Legal but Ignorant and Plan Old Stupid

Behavior and actions matter. Yes, highly unusual, but he did not appear threatening in the short video. I am not stating your actions that you would take are wrong. If you believe it is a danger and you should leave, that is what you should do. I did state in my edit that I scutinize everyone that I see with a firearm, and that situational awareness is key.

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That’s the thing to me. Highly unusual and in this brief glimpse I don’t see anywhere near enough information to show that he isn’t a threat. Therefore I would have to lean towards assuming he very well could be.

But I really am curious. Not trying to be argumentative. Would you not go on high alert if you saw someone walking down the street with a two handed grip on their drawn pistol even if you saw no other threatening body language from them?

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A pistol is different than a rifle. I believe what you are describing would constitute branishing or threatening behavior. Secondly, as I stated, use situtational awareness. If you believe you are in danger and can get away, then do so. I scrutinize everyone, and those visibly carrying or exhibit behaviors that make me notice them more, I look more carefully at. Again, as I stated, that includes LEOs.

When I was at Lobby Day a couple of weeks ago, there were many OC, and likely more CC. I look at behaviors, facial expressions, etc. There were quite a few with full kits. They were probably the least concerning to me. Unlike when I was at the Richmond show about a week prior to that. People coming in carrying in various poor methods. Thankfully, they are not allowed to have loaded arms in the building.

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Imo, part responsibly armed citizens is making wise decisions. Practice, education, knowing when to act and how. To me, while he didn’t break the law, given the current publicity firearms have gotten from MSM , and the edge everyone is on due to the uptick in violent crime recently, I don’t personally consider this a wise decision. Some may say we can’t let public view control our rights. Some may say that we have to be more subtle in our actions concerning our freedoms. Neither is wrong, but you and your surroundings decide what is appropriate. In California, you’re probably asking for trouble doing something like this, but rural Texas, you’re probably fitting right in. What is considered wise is not universal, and we have to keep that in mind especially when the MSM is painting firearms as the axis of evil to anyone that will listen.

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Meanwhile in AZ

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I just don’t see a difference between walking around with a shooting grip on a pistol or a shooting grip on a rifle. I think they could both be considered brandishing. Especially since most brandishing laws are very subjective.

I’m a big fan of situational awareness. It has saved my butt on several occasions. Lots of open carriers here in AZ. I size them all up and look for indications that they are or are not a threat. But someone with a firearm in a shooting grip could make your day very unpleasant in less than a 1/4 second. There are probably many sociopaths out there who could do it with a smile on their face. So I think someone with a shooting grip makes for a far more imminent threat than someone with a holstered pistol or a slung rifle.

I would not blame the person who saw that through their window for calling the cops. That seems like unusual and suspicious behavior to me.

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I can’t speak to rural Texas but I don’t think that behavior would fit right in here in gun friendly rural AZ. I have certainly never seen it.

But the behavior in @Karacal ’s post is an every day occurrence here. This is likely just the first time the stalking lady actually noticed after the hundred or so times she unknowingly walked by an open carrier and the countless times she walked by a concealed carrier.

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In the little town I grew up in south Texas it is still a common occurrence to see rifles in the back glass, people walking their fields on the side of the highway dove hunting, and a healthy amount of oc. Guns are just part of life there. No one got scared by the sight of a gun that I knew of, and in a town like that, word of mouth spreads information faster than Twitter, face space, and Instagram can even dream of.

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When I lived in Vermont it was common to see kids or adults walking down the side of a forest or field side road with a rifle or shotgun over their shoulder or loosely in there arm on their way to hunt deer, pheasants, squirrels or rabbits. People open carry in the stores here in Northern AZ all the time. Most people don’t notice or don’t care.

But I have never seen anyone walking through a neighborhood here in the US carrying a rifle in a ready to shoot grip acting like they are on the lookout for something they might need to shoot. I saw that done by police in crime ridden areas in Central America and TV footage of war zones or people defending their property from looters. The way this guy was carrying reminded me very much of those situations. So to my mind he was probably either looking for trouble (either to cause it himself or to prevent someone from imminently causing some) or more likely he was trying to provoke a reaction from the people who saw him.

I think a significant portion of people seeing him carrying that way would find it at least a little intimidating.

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I would be worried if I saw someone out walking down a residential sidewalk with a rifle in their hands

I wouldn’t want myself or my family anywhere near this person.

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I attended high school in the early 60’s in CA. Drove a '51 Chevy P.U. everyday. Gun rack over back window. Rifle in gun rack. Never an issue with anyone.

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Exactly. He is very much out of place. If I and mine were walking and saw this – must increase distance, go behind cover, etc. Call 911, naturally.

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If I was carrying like that and noticed a person following me around; I would start to think s/he wanted to steal my pistol. I would then turn around and see what she was doing.

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