http://freakoutnation.com/2014/04/27/georgia-man-flaunts-gun-at-little-league-game-frightening-parents-and-children/
If you haven't already gone to the link above, I urge you to do so before reading any further. Listen to the video feed presented and read the article. All of the information needed to find any resolution in regards to this situation is presented.
If you've decided to copy and paste the link into your browser, I want to set this up for you.
Imagine going to your son/daughters Little League Baseball Game. It's a beautiful day for a ball game, and both teams are gathering on the ball field to warm up. In attendance are of course 12-14 kids on each time, maybe some of their littler brothers and sisters who are playing in the park, parents, a few coaches and at least one umpire. It is all that "Little League" is supposed to be.
As the teams are warming up, one parent notices a "suspicious" guy in the parking lot, and he has a holstered pistol. The guy is walking around a little bit and one, then another and even more parents call 911 to alert law enforcement of this suspicious man and his activities. (I believe the article says there were 22 calls into 911 dispatch.)
The news clip attached to the link depicts one mother who said that the man was "walking around flaunting his gun." She went on as far as to alter the way she was walking to look "imposing" like a guy walking around with a gun. She added something along the lines of, "Hey look! I've got a gun". (Important fact to remember is that the gun was holstered.)
This woman said that all of the parents were so scared that they rounded up all of the kids and brought them to the dug out (which was made of chain link fence... totally and completely penetrable) and then formed a human wall to protect the children.... Are you still with me?
Police arrive on the scene and interview the man. It turns out that the man had every legal right to carry the gun. He did have a permit to carry. He was not being intimidating or menacing (like the above lady would have you believe). He made no outlandish gestures nor made any offensive postures. Nothing the man did was illegal, so they rightfully let him go.
Now, I'd like to verify that I was not there so I don't know what really happened but I want to take a stab at a few things regarding the story. I played Little League for about 8 years. I was also fortunate enough to be a "Little League Dad" for an additional 6 years or so and loved watching my boys play ball. If any situation presented itself to be so scarey, so potentially violent... I would have grabbed my kids and as many others as I could have and made a straight line to the family truckster and hit the frigging road. NEVER in a million years, if I were so scared for my children's safety, the safety of the other kids and parents would I have gathered them all in one very confined place, (especially a chain link dug out) if I thought a mad man with a gun was going to cut loose and add another massacre to the nightly news. Me and mine would have been out like disco, baby. No looking back, either. Nobody's life is worth risking.
But as I look at this scenario unfolding, I see myself doing something completely different. I'm no hero, but I am a gun guy. If I saw this same man with a gun, not intimidating anyone, not being menacing, I believe I would have approached him. I believe I would have opened a dialog with this individual to try to get a barometer, some kind of feel for what I thought the guy was up to.
"Hey man, how are you today?" I would have asked. I would continue to pay attention to how the man reacted to my question, payed attention to his body language and waited for his answer. Maybe I am naive or maybe I am okay with my people skills. If he was calm, cool and collected, naturally I would be too. I see great potential for this conversation leading up to me asking the guy if he were a CWP carrier and would inform him that I was too. Perhaps in an effort to let the guy know that I was on his side, I would have asked what he was carrying. I'd probably add what I often carry, maybe even make mention of the preferred ammo I run through my carry gun. I would then tell the guy that I had a group of concerned citizens behind me, none of which appear to be pro gun/pro 2nd Amendment, that are a little nervous and would have asked the guy to either conceal with gun or maybe even try to convince him to lock the gun up in his console or whatever.
Could this go bad? Hell yeah! Especially if the guy had ill intentions. But from the information gathered, this guy was like you or I. Difference was, he is packing. (That is not a big deal for me, because I know he was packing. I've always been more concerned with the guns I could not see.)
Again, this man was breaking no laws. He was not intimidating anyone. He was not menacing or harassing anyone.... just a guy in a park. The cops showed up to check him out. He was compliant. No brainer, end of the story..."PLAY BALL!!!!"
Ever since I became aware of this story, I keep replaying in my mind the thought of this one mother, who was so scared. Why in the world did she not grab her kid and leave? She was obviously trying to protect her kid and perhaps others so much so that they gathered into probably the worst spot that they could have. But being so scared that you don't leave? I don't get it....
Growing up in Las Vegas, I had the misfortune to have been shot at 2 times in drive by shootings. One was at my high school and the other at the fair. Fortunately enough, I was not injured but you can bet your ass that I didn't just stand there! Duck and cover, get small, keep moving became my mantra. If I had an idea that this was about to happen, I'd have made like a fetus and headed out.
I've been discussing this situation with quite a few people. A lot of people are hung up on the fact that "this could have been bad", whereas I see it just the opposite and I believe the facts stand in my favor. Everything about this situation screams NOTHING HAPPENED. Everything about this situation says IT WAS ALL LEGAL. Yes the guy had a gun. It could have turned out bad, IF THE GUY HAD ILL INTENTIONS.... but he didn't.
I guess the thought of this man armed with a gun had the potential to create another massacre and it is too much to let go of. He was also equipped to be a rapist and that didn't happen either. Just a man in the park.....
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