This is a discussion on Seattle incident stirring debate within the Open Carry Issues & Discussions forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; Ladies and gents, thre wss an open carry incident Sunday 8/21 in Seattle at Green Lake, and it might interest all of you. I'm looking ...
Ladies and gents, thre wss an open carry incident Sunday 8/21 in Seattle at Green Lake, and it might interest all of you.
I'm looking for some feedback on this. Please give it a read and lemme know what you think.
Green Lake open carry incident Sunday stirring debate
Green Lake open carry incident Sunday stirring debate - Seattle gun rights | Examiner.com
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It iritates me that people are affraid of what they don'y know(the caller). In Kansas we are allowed to open carry, but not everywhere which makes the law hard to follow. I hope KS will eventually allow open carry everywhere and take away the authority of local governing bodies to not allow their citizens to open carry. I have not open carried in places I know I'm allowed for two reasons. 1. It scares the sheep. 2. I like the element of surprise when the BG says your money or your life.
I do believe many people open carring can and would detour crime, and violence.
Anticipation of Death is Worse Than Death Itself.
Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God;
From the description of the article, it seems to me the dispatcher is at fault here, really. The caller didn't realize that what the fellow is doing here was legal, but it's not up to your average citizen to have the entire legal code memorized. But the dispatcher should have handled this without calling for LE response:
* 911 what's your emergency?
- There's a man with a gun at Green Lake.
* Is he threatening anyone?
- No, he appears to be walking with a woman, talking.
* Is the weapon in his hand?
- No, it's on his belt.
* Is he behaving in a threatening manner?
- No, just walking and talking.
* Thank you for calling, if he's not threatening anyone or behaving erratically, there's no law being broken or any threat to public safety, he's okay.
- Oh, you mean it's legal to carry a gun around on your hip?
* Yes ma'am, as per state law, there's no prohibition against it.
- Oh, okay, thanks. Bye.
Livewire for Mayor of Seattle!
I wish it were that simple. Alas.....
I really don't see an issue here. Someone who is not familiar with the law calls 911 with a MWAG call. 911 dispatches as is their job. LEO respond as is their job. They ascertain the man is breaking no law and explain it to the complainants, then depart. It doesn't appear anyone was harassed.
Freedom doesn't come free. It is bought and paid for by the lives and blood of our men and women in uniform.
USAF Retired
NRA Life Member
I agree with Archer51. Although I would prefer there have been no 911 call, this was a well handled situation IMO. I wouldn't file a complaint with the PD either, perhaps just speak to them regarding 911 dispatchers and protocol.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."
Thomas Jefferson
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Did the local media cover the Open Carry BBQ?
If they did, then the 911 caller must be living in a cave.
I think the 911 operator should have asked more questions of the caller, but I don't know how much flexibility they have to resolve caller's concerns without dispatching a cruiser.
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Anyone know how long the interaction between the officers and the OC'r was? If it was reasonable and not long and drawn out, there's less of an issue. If it was drawn out, personally I would start with a formal complaint. If the results were satisfactory to me, that's as far as it needs to go.
I'm not a big fan of disarming, then hiding the gun till the officers can leave either.
I prefer to live dangerously free than safely caged!
"Our houses are protected by the good Lord and a gun. And you might meet 'em both if you show up here not welcome son." Josh Thompson "Way Out Here"
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I guess what strikes me as odd is that the caller called 911 rather than another police non-emergency line. I guess some people do not understand that 911 is for emergencies only... Not so you can tell the dispatcher that McDonalds under-cooked your fries...
"I've seen things you people wouldn't believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched c-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain."
- Roy Batty
Well lets see.
Woman calls. LE responds. Makes contact. Finds no problem. Clears call.
So lets file a complaint, sue/bring charges against the lady caller, sue/claim harassment against the department. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....What to do?
There is nothing to prevent police from responding to a “man with a gun” report. Indeed, they might be considered negligent for not responding, even if it appears from the initial report that someone is simply minding his own business while exercising his legal right to bear arms. Seattle is one of several departments that have issued training bulletins about Open Carry, and a policy is clearly spelled out that includes establishing the full nature of the call.
Seems like local LE is on board with the program and simply make contact, determine it is in fact a simple OC situation and leaves. What else do you want them to do.
"A first rate man with a third rate gun is far better than the other way around". The gun is a tool, you are the craftsman that makes it work. There are those who say "if I had to do it, I could" yet they never go out and train to do it. (WETSU)
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Unfortunately dispatchers are civilians (in Utah anyway, not sure about Seattle) and don't have the authority to short that type of complaint. I've brought it up to our chain to see if there's any type of policy, questioning or response change we can make for OC since we get a fair number of MWAG calls for OC. That's kind of a tough line to walk on liablity for the department if a civilian were to close out what turned out to be a valid call prior to dispatch.Originally Posted by livewire9880
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You are all missing a major point here--this incident originated in the Seattle area. Seattle = hippies, yuppies, and urban-scared-of-guns types abound there. I grew up in the Pacific NW. When I was a kid, it was unusual to see a pickup that did NOT have a gun rack in the back window, with at least one long-gun in it. This is no longer the case, esp. with the larger metropolitan areas like Seattle and Portland.
Of course there was a 911 call--after all, guns are EVIL (don't you know this--why, just everybody knows this)and therefore anyone who openly carries one has to, by local definition, be a bad guy and up to something dangerous.......
Scott, US Army 1974-2004
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.
- Ronald Reagan
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