Saw a boy walking with a gun

Last night on my way home from work and it was about 10:30 pm and it seemed so odd that I got a very bad feeling about it. He wasn't wearing hunters orange and where he was walking he couldn't have been hunting anyway because there are alot of houses by that little area. And he was carrying the gun, which was either a rifle or a shotgun, with his hand on the trigger and that's very odd. And you can't hunt that late at night anyway and its not safe to be shooting in the dark. And it was all so strange that I called the cops just to be on the safe side and they thought it was odd as well. I described the man the best I could and they said they would look into it not sure if they did or not but atleast I know I did my part. My dad said he might have been afraid some dogs were going to eat him up but still most normal people don't go walking with a gun in hand that late at night. So was I right to call the police and report this man. Because something inside of me told me that something was wrong with this picture. Now my dad says it was none of my buisness. Same as when I seen a couple with a flat tire I called the cops and asked them if they could give them some assitance. He says they could handle it theirself. But they were parked at the entrance of the road and hadn't really gotten out of the main rode that well and it looked like a couple of women and some children and I would rather the cops stop to help them then some crazy man or worse. Just the same as I would rather the man walking with a gun be nothing more than walking but if he is out to do something bad maybe calling the cops will stop him before he does something bad.

Um, I would TOTALLY call the cops too...You NEVER know what people are up to..he could have been crazy and on his way to kill someone or something..

I would if I saw that here, especially considering noone has guns in Canada

You were right to call the police! Gut instincts are something that I believe that one should always follow. You could have saved someone's life!

As for your father saying it was no one business, that's just plain wrong. I know if I would have denied my instinct and found out that the kid shot someone I would feel a tremendous amount of guilt. You did the right thing sweetie.

ahhh! tha's scary!! i think you were totally right in calling the cops!!! you never know what people are going to do! i would have if i saw that here...this is st. louis...

Always trusts your instincts, you did the right thing.

It was a good thing you call the cops. Its kinda creepy that a guy would be carrying around a shotgun in a residential area.

If he would have been in a wooded area and at a different time of night I wouldn't have gave it a second thought but it was threw a little stand of houses and it was 10:30 and here that's late we pull up the sidewalks at 8 no later than 9 here only nursing home workers, factory workers, and people in restraunts like Mc Donalds are out that late.

Originally Posted by Tavia'smom

Because something inside of me told me that something was wrong with this picture.

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That's it right there. You were right. and you know it. Don't listen to your dad (about that), sometimes people, esp older men, are really into privacy and minding your own business to the point that it's almost bad. My dad is like that too. I would have called the cops and locked the doors and windows and sat in my bathroom with the door locked while I called. I also would have called for the women with the car.

Who knows, maybe you prevented something awful or helped the cops catch a criminal. Better safe than sorry!

Incidentally, I call the cops if I so much as see someone who looks out of place hanging out near my apt building. As do my neighbors. As a result, in one of the top three highest robbery/burglary areas in Columbus, we don't have any problems.

A little story: When my brother in law first came down here (ky) to live with us for awhile he bought a rifle to go hunting. He didn't drive (Has no license) so he had to walk home with it. Now this was only a block or two he had to walk and he was carrying it in a safe position. But people start to freak saying theirs a mad man w/ tattoo's running down the street with a gun.. They totally took the stereotype of a tattooed long haired man and made it sound like he was dangerous.

My point. Is if your going to report him make sure your just not freaking out. It could have been a play gun? It's not bad to have the cops come check it out. But make sure not to do it because your afraid or it's just a site you do not see everyday. Most of the time there's a perfectly legit answer to everything.

Originally Posted by SalemWitchChild

A little story: When my brother in law first came down here (ky) to live with us for awhile he bought a rifle to go hunting. He didn't drive (Has no license) so he had to walk home with it. Now this was only a block or two he had to walk and he was carrying it in a safe position. But people start to freak saying theirs a mad man w/ tattoo's running down the street with a gun.. They totally took the stereotype of a tattooed long haired man and made it sound like he was dangerous.

My point. Is if your going to report him make sure your just not freaking out. It could have been a play gun? It's not bad to have the cops come check it out. But make sure not to do it because your afraid or it's just a site you do not see everyday. Most of the time there's a perfectly legit answer to everything.

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That is true, however, when the police came and talked to your brother, they got to the bottom of it and realized that there was a perfectly legit reason, right? As you said, the cops come check it out, make sure everyone is safe, and the issue is resolved. Much better that your brother was asked a few questions by the police than a bunch of people saw someone walking down the street with a gun who was not your brother, and was instead a crazy person about to go on a shooting spree, and did nothing.

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

I would

if I saw that here, especially considering noone has guns in Canada

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Ain't that the truth. We have a bigger listing for used video game stores than we do for gun shops.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

That is true, however, when the police came and talked to your brother, they got to the bottom of it and realized that there was a perfectly legit reason, right? As you said, the cops come check it out, make sure everyone is safe, and the issue is resolved. Much better that your brother was asked a few questions by the police than a bunch of people saw someone walking down the street with a gun who was not your brother, and was instead a crazy person about to go on a shooting spree, and did nothing.

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Actually no. They did arrest him. Not sure their reasoning was though. It was something stupid and it got thrown out of court. This is a small town. So they totally freaked out. It wasn't just one cop coming to check it out.. It was the whole squad with their guns out. They made him get on the ground and they arrested him. Again, not sure what their reasoning was. And I'm sure since it got thrown out there was some repremands.

Originally Posted by SalemWitchChild

Actually no. They did arrest him. Not sure their reasoning was though. It was something stupid and it got thrown out of court. This is a small town. So they totally freaked out. It wasn't just one cop coming to check it out.. It was the whole squad with their guns out. They made him get on the ground and they arrested him. Again, not sure what their reasoning was. And I'm sure since it got thrown out there was some repremands.

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Oh wow! I'm sorry, I didn't realize he was arrested! Sounds like your cops need some serious training I can't imagine what the reasoning was either, unless it was for inducing a panic or something...

I would have called the cops too, but like others said no one really has guns in Canada. I once went to the cops because I saw a guy laying on the floor of a bank at midnight and he didn't look like he was breathing. I was so afraid he was just pretending and then he was going to rob me that I went back out to the car and made my boyfriend walk in with me.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Oh wow! I'm sorry, I didn't realize he was arrested! Sounds like your cops need some serious training

I can't imagine what the reasoning was either, unless it was for inducing a panic or something...

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It might have been for disturbing the peace or something. Again it was thrown out with no charges. We always get the newbies straight out of cop school. They get some experience here and then they move on to bigger and better things. Our little town can't afford to support them really so I don't blame them. I'd probably do the same in their situation.

I agree that calling was the right thing to do. If the guy had a legitimate reason to be there and was the kind of person that SHOULD be carrying an unconcealed weapon around like that surely he appreciated the cops doing their job and asking him a few questions.

On a side note hubby and I were debating whether or not to call the cops on some people last night too. We were leaving a movie theater up in Hollywood at midnight and were DEEP inside a subterranean parking garage stuck in traffic. Everyone was trying to leave at the same time.

Two of the cars in front of us were all young girls in club attire jumping out of their cars and being drunk, flashing a video camera, blasting loud music, stumbling around, and drinking out of LARGE bottles of vodka. We didn't have cell reception so we didn't call, and changed our minds once we finally got out of the garage. Would you have called?

I grew up in the South and if I saw that happen, I'd be just as weirded out by it as you. If I saw that here in IL, I'd call 911 immediately. Guns in the suburbs just aren't for hunting.

Originally Posted by emily_325

I agree that calling was the right thing to do. If the guy had a legitimate reason to be there and was the kind of person that SHOULD be carrying an unconcealed weapon around like that surely he appreciated the cops doing their job and asking him a few questions.

On a side note hubby and I were debating whether or not to call the cops on some people last night too. We were leaving a movie theater up in Hollywood at midnight and were DEEP inside a subterranean parking garage stuck in traffic. Everyone was trying to leave at the same time.

Two of the cars in front of us were all young girls in club attire jumping out of their cars and being drunk, flashing a video camera, blasting loud music, stumbling around, and drinking out of LARGE bottles of vodka. We didn't have cell reception so we didn't call, and changed our minds once we finally got out of the garage. Would you have called?

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Was the driver drinking? If so yes I'd call.

Originally Posted by SalemWitchChild

Was the driver drinking? If so yes I'd call.

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Not sure. One of the reasons we didn't call. But either way it was a MAJOR open container violation. Anyway...not meaning to thread highjack.

Originally Posted by churchi4cubs

I grew up in the South and if I saw that happen, I'd be just as weirded out by it as you. If I saw that here in IL, I'd call 911 immediately. Guns in the suburbs just aren't for hunting.

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I don't live in the suburbs. I live out in a rural area but the road that I have to take to get to my road has grown in rescent years and although we don't have alot of houses we do have quite a few for my area and he was walking through the middle of them and was a good mile from any wooded areas and most of them have backroads that have a house at the end of them and its all private land through there. And that's what got me concerned. And he didn't look like he was all that old either but it was night time and I just saw him as I passed by.