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

[Hawkmoon]

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. 

I have had this debate on more than one "gun" forum, and I am always astonished that I seem to be very much in the minority in thinking that dispatchers should at the very least ask any MWAG caller "What is the man doing with the gun?" When the answer comes back, "Well, he's carrying it from his car to the house across the street" in an ideal world the dispatcher should just tell the caller there's nothing illegal about that, and hang up.

However, apparently in many jurisdictions dispatchers are not allowed to think, and in those jurisdictions if they get a MWAG call they MUST dispatch an officer. Even so, I can't help thinking that the responding officer(s) might be well served to be informed if the call is about a guy eating lunch with a handgun in a holster on his belt, or if it's a scruffy-looking guy waving an AK-47 over his head and shouting epithets at the local mosque. Unfortunately, in far too many jurisdictions the ONLY available response to any MWAG call seems to be sending in the full SWAT team. I guess if the department gets all that grant money to outfit and train a SWAT team, they need excuses to justify having a SWAT team.

What better excuse that a "Suspicion of engaging in lawful behavior" call?

[Tallpine]

apparently in many jurisdictions dispatchers are not allowed to think

Or not capable of thinking :(

We continually get fire pages for "fire at 123 Dusty Road" when that is just the location from which the fire is seen and reported.  Then we get several more reports from disparate locations, all looking at the same fire 20 miles away from different directions.

A few weeks back, I called in on my cell phone and reported smoke (turned out it was an ash laden dust devil on the burned ground from the big fire in June) and told her I was on horseback on So-and-so's ranch.  She relayed the message to our fire chief that the fire report was on "Horseback Road" 

[French G.]

Well in VA, even when I was in the city it's legal to walk down the street with a slung rifle. Beware our version of assault weapon tho, bigger than 20d mag not good in big cities. I once famously told a cop shop dispatcher, while reporting a burglary in progress, "If you get a report of a guy with a rifle, that's me." 

And I almost made the news  day. Lived on a corner in a one block wide neighborhood, two main N/S streets with side streets. I head out my door with 3-4 slung long guns, couple of long gun cases, range bag, all in prep for a big day at the range. And there is a marked cruiser blocking my street. Ooookay. Peer down to other end of block, same same. Not good. Officer Friendly hasn't looked my way yet so I ease back inside and start figurung who called me in and why. It took a bit before I realized that I had forgotten the president was in town, christening of CVN-76 was underway next door in the shipyard.

[RocketMan]

I suspect that in many of these cases, the 911 caller indicates early on that they are fearful of the MWAG, and it's then "off to the races".  There won't be any follow-up questions about what the person with the gun is doing, is there threatening behavior, etc., to determine the legitimacy of the call. The troops with the toys roll and the fun begins.

[gunsmith]

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.

 

I sometimes dress only in sneakers after a shower and dry off in the sun

[BlueStarLizzard]

 

I sometimes dress only in sneakers after a shower and dry off in the sun

I will admit to occasionally taking advantage of a passing rain storm whem the power is out and I need a shower...

[Tallpine]

I will admit to occasionally taking advantage of a passing rain storm whem the power is out and I need a shower...

[Monkeyleg]

If that's your place, can I come to visit?

[Fly320s]

Guy needs a hair cut.

[Hawkmoon]

I suspect that in many of these cases, the 911 caller indicates early on that they are fearful of the MWAG, and it's then "off to the races".  There won't be any follow-up questions about what the person with the gun is doing, is there threatening behavior, etc., to determine the legitimacy of the call. The troops with the toys roll and the fun begins.

Correct.

And that's exactly the problem. Heck, want to rob a bank? Bribe some kid you've never seen before to open carry an airsoft pistol or BB gun on the other side of town. The entire force will respond to the MWAG call, leaving the bank neighborhood with zero coverage.

[seeker_two]

I will admit to occasionally taking advantage of a passing rain storm whem the power is out and I need a shower...

Better angle....

[AmbulanceDriver]

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.

As a fellow Portlandite (thankfully, in the suburbs!) I can picture this, and it makes me laugh my butt off...  :)

[zxcvbob]

I will admit to occasionally taking advantage of a passing rain storm whem the power is out and I need a shower...

How often do those three events converge?

[Scout26]

I would say that A) could easily cause B), and therefore she would have to C) !!!

[Marnoot]

Better angle....

Fabio?

[RocketMan]

As a fellow Portlandite (thankfully, in the suburbs!) I can picture this, and it makes me laugh my butt off...  :)

As a former Portlandite I can picture this, and it makes me laugh my butt off...

[Perd Hapley]

As someone who's seen several episodes of Portlandia, I can picture this and it makes me 

[MrsSmith]

Cable and phone hooked up this morning in rental house, finally, so I'm sitting here catching up on APS before I head out to a couple meetings. See something moving out the window and glance out, man with a fishing rod on one shoulder and a long gun on the other shoulder is walking down the road. That was half an hour ago, no police car has gone by after him, nor is one likely to.

This is one reason I love Georgia.

[Tallpine]

...

This is one reason I love Georgia.

You escaped Commiefornia ?   

[Perd Hapley]

Cable and phone hooked up this morning in rental house, finally, so I'm sitting here catching up on APS before I head out to a couple meetings. See something moving out the window and glance out, man with a fishing rod on one shoulder and a long gun on the other shoulder is walking down the road. That was half an hour ago, no police car has gone by after him, nor is one likely to.

This is one reason I love Georgia.

The Wild, Wild South. I've been scouring the internet, but there are no news stories on this. How many people did he kill?

[Fly320s]

The Wild, Wild South. I've been scouring the internet, but there are no news stories on this. How many people did he kill?

Who? The cable guy or the phone guy? My bet is the cable guy; those guys are wacky.

[MrsSmith]

You escaped Commiefornia ?   

Yup. And have had a pistol on my side since I cross the CA/AZ state line.

The Wild, Wild South. I've been scouring the internet, but there are no news stories on this. How many people did he kill?

Hold your breath and wait for it.

On another note, when I met the landlord here, an older couple, the only question he had for me was, "You have any weapons young lady? Woman alone ought to be armed. You do? Good. You know how to use 'em? Good."
Also found out that a couple friends here have been doing a little subtle work to make sure I'm left alone. Guy who handles issues with the water system came by the other day to make sure all was working right and he said, "So word has it you're a NRA instructor. I reckon ain't gonna be nobody messin' with you, seein' as how they're likely to get themselves a belly full o' lead."

I didn't bother to correct him that I'm not yet a weapons instructor. Had to smile though.

[RevDisk]

MrsSmith, about as awkward as a very nice young FBI agent asking if I was armed.

"Uhh...  Yea, I have one or two..."
"Good. Be sure to keep up on your range time."

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Given that there are 65 to 80,000,000 gun owners in America and far less than 1 out of 400 are gun criminals, the vast majority of gun owners are law abiding citizens: there should be some police education on dispatching Man With A Gun calls (list of pertinent questions) and some accountability for false reporting MWAG.

Reporting MWAG on someone carrying a gun case and ammo can from their home to their vehicle is moonbatty hysteria, and ought to result in the dispatcher suggesting the caller chill out, 911 is for real emergencies not manifestations of hoplophobia.

Given the phenomenon of "SWATting" (calling police anonymously or with faked name or using spoofed phone and reporting "murder in progress" or "pot smell coming from premises") to prank one's enemies, I wonder if bogus "MWAGging" will be the "prank" call of the future?

[MrsSmith]

Reporting MWAG on someone carrying a gun case and ammo can from their home to their vehicle is moonbatty hysteria, and ought to result in the dispatcher suggesting the caller chill out, 911 is for real emergencies not manifestations of hoplophobia.

Given the phenomenon of "SWATting" (calling police anonymously or with faked name or using spoofed phone and reporting "murder in progress" or "pot smell coming from premises") to prank one's enemies, I wonder if bogus "MWAGging" will be the "prank" call of the future?

Folks who call out SAR needlessly end up paying for those services in some cases, if I'm not mistaken. Maybe we ought to charge these idiots for dragging the cops out on needless calls too. Hit 'em in the wallet - it's something they all understand.

MrsSmith, about as awkward as a very nice young FBI agent asking if I was armed.

"Uhh...  Yea, I have one or two..."
"Good. Be sure to keep up on your range time."

 

And you kept a straight face?