What benefits to open carry?

[FN1910]

I have a couple of questions about that Kennesaw story. BTW isn't that the town where everyone is required to be armed? leasantry: Anyway were the me arrested or is it just a case of LEO grandstanding and saying that a robbery was foiled? Second is there any proof that the men were actually going to try and rob the place? Otherwise it just looked to me like some fine upstanding citizens being targeted by a hysterical profiling crowd wanting to throw some people they didn't like in jail. :wacko: From what I can tell the men did nothing illegal. :sarcastic:

 

[Booga]

From what I can tell the men did nothing illegal.

Conspiracy to commit a crime is a crime. If you take significant steps to prepare to do a criminal act in conjunction with others, by the laws on the books, it is a crime in and of itself. It seems that the guys in question have admitted to doing so.

 

[NavyLCDR]

I have a couple of questions about that Kennesaw story. BTW isn't that the town where everyone is required to be armed? leasantry: Anyway were the me arrested or is it just a case of LEO grandstanding and saying that a robbery was foiled? Second is there any proof that the men were actually going to try and rob the place? Otherwise it just looked to me like some fine upstanding citizens being targeted by a hysterical profiling crowd wanting to throw some people they didn't like in jail. :wacko: From what I can tell the men did nothing illegal. :sarcastic:

From the article:

Meanwhile, conscientious Cobb County Police Officer D. Lowe had noticed suspicious cars sitting behind the restaurant in the dark and decided to investigate. He caught men with masks and rifles who had been preparing to rob the Wafflehouse. The criminals informed the police that they had changed their mind upon discovering armed customers and were waiting for Matt and J.P. to leave. Ironically, the police car was pulling in to the parking lot just as Matt and J.P. were driving away. In other words, had Matt and J.P. not been armed, the robbery probably would have occurred before the police intervened.

Doesn't sound like the police grandstanded anything. Sounds like a couple guys with masks and rifles admitted to police they were going to rob the place and then changed their minds. I've said it many times before and I will say it again.... "Don't volunteer any information to the police!" :sarcastic: If I told the police anything at all, it would have been that I was stopping off at the Waffle House for breakfast, prior to going hunting or target shooting, and there was a planned surprise party or some such other affair later on in the day/week that I was planning on attending.

 

[Shanester66]

Man this is a tough one...In my great state of PA...we are able to OC. I also have a CCW as well. I pretty OC in the summer a good % of the time because its just easier. To hot for cover garments and Im not doing smart carrys (to close to my junk for my liking) though I will sometimes pocket carry my LCP or PPK/S. My opinion is kinda middle of the road. People in PA, though its not done widely, in my experience dont bat an eye to OC. I have never been asked to cover my weapon or leave anyplace. I do believe that for most of the BG, seeing a gun on a persons hip is deterent enough to move on to easier prey. Especially on my hip being 6'4" 320 lbs with a 38" waist....not many people wanna start with me gun or not. BUT....element of surprise is also a good thing! For me, as long as I live in this state and the laws dont change, I will probably keep carryin the way I have always carried. Seems to work ok for me...your mileage may vary....stay safe everyone...no matter how you carry!

 

[FN1910]

I am just wondering why we are not all over the police for harassing people sitting in their own car minding their own business whether or not they are planning a robbery. If the police had investigated the men, questioned them and they had not told the police they were planning on robbing the place we would be wanting to file a harassment lawsuit against the police. If you were sitting in your car and the police came knocking on your window how would you feel? :wacko:

 

[marionandjohn]

I am just wondering why we are not all over the police for harassing people sitting in their own car minding their own business whether or not they are planning a robbery. If the police had investigated the men, questioned them and they had not told the police they were planning on robbing the place we would be wanting to file a harassment lawsuit against the police. If you were sitting in your car and the police came knocking on your window how would you feel? :wacko:

Harassment lawsuit for the cop responding to a suspicous car call? what if he hadnt responded to the call and brushed it off as nothing? We cant say darn if you do and darn if you dont. We need to say thank you for responding to what seemed like a bogus call. Kinda reminds me of Die Hard I when the cop goes to the tower on Christmas eve for what they thought was a stupid call and ended up being a terroist hiest. Just some food for thought.

I think we have had this discussion before and it goes with what I said before when the cops go on a fishing adventure they either get bites and reel em in or they waste alot of bait. This is one prime example why I have no problem with a cop pulling me over if me or my car looks suspicous to him or if he just wants to put his nose in my bussiness. I AM a legally armed law abiding citizen and have nothing to hide nor anything to fear from my actions. But when your sitting in the dark with masks and weapons thats pretty hard to explain and the cop is going to press you pretty hard. Cops cant catch the BG's in the act and hince why "police protection" is an oxymoron. They are there to investigate and clean up. Luckily this cop(s) got a tip on a suspicous looking car and probally approached the car at O'dark thirty thinking he was going to wake up a tired traveler to see what he was doing. I know I try to be as nice and polite to LE as I would be to my own father/mother. A smile and using sir/ma'am and thanking them for doing their job will get you alot farther then "I dont HAVE to answer that, I dont HAVE to show you that" etc...

 

[NavyLCDR]

marionandjohn,

Your argument falls apart with your first sentence. Read the article carefully, there were no 911 calls or other reports made to the police.

 

[marionandjohn]

marionandjohn,

Your argument falls apart with your first sentence. Read the article carefully, there were no 911 calls or other reports made to the police.

Well I stand corrected I thought I remembered hearing or reading about there was a phone call placed to police about the vehicle. I guess not but I still stand behind the officer doing his job.

 

[FN1910]

:laugh: NavyLT, should the cops have investigated or not? This is one of the things that makes forums interesting, on one hand we tend to give the LEO a break because of what the BG admitted and use this story to promote our cause yet on ther other hand we should be all over the LEO for invading the privacy of some fine upstanding people who had broken no laws. You can say whatever you want to about conspiring to commit a crime but that is a very grey area. The local K-9 Officer spoke at our Men of the Church last Tuesday night and I am sure that many people would have been very upset at some of the comments he made about how they have caught drug dealers by "profiling" to start with.

On a side not his dog was called "Bear" and that is one mean looking dog. He is a European German Shepard that weighs 105 pounds. If that officer tells me to stop or he will turn Bear loose I am going to stop! :no:

 

[tcox4freedom]

I think the cop did the right thing by investigating suspicious activity. There are certain things LEO's are trained to look for that fall under "Suspicious" activity:

Two cars idleing "behind" a resturaunt, bank or store when they should NOT be there are DEFINITE red flags!


If he did not do his job, they could have waited or returned "after" the OC'ers left.

It's easy for those that have not been trained OR experienced what it's like to be an LEO to Monday morning quarterback. But, these people really only appear to be trying to cause trouble by seeing problems where there really isn't any.

IMO; We need more officers like this on the streets.

 

[NavyLCDR]

No, I don't begrudge the officers for checking them out at all. And, in Washington anyway, the courts would probably have ruled that probable cause for a Terry Stop did exist given all of the circumstances... most especially the masks. Early morning at a Waffle House in possession of guns would not be probable cause, as evidenced by the two open carriers inside, but the masks, if in plain sight, probably pushed the situation over the line for probably cause.

I think everything turned out just fine inside and outside the Waffle House. Now, I am walking into Waffle House at 4:00 am carrying my normal handgun in my normal holster, police officer stops me, he isn't getting anything more than good morning, sir. Anything else beyond that I am going to explain that I am doing nothing illegal, that it is obviously a normal activity for me to be going in there at 4:00am otherwise they wouldn't be open at 4:00 am, and I would appreciate being able to eat my breakfast or drink my coffee without the benefit of their company.

 

[Booga]

...I would appreciate being able to eat my breakfast or drink my coffee without the benefit of their company.

I would appreciate being able to eat my breakfast and drink my coffee and ENJOY the benefit of their company without an interrogation. Substitute with "without having to play 20 questions" as ones humor desires.