Carry your AR from your vehicle to your house, meet the local PD

[Perd Hapley]

Guy was coming back from the range.

http://www.newspressnow.com/news/local_news/city_briefs/article_4dc618ee-1cae-5021-8da8-f166e8137f6b.html

This was in St. Joseph, Missouri, of Pony Express fame.

[Fitz]

I was confronted in San diego by the police once for the heinous crime of walking from my house to my car with TWO rifle cases. Some lady called the cops and reported "man with a gun." I have no idea how they got there so fast.

[T.O.M.]

I had that happen once back when I was living in an apartment...some busybody called the PD when she saw me carrying a rifle case and ammo can to the car.  Turned out just fine, and ended up chatting with the responding officers about Army bases we'd all served at, showed off my guns, etc.

[birdman]

I always fear this happening...when I go to the range, it usually takes a few trips from door to truck with cases, cans, etc.  given our over criminalization I don't want this to lead to a search that, even though I do everything possible to make sure I haven't done anything illegal, could turn up something and cause legal problems. 

If someone calls the cops because I'm carrying CASED weapons and ammo cans, THAT is a problem.

In this case, the caller reported a "man with a gun"...and it appears the dispatcher and responding LEOs didn't get further clarification, ie "is he pointing it at someone?" "does he live in the neighborhood?". Does he look familiar? Etc.  the resulting LEO response was extreme, if the article is accurate, especially given that it was the dude's HOME. 

[HankB]

Makes me glad I have an attached garage, even here in TX - it helps one to be discreet, since for a range trip you can load up the truck behind closed doors.

When I was growing up - in Chicago, of all places - there was no problem with walking out to the garage with cased guns. But then again, we knew our neighbors a lot better back then than I do now.

[Harold Tuttle]

guitar gig bag FTW

[Perd Hapley]

Calling the cops about a rifle case? What is this I dont even... 

[BryanP]

Wow.  I guess this means I have to load and unload the trunk inside the closed garage to be safe?  *sigh*

[MechAg94]

I generally keep my truck in my garage so I can load/unload out of sight of neighbors.  To me it is more that I don't want to advertise having items of value.  I doubt I would have police troubles down here though.

IMO, for the cased rifle story, if the cops don't also go to the person who called it in and at least threaten to arrest them for a false report, they aren't doing their job.

[MechAg94]

Mr. Cross said when he came out to have a cigar, there were at least six guns pointed at him and police and sheriff’s units were also on the roof of the LEC and at a neighboring house.

This sounds to me like the cops were about ready to do a forced entry when he happened to step back outside.  He is probably lucky there was no "accident".

[zxcvbob]

Calling the cops about a rifle case? What is this I dont even... 

They are not afraid of the rifle case, or even think anything is illegal.  They are angered by its existence and are calling the cops as a passive-aggressive way of punishing you.

[Tallpine]

I don't even recognize what apparently most of this country has become.

I open carry all over the neighborhood.

[AJ Dual]

They are not afraid of the rifle case, or even think anything is illegal.  They are angered by its existence and are calling the cops as a passive-aggressive way of punishing you.

Pretty much this.

Not uncased, but I've loaded rifle cases and ammo cans in and out of my car on the sidewalk, not even blocked by being in the driveway etc. and have had nary a complaint for the past 12 years I've been there.

[RevDisk]

guitar gig bag FTW

I picked up a Body Glove guitar case on clearance.  Prefer it to firearm cases.

Last interaction with the police, I was armed.  Primarily with an M4gery.  I was extremely descriptive to dispatch and put the rifle down when I saw the police car.  The officer was very supportive of owning firearms, very professional. 

Problem is nosey neighbours and incomplete descriptions given to responding police.

[Jim147]

St. Jo was always a decent place to work when I had that route. Seemed like being in the country most of the time.

Maybe LE overreaction to a callers overreaction due to current events?

jim

[MechAg94]

Problem is nosey neighbours and incomplete descriptions given to responding police.

I agree with this, but IMO, the cops should be having pointed conversations with the people calling this stuff in. 

[BlueStarLizzard]

They are not afraid of the rifle case, or even think anything is illegal.  They are angered by its existence and are calling the cops as a passive-aggressive way of punishing you.

This.

Noisy busy body neighbors with issues is one reason i'm glad I live in a place where, if they can see me, they are trespassing.

[TommyGunn]

.....IMO, for the cased rifle story, if the cops don't also go to the person who called it in and at least threaten to arrest them for a false report, they aren't doing their job.

Threatening them is a bit too much for the first time.  It should be explained to the caller that "John Doe carrying a rifle case from his car to his house is not a cause to call the cops.  Please don't make a similar call in the future. Thank you and have a nice day."  That's about how it should go.  No reason to be heavy-handed.  The first time.

[geronimotwo]

living on a street with busy-body neighbors is a two edged sword.  i have gotten a phone call from the couple across the street when a friend was sitting in his car eating a sandwich.  i am also sure that if my daughter was hanging around downtown without parental supervision that we would know about it before she got home.  that said, no-one is calling the police for me shuffling a gun to and from my car.  was the guy new to the neighborhood?

[Physics]

This makes me laugh a little. When I lived in the Pearl in Portland (yuppie community and probably the most liberal part of Portland), I would have to park on the street, generally not in front of my apartment.  When I would go to the range, I didn't ever want to leave anything in the car on the street, so I'd do everything in one giant load. 

I would walk down the street with at least 3 rifles (usually more like 6) strung across my chest (all of them EBRs) and a backpack full of ammo.  I always got the weirdest looks as I'd make that block and a half trek to the car.  Nobody ever called the cops, but one lady got really scared one time and asked me not to shoot her.

[Jamisjockey]

All my neighbors know I'm the gun guy.  Hopefully that will prevent any stupid calls to the police.
Of course, this is also Texas.....that said, most of my neighbors are transplants of some kind or another. 
This reminds me, I need to get my semi-liberal neighbor out to the gun range. I'd venture he's never shot a gun before.
I've already taught the  couple on the other side of me (conservative but not real gun people) to shoot right....and have them talking about buying something more than the little bersa they have now.
Can't wait to show off the EBR when I finish building it.
 

[brimic]

Never been hassled.
When I go to the range its not one or two rifle cases, its a trunkload that needs to be carried in and out.

[Devonai]

Let's see, since I got my first firearm, I've lived in:

Massachusetts: 6 years
Southern New Hampshire: 3 years
Connecticut: 6 years

I've never been approached by anyone while transporting weapons, though I don't think I've ever tried to move a naked rifle.

[Monkeyleg]

I have a photo somewhere of my brother in the mid-1950's. He's kneeling in the side yard with his new rifle and scope shouldered, pointing at something across the street. This was in Flint, MI, not some small town. Nobody said anything to anyone, as it was what everybody did when they got a new rifle.

[MechAg94]

Threatening them is a bit too much for the first time.  It should be explained to the caller that "John Doe carrying a rifle case from his car to his house is not a cause to call the cops.  Please don't make a similar call in the future. Thank you and have a nice day."  That's about how it should go.  No reason to be heavy-handed.  The first time.

Overreaction on my part perhaps.  I guess I have seen too many of these stories where someone calls police and the victim who wasn't doing anything gets hassled or worse.  I never hear about the people making bad reports getting hassled.