Would it unsettle you to see a person carrying a gun on the sidewalk?

I am a firearm enthusiast and I would find it unsettling to see someone walking down the street with a gun like that.

Unsettle me? I’d phone the police immediately. Legal or not, That’s scary and dangerous.

If he is a responsible gun owner and he just happened to buy a gun for protection (and a made a mistake of showing his concealed weapon) I would be afraid that if I called the police that I would basically be giving him a death sentence.

Well seeing someone other than relaxed police/security/military with gun in hand downtown would have me be very alert to try to read the situation. If I thought anyone around me had a gun in hand/ready and they seemed like they might be thinking about using it, I would be concerned.

Even if open carry is legal in the area, at this time, anyone with a firearm in hand, in public, is making a statement that I probably don’t want to hear.

Yes, it would unsettle me.

Yes – I don’t live in an open carry state and I never see anyone carrying a gun. To see someone with a gun in hand would upset me greatly.

You see a panther walking down the street. Would you just think “aww, what a cute kitty cat going on a stroll”?

After reading these responses, I feel guilty for not calling the police…

But what would the police have done anyway?

If it’s an open carry state, I don’t think there’s anything they would have done.

Absolutely. I do not live in an open carry state.

The wording in your description would probably prejudice many into responding as you apparently wish them to respond. And bravo, they have responded in agreement.

What do you mean by “handling” a revolver? In what way was the weapon being “handled”?

You used the term “aggressively walking away”. What, exactly, does that mean? Does it mean that he was walking away from you, from the intersection, or from some other person, place or object? And in what way was he “aggressively walking”?

You said that he was “still holding” his gun. Did he have a holster for the weapon? Did you look? Or was your mind made up as soon as you saw the man with the gun?

If the man had been pointing the weapon at a person, a vehicle or building (or something else likely to have people inside), and particularly if he had a finger on the trigger, or was cocking the weapon (assuming it had a hammer and was a double-action revolver), or if he had a facial expression that displayed anger, or if he was shouting, incoherent or in some other way apparently out of control or enraged, then… sure, I’d feel unsafe in those conditions or others like them.

But “man with a gun” doesn’t particularly frighten me. I presume that many of the people I meet or pass by every day are armed, whether I know it or not.

I don’t care if it is an “open-carry” state or not, I would call the police.

Gosh, @CWOTUS, most of us probably responded to the question as asked and simply interpreted the details as @rockfan‘s description of and concern about what they personally saw and felt.

Geez

By “handing the gun” I meant that he was visibly holding a gun and probably trying to conceal it, I agree that my wording wasn’t the best. And by “aggressively walking away” I meant that he was walking fast and in a hurry, and also irritable. And yes, he was still holding the gun.

I’m perplexed as to why your answer was so hostile.

@cwotus Quite the interrogation.

Yes. Under those conditions I would be “Unsettled”. Open carry or not, in public a gun should not be handled unless it is going to be used. I don’t care if you are just showing it to someone, or cleaning it, or checking to see if it is loaded, In public a gun should not be handled unless it is going to be used.
That kind of action can be considered “Brandishing” which is an offense in most states.

I’ve lived in at least three neighborhoods, where it wasn’t uncommon to see people carrying guns on the street…

Sure it was unsettling…

Yes, I would find it unsettling. having a CC permit means just that, your weapon is concealed, not being fondled in public or brandished about. If the person was simply re-arranging their weapon in their holster that would be a different story, but, quite frankly, if you need to adjust your holster you should probably do it in a concealed area not strolling down the sidewalk in broad daylight. I’d probably call the cops too, just to make sure the carrier was licensed to carry and to have them be told they should not be brandishing their weapon in public without good reason.

Yes I would. But Karma is a bitch. He flash it at the wrong person and he’s toast.

I live in a very right wing area, and I’m surprised I don’t see it more often.
When I do, I always leave.
I knew policemen who said they never unholster their gun unless they plan to shoot, and only shoot to kill.

An unholstered gun is a gun that is probably about to get used. That is something that needs to be reported. That’s not normal carry behavior.

I will be frightened by a Mastiff, because its attack is unpredicted. But a man, whether he is equipped with a gun or not, will not be a threat to me so long as he has a normal and calm mind. There are different. By the way, please excuse my terrible grammar.

It’s really a stupid law, that someone can carry, openly, in public. I’ve been around guns, since I was a little boy. I could be considered a enthusiast.

But having a weapon in public places, in the open is reckless, irresponsible, dangerous, and stupid. The people who used to open carry in my neighborhood were not educated in proper forearms use. If someone is, but still does this, they are an idiot that should be stripped of the right/privilege.

I’ve seen these losers carrying A-R’s in restaurants. Bunch of fucking idiots.

It shouldn’t be legal.

If you need a gun on your hip, or in hand to feel safe, you should move…..

@Dutchess_III What does that mean?

IMHO allowing to open carry at public places is foolish. Who are they protecting themselves from? What if the weapon is accidentally fired and someone gets killed? Won’t the state be responsible for allowing it in the first place?

@Gideon2017 He’s just inviting other insecure assholes like him to take the chance to prove what manly men they are and shoot his stupid ass.

Yes.

Oh yes. Very. Right that moment I would now that my chances of making it out alive of a bad situation will be slim to none.

I remember in one of my classes while attending grad school, I had an assignment and I had to illustrate my views on gun control. As a foreigner I had to use a number of examples from countries, both industrialized and not, and I found several cases worth exploring. The one that my classmates, all of them U.S. citizens, found almost unbelievable was this. (I could not find the exact same video, it was part of a series).

In my home country, guns are outlawed now, however, there is a very active black market. Criminals are often very well armed, are in general guns are seen as a sign of imminent danger if the carrier is not an officer of the law.

When guns were not outlawed, I had one, I was very proficient at using it, and although I never had to fire a shot to defend myself, I always regretted getting one in the first place just because I knew that I could take a life if I had to.

No, it would not be unsettling. Anxiousness, within this context, would only be experienced because of a potential threat. Someone handling a gun whether still or walking isn’t a potential threat. It would be a threat if he was aiming it at me or someone else.

With this point in mind, 911 calls are for emergencies only. If you were to report this man to the police using reasons like handling a gun and walking aggressively in an open carry state, you will likely to be reprimanded by the police for calling in a non-emergency.

The guy didn’t do anything illegal so why call the police? I agree with what @kenwor said.

I was seen carrying a gun in my neighborhood and somebody called the police. One of my neighbors told me about it. It was a BB gun a friend of mine had given me to clean and I was just walking down the street with it in my hand.

Texas has gone full crazy with the license to LARP. You can walk right up to the capitol and it used to actually be faster to get inside with a gun than without.

We get guys like this (photo gallery), just hanging out with their guns, downtown in a major metro area. Because, really who knows when they’re going to come for your guns, better to not leave them unattended, I guess?

As far as calling the police or doing something about it, my shortcut is to replace the gun with another weapon. I think a machete makes sense. Some people see a machete as a weapon, others see it as a tool, but everyone agrees it can be dangerous. I think some of the problems come in when people carrying guns forget that they’re weapons.

Would I call the police if a guy with a machete had it sitting up against his chair at Starbucks?... probably not. But if he sits down next to me, I’m probably leaving.
Would I call the police if a guy with a machete had it strapped to his back walking down the street? No.
Would I call them if I saw him holding it and walking off with purpose in a place it didn’t belong, which sounds like your situation? Maybe, I guess it would really come down to feel and how much I actually saw. I think people observe more than we can describe, and if you were panicked, that might be enough for me.

For what it’s worth, the police departments around here did videos like this one with some guidelines.

It would seem odd to see someone walking down the road carrying a gun in their hand. I have seen many people with guns in holsters and haven’t worried in the slightest. I wasn’t there so I don’t have the full picture. Could he have pulled his gun out to check something on it? I don’t know. Walking away aggressively to me indicates he suddenly walked away quickly. Again, I don’t have enough information. Could he have just remembered he had an appointment and had to get to it? Could he have seen someone he wanted to shoot? I just don’t have enough info. But if he had no holster and was just carrying a gun around, yes, that would seem odd to me.

I’m in the UK and if I saw a guy with a gun in public I would call the police.

I’ve spent half my life in places where people were carrying guns on the street.
You sort of get used to it.
Plus, I had one too. That helps. A little.

I like guns, the craftsmanship that goes into a well made gun, I have enjoyed all kinds of target practice, hunting, and competition shooting, I have never felt that I needed one for protection against humans.
So yeah again seeing some one walking down the street with a gun like that would unsettle me.
And the good ole USA is the best country in the world to live??
Really??

Maybe, yes. Unfortunately around here carrying a gun in public could mean you’re a gang member. That said, I literally can’t think of a time when I saw someone walking around with a gun visible (other than police, but holstered. I’ve never seen the police with a gun in their hand).

I saw a man with a holstered gun once in a government building where a no firearms sign was posted at each entrance.
I reported what I saw.
The man was confronted, and nothing else. He completed his business and left.
I was told later they left him be because he told them he forgot he was carrying.

It’s quite uncommon to see open carry. While legal only a jackass would do it. That’s the consensus amoung gun owners I know anyway. That said, plenty of people carry concealed around here.

Man. Last year I went to a Christmas event at Rick’s family home. One of the guys there (married to Rick’s niece) was walking around with a fucking gun on his hip. Only family was there, and many of them were pretty elderly, and bunches of little kids.
What a jerk. If it had been anyone else I would have left abruptly.

Most open carry states require your gun to be in a holster. Walking with it in your hand put you in danger.