handgun found in a public restroom

[M-Quigley]

I'm not saying who this happened to or where, but yesterday someone was impatiently waiting outside the door of a restroom at a gas station, when the guy inside opened the door and left. This person went inside and noticed a Glock handgun in a IWB holster. Thinking the gun belonged to the person who just left, he went out the door and ran after the guy. The guy was parked next to the building (in a no parking zone btw) and the car had governmental plates. When the good Samaritan yelled "Hey, Sir, wait," and had his hands in front of him palms showing, the guy spun around and reached into his jacket like he was going to put his hand on something. The Good Samaritan asked, "Did you forget something?" The guy had a look of panic on his face and ran back in the building. Since the GS still needed to use the restroom he went inside also. When the guy came out, instead of thanking the guy the jerk gave him a dirty look, like he was mad at the guy for catching him make a mistake.

The GS now wonders if he did the right thing in even telling the guy, that maybe he should've (after using the restroom since he really needed to go badly) report it to gas station or the police that a gun was found. The guy could've been a prohibited person, the GS didn't know until he saw the vehicle that indicated the guy might not be one.

Fortunately no one used the restroom in the several seconds it took to run after the guy and warn him, but it could've happened. If the GS had locked the door behind him the guy would've had to get a store employee to let him in. Now you might assume that they would easily be able to find a key but I once had an elderly relative who didn't come out after a long time and got no response from the door. I went to an employee and she had no clue where the key was, didn't seem to care either. Eventually one of the other employees called someone who helped them find the key. They only did that after I said "Okay, I'll just call 911 and have them get the door open."

The relative had passed out but was otherwise okay. Sorry, getting a little off track with this.

Anyway, opinions, thoughts?

[Brian D.]

I would have done my bathroom visit then put the found rig on my own hip. Not leaving an unsecured firearm behind for the next person* to find, might have been a little kid*.

What I did next would be after some careful thought, including considering just where I was. Not turning the gun over to anyone except law enforcement. A carefully worded call to a non-emergency number if I knew the number, otherwise a long, slow, calm, carefully worded call to the 911 dispatch. And I'd stay on the line until the responding officer saw me and was approaching slowly without being in "condition red" with his/her gun drawn or something.

*You weren't specific about the gender status of the restroom, so I was vague myself

[M-Quigley]

I would have done my bathroom visit then put the found rig on my own hip. Not leaving an unsecured firearm behind for the next person* to find, might have been a little kid*.

What I did next would be after some careful thought, including considering just where I was. Not turning the gun over to anyone except law enforcement. A carefully worded call to a non-emergency number if I knew the number, otherwise a long, slow, calm, carefully worded call to the 911 dispatch. And I'd stay on the line until the responding officer saw me and was approaching slowly without being in "condition red" with his/her gun drawn or something.

*You weren't specific about the gender status of the restroom, so I was vague myself

It was a traditional place with a separate men's and women's restroom.

[Brian D.]

Yours truly probably comes off as glib sometimes. But in all seriousness, I wouldn't have left the firearm unattended in the restroom. Not without unloading, disassembling, and taking at least part of it with me. (This presumes I know how, of course.) Heck with the negligent owner's feelings.

All those years in the fire/EMS racket, we sometimes stumbled across very serious life safety hazards at emergency scenes. If we had the knowledge/equipment to abate the situation, we did so without regard to anyone's ego. 'Yes, Principal Smith, we really DO need to get that old, discolored bottle of picric acid out of your building. Please let us do our job."

[M-Quigley]

Yours truly probably comes off as glib sometimes. But in all seriousness, I wouldn't have left the firearm unattended in the restroom. Not without unloading, disassembling, and taking at least part of it with me. (This presumes I know how, of course.) Heck with the negligent owner's feelings.

All those years in the fire/EMS racket, we sometimes stumbled across very serious life safety hazards at emergency scenes. If we had the knowledge/equipment to abate the situation, we did so without regard to anyone's ego. 'Yes, Principal Smith, we really DO need to get that old, discolored bottle of picric acid out of your building. Please let us do our job."

I come off as sarcastic sometimes, because I am sarcastic sometimes. Like my 1st thought in this situation regarding this situation is "free gun!"
Just kidding, of course.

If someone wanted to secure the risk while waiting for a LE response, and without actually touching the weapon, I think locking the door would've done it. (after using the restroom because the good Samaritan really had to go badly) I know I mentioned what happened with my relative but that was a possible medical emergency, while this would've only been an inconvenience to people for awhile. I'm sure if the staff couldn't find the key right away that they would find it eventually, like what happened to my relative, when properly motivated. If he had locked the door and ran out after the guy, then the guy himself could've approached the counter and asked for the key, claiming he accidentally locked the door and left something inside. He doesn't have to state exactly what, or he could lie and say his wallet might've fallen out if asked. Lying to a store clerk is not a crime. Maybe if he would've had to work and wait a little to get his gun back he might be more responsible the next time.

The reason the GS didn't lock the door when he ran after the guy was simply that he didn't think of that option at the time, he figured he could quickly inform the guy and no one was waiting outside the door. He hoped he could've caught the guy before the guy left the store, but he caught him just outside the entrance door.

[Brian D.]

Tell me it wouldn't have been fun to give that (presumably) absent minded fed or whatever his gun back, field stripped and ammo loose. A little karma payback for such things done to us by LE after a traffic stop when they insisted on using such methods in the name of "officer safety". "Sir, please do not reassemble and load that firearm until after I've driven off."