A time and place for open carry

[ApexShootingTactics]

Last night there was an armed man who threatened to harm to himself and others then refused to come out of his apartment. As officers set up a perimeter, SWAT arrived and negotiations continued, there was an obvious police presence. Then a neighbor decides to grab his shotgun, exit his apartment and stand nearby to "protect his girl friend"..... By the way the shotgun was unloaded.

This guy almost won a Darwin Award. Lucky for him there were smart officers on scene. The primary suspect was later taken into custody and the prosecutor is looking at the incident of the "protective boyfriend" for possible charges.

Idiots like this give gun owners a bad name.

Thoughts? Should he be charged?

[Javelin Man]

He should be charged with violating a police order to stand down and go back into his apartment for there is no need to be outside the apartment with a shotgun to protect anybody inside the apartment. Of course, this is assuming the police don't open fire on him as well or, once they figure out the situation, tell him what's up and order him back inside.

[JustaShooter]

Assuming he was ordered to do so, would that have been a lawful order?

If not, or if he wasn't ordered to do so in the first place, then the only thing I can thing of that he is guilty of is multiple counts of stupidity, which isn't against the law.

[Six Shooter]

Depends on what the girlfriend looks like. Pics ?

[Cosmos]

I think the neighbor needs to be drug tested at his workplace.

[pirateguy191]

WTH was he going to do with an unloaded shotgun? And, I'm not sure I classify this as open carry in the normal sense that we think of. Would you think any different if he had a gun openly holstered on his hip instead of the shotgun?

[JediSkipdogg]

WTH was he going to do with an unloaded shotgun? And, I'm not sure I classify this as open carry in the normal sense that we think of. Would you think any different if he had a gun openly holstered on his hip instead of the shotgun?

But it's his right to stand on his front porch and hold a shotgun to protect his property as the militarized SWAT team barges into his neighbor's apartment.

(hopefully you all see the sarcasm there)

[pirateguy191]

WTH was he going to do with an unloaded shotgun? And, I'm not sure I classify this as open carry in the normal sense that we think of. Would you think any different if he had a gun openly holstered on his hip instead of the shotgun?

But it's his right to stand on his front porch and hold a shotgun to protect his property as the militarized SWAT team barges into his neighbor's apartment.

(hopefully you all see the sarcasm there)

Did I say it was his right to stand on his front porch and hold a shotgun to protect his property as the militarized SWAT team barges into his neighbor's apartment? Seriously, did I? Please re-read what I wrote.

[JediSkipdogg]

Pirate, you missed the small font at the bottom. It was sarcasm.

[steves 50de]

What's the point of going on the porch with an unloaded shotgun, he is lucky he did'nt get capped.

[pleasantguywhopacks]

Should he have to have permission to protect himself and her? No. I am sorry but this isn't a Beavercreek deal. A Officer must have in the back of his mind that someone may be armed defending his domicile.

[ApexShootingTactics]

Should he have to have permission to protect himself and her? No. I am sorry but this isn't a Beavercreek deal. A Officer must have in the back of his mind that someone may be armed defending his domicile.

I know you don't understand the full scope of the incident and scene but are you saying it is OK for people that live near an on going barricade subject incident to just show up in the LE perimeter with a long gun to protect their home? And when they do an officer just needs to somehow know that he/she is just there to protect their home?

[ApexShootingTactics]

No charges were filed.

A follow up interview was done and the subject explained his actions. The subject reported not knowing about the incident taking place or that LE being on scene. The subject's girlfriend was about to leave work at a near by business and when she discovered what was happening she called the subject and was hysterical on the phone. The subject reported he only understood that she couldn't come home because there was a man with a gun. So he grabbed the shotgun and decided to go see what was happening with his girlfriend and he ends up walking out into the scene.

So situational awareness almost got this man killed in several different ways.
1. He did not understand the threat/situation so his plan to deal with it was doomed to fail.
2. Shotgun was unloaded. He reported not knowing the condition of the weapon. Ben Franklin once said, By failing to prepare we prepare to fail. Check your gun and kit. That "click of death" will be the loudest sound you will ever hear in a gun fight.
3. Fail to call for help. We are not a rural community and cell service is great. No excuse not to call 911 and let them know what is going on. One, it may offer more information to the responder and Two it will let the possible responding officers know of your intentions/actions. In this case just calling 911 they would have been able to clue him in on what was going on.

[BEAR!]

Armchair quarterbacking.

[JustaShooter]

Armchair quarterbacking.

Call it armchair quarterbacking if you want, and you may quibble over some of the finer points, but by and large it was a fail on an epic scale. I mean come on, the shotgun wasn't even loaded.