’d call the cops). He is being combative and it is uncalled for. This guy is way too early with his attitude. In this case, I thought the police were trying to remain polite. They did not say he could not have his weapon, they just responded to a call from some concerned citizens and were doing their job. I have seen some really ignorant police, but these guys weren’t like that. If open carry had remained popular throughout the decades, nobody would have called the police as people would not think of it as unusual that someone would have a gun but we have gotten away from that due mostly to the societal structure.
WTH: I disagree. As I recall, the cops were the first to show attitude. The very fact they were there justified any perceived attitude on the part of the citizen — and I didn’t perceive any unwarrented attitude from him.
I don’t think he was strange as you say, because, if anything, his rights exercise, was a political demonstration, validated by the very fact the police were called.
It’s unfortunate his father seemed to be siding with the police, almost implying the guy was unstable. I think the guy showed great grace by realizing the tenuousness of the situation, and deciding to just go along with him.
I say three cheers for the guy. But, it does show that if you do something like this, you’d better be prepared for bullshit, and have your heart, and mind in the right place.
This is why open carry sucks; “hey everyone, look at me, I have a gun, call the cops to harrass me”.
Here in Florida (concealed carry only, except for limited exceptions when camping or fishing), nobody knows nothing, even the cop who’s standing next to you.
I carry concealed. I find open carry in public to be attention-seeking behavior, for the most part, and many of those that do it are arrogant dolts. Believe me, it gets you noticed. Quickly.
It also screams “shoot me first” if the SHTF.
Unless, CCW is not an option — then, never mind . . . .