Pointed a gun at a kid with an Airsoft.

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I worked at a gas station the hoot owl shift; I had a lot of officers come in for coffee. I was talking to a captain and he told me when he was on patrol they received a call of two suspects "car shopping". When he got into the area 12:00 a.m. or so he saw two "dark" individuals breaking into a vehicle. They booked; He exited his patrol car and began chasing on foot. One of them stopped and pulled out a hand gun and pointed it right at him. He drew his gun and ordered him to drop the weapon. (I would have probably open fired at this point). But the kid put down the gun and was soon in custody. I don’t remember if they caught the other one... But it turned out to be a BB gun and all the captain could say was he couldn’t believe how someone could be so stupid he could have blew that kids sh_t everywhere! But what do you do?
All over whatever money you had in your cars middle council, or maybe a stereo?????
 
Blank guns are even worse, the only orange on most of them is inside the barrel. So unless the gun is pointed right at you, you might not even notice it. About 4 years ago I walked on my front porch to kinda clean my blank 1911 Replica, A little bit later a cop car pulled up, my dad just told them it was a blank gun and they left.

So what would you do if you saw someone walking around firing a gun but it just turns out to be a blank gun? Tricky situation.
 
Guy in black with AR

I haven't seen too many of those. The few I have seen were either SWAT or SEAL teams.

So.... I can't agree that a guy in black with an AR can automatically be considered a threat. Judgement is still required.
 
About 4 years ago I walked on my front porch to kinda clean my blank 1911 Replica, A little bit later a cop car pulled up, my dad just told them it was a blank gun and they left.
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So what if it would have been real? It was your own porch! Or are they outlawd where you live?
 
I would hazard a guess that a large portion of armed robberies involving firearms where I am are perpetrated by people with Airsoft guns.

I mean it is a pretty easy way of getting cash, just walking into a place with an airsoft gun and demanding cash. Most people will take you very seriously.

In the UK the cops shoot a lot of innocent people because they have items that may look like a firearm. Over here it is more likely the guy with the airsoft gun will get shot because he doesn't put down the gun in an attempt to escape.

That actually happened a few years ago in a bank heist. Three men all with airsoft guns attempted to hold up a bank and armed cops stormed the building. Two of the guys surrendered their airsoft weapons while another one used his to try bargain for a way out. He was shot dead.
 
Kid got killed in central Florida last year

I don't remember whether it was airsoft, but he had a Beretta 92 replica at his middle school. Threatened students and teachers with it, then barricaded himself in a restroom across the hall from a classroom.

Unfortunately, everybody thought it was a real weapon.

SWAT team responded. The kid (14yo 8th grader, I think) was killed by a single shot.

Of course, all the usual letter writers complained that the cops shouldn't have shot the kid, since the gun wasn't real. But you have to wonder what they'd have written if SWAT hadn't responded, the gun had been real, and the kid had started firing into the classroom across the hall.

OTOH, I had a friend who, as a deputy in southern California, ended a real school shooting by tackling the kid (shooter) in the rest room. He didn't want to shoot a kid, and it turned out well. No deaths. But my friend took a major risk.

I had another friend, a marine who was working as a reserve cop in Riverside, who didn't think the gun a kid was pointing at him was real, until it went "bang." Luckily, the vest stopped the bullet, but my friend still took some liver bruising. The kid was 13, but was a junior member of a gang, and my friend and his team were arresting some of the gang members when this happened.

Cool as they may look, realistic looking toy or airsoft guns are a fatal accident waiting to happen.
 
In this day of kids with REAL guns committing REAL crimes, youngsters with toy weapons playing shoot-em-up is a recipe for disaster. It's just a matter of time. Should it be that way? No. But it's like the motorist who just got creamed in the intersection that had the right-of-way. He was right... dead right. It is better to be safe than sorry.
 
But it's like the motorist who just got creamed in the intersection that had the right-of-way. He was right... dead right. It is better to be safe than sorry.
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He was right, dead right as he sped along.....but he's just as dead as if he'd been dead wrong.
 
Wild, I dont know how well 911 is up in your neck of the woods, but around most parts of the continential US, 911 is not a reliable source of help. There are numerous incidents in wich people call 911 and get put on hold for obscene amounts of time while they or people they know are raped and killed.

Its the type of thinking your advocating that keeps people from acting to save others, they just dont get involved. People need to be responcible for their protection and be good decent people and help others when they see some imminent threat. That kid was a threat, he was carrying a realistic looking gun.

Its this horrible POS attitude of dont get involved, dont grab your gun and defend someone, dont do the right thing that is screwing the American people of the very morals that defined us as apeople for over 2 centuries.

Wildalaska, fact is, 911 is not reliable. Period. Its gotten to the point, thanks to understaffing and underfunding that people need to take care of themselves and to help those around them. Cuase they cant expect the police to do it for them. Besides, the gov't has already said they have no real duty to protect individuals, only society as a whole.
 
Just to add to the post, I really dont know how i would have reacted since i dont have a long gun. If it had happend around here, i would have drew my pistol, and had it down at my side while i figure out WTF was goin on. Now if i had a AR with some form of magnifying glass, i would have considered using the optic to get a better view of the kid. Weather or not i would load it would depend on the situation, or if it was already loaded and chambered with the safety on when i put it in the closet.

Lets look at this from another angle, if those guns had been real, we would be hailing him as a hero for shooting down 2 urban shooters. Had they been real, he would not had time to call 911 and be put on hold and hope someone answeres intime to save the neighbors and himself. He would have been the only person who could have acted. He would have been a hero.

All things considered, he did ok, he did what every American should do when faced with a potential threat of him self and his neighbors. Good people help others, and saving someones life is one of the greatest acts of love and kindenss one can have.
 
There are numerous incidents in wich people call 911 and get put on hold for obscene amounts of time while they or people they know are raped and killed.
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There ar numerous instances of lightning killing folks but we dont wear lightning rods.

Its the type of thinking your advocating that keeps people from acting to save others, they just dont get involved.
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Total misinterpretation of what I and others have posted.

People need to be responcible for their protection and be good decent people and help others when they see some imminent threat.
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Is that a rule of strategy or tactics. And isnt the issue here "threat"?

hat kid was a threat, he was carrying a realistic looking gun.
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OK...lets make this clear...in your view, anyone carrying a gun is a threat? I hope you don't support open carry :cool:

Wildalaska, fact is, 911 is not reliable. Period.
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I think you are missing the point in this entire thread.

WildnicepolemicthoughAlaska TM
 
All things considered, he did ok, he did what every American should do when faced with a potential threat of him self and his neighbors.
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Id hate to have you living near me, especially when I cant find my AR case on range day:D

WildishootbackAlaska TM
 
Bad call pointing a gun at him! call 911 and get the family to cover. You did nothing to protect your family
 
Here is my take on it a threat presented itself, said person armed himself with a loaded weapon(good on you) and from there reassessed situation found that it was no threat( family is safe and protected) there was no need for 911 but if threat was real I believe 911 would have been dispatched and the family would have been moved to a safer location.

If someone enters your yard or that of a neighbor and they are armed then personally you should get a weapon and go to condition one until you have identified them as friend or foe.

My take is if **** really hits the fan then call 911 and put up resistance to bad guy(s).

Well done sir on not shooting the perp with the airsoft.
 
Had the threat been true and the perp started to shoot his way into a home and all you did was call 911 an entire family could have been wiped out before the police arrived, you did good.

Carl 11ACR
http://www.3rdhowitzerbattery11-acr.com/

Allons
"Find The :censor: – Then Pile On" George S. Patton the 3rd 1968
The idea of an automatic weapon is to set up a wall of fire, accuracy is not the objective.
 
Yes, but....

... while I don't disagree with readying a weapon, that's light-years away from scoping a person with the rifle.

Keep a pair of binocs or a separate scope stored alongside your rifle, so you can use that, and not scope around the neighborhood sweeping your muzzle over everything and looking like a sniper.

Frankly, if I saw one of the neighbors looking around the neighborhood through a riflescope, I'd call 911 about HIM...

As far as the guy flaming WildAlaska, WA isn't saying never take action, he's saying call 911 before or as you take action. That way, if you are taken out, somebody is still able to respond. Note: This is what they taught us for sentry duty, as well, except it was make the radio call prior to engaging, just in case you aren't victorious.
 
Where did he say that he was scopepng around the neighborhood?

He saw an armed person dressed all in black walking away from a vehicle he didn’t recognize, he then ID that person as non hostile he then lowered his weapon and observed from inside his home, a 911 call was not needed.

Not only did he do the right thing he also prevented making a false alarm.

Hesitation on target ID is just as bad as jumping the gun and I commend his judgment under stress.
 
He identified the airsoft using 9x mag on his riflescope

That is scoping around the neighborhood, in my book.

You don't identify hostile vs non-hostile through the riflescope, if you have any other option. An AD/ND while performing the ID would be disastrous. Also, if the kid had noticed that he was being looked at, then what?

If the OP didn't have binocs or a separate scope available at that time, then he should invest in some now.

I'm amazed that several posters here seem to think this was a sound practice. It's fundamentally opposed to anything they would teach military or police, which is probably why you'll notice that most of the vets posting here are saying, "hey, that wasn't a good idea."
 
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