and to be perfectly honest, my Bull Crap O'Meter is sounding loud and long about this.
If she's worried about the kids, why isn't she calling the police or youth services?
Something is wrong with this one.
DEAR MARGO: We have a neighbor who we feel is unhinged. We have concerns not only for our safety, but for that of our other neighbors. "Joe" loves guns, and there is nothing wrong with that, but his use of them verges on the fanatical. Joe likes to hold target practice in his backyard. My husband, who is certified as a firearms instructor, tried talking to him about the hazards not only to Joe's children but also to others. Joe's shooting target is only 20 yards from where his children play, and they are in the yard playing when he is shooting. Joe ignored us. My husband had our attorney send Joe and his wife a letter telling them they needed to stop, since some of the bullets were coming onto our property. He refused. In fact, the next time he went out to shoot, his wife pointed a video camera at our kitchen window, yelled obscenities and gave us the finger. Meanwhile, Joe is shooting away. And I don't mean standing-still shooting; I mean rolling on the ground and then shooting from a prone position. He dresses in black and carries his handgun around all the time -- and brags about it. Should we contact the authorities? My husband is thinking of trying to reason with Joe again, but I am terrified. What do you think?
--- SCARED OUT OF MY WITS IN NORTH CAROLINA
DEAR SCARED: I think Joe is a head case with firearms and fantasies. Tell your husband to forget reasoning with him; Joe is missing the wherewithal. The first thing I would do is find out if this nut job has a permit to carry firearms -- since that's what he's doing. Then bring the whole matter of Joe and his backyard firing range to the attention of the local police. If they are unresponsive, try the local DA or the attorney general's office. I asked a federal judge's law clerk for guidance, and here's a little, pardon the expression, ammunition for you: "North Carolina General Statute 14-34.1 prohibits the willful or wanton discharge of a firearm into occupied property. The little shooting range might also qualify as a nuisance/breach of the peace that the attorney general's office could file suit to abate under General Statute 19-2.1. There may, of course, be local ordinances that more specifically prohibit the reckless discharge of a firearm."
