Advice on the reverse of the normal issues
Posted: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 01:22:14
Being a recent transplant to VA I was (very temporarily) pleasantly surprised while walking my dogs seeing someone openly carrying a M1911. He too was walking a dog, walking in my direction and around ~20ft. away from me as we got closer I saw him reach down and unclip his holster very obviously as a reaction to me and my dogs.
I was taken aback and asked him if he had just done that to which he responded that it was about his not knowing my dogs and what they were going to do. I explained that they are friendly(they had done nothing, just ignored him and his dog), and then he became belligerent. His thinly veiled threat didn't make a lot of sense considering the situation ; "Do yourself a favor and you turn around and just keep walking" was one phrase he used. So much for meeting people in my new neighborhood.
From a legal perspective I can't help but wonder if putting his hand on his gun to unclip it constitutes brandishing. I wonder how a LEO in my position would have dealt with it. I can imagine that it might have been enough for a LEO to draw on him.
Anyway, so now I'm a little at a loss as to how to handle him. I've never run into anyone who was openly or concealed carrying which didn't attempt to be pleasant. For a variety of reasons I don't think that if I too was carrying it would have helped. Going through Law Enforcement seems like it wouldn't accomplish much unless they are right there when something happens.
I can't help but feel like I'm likely to run into him again when walking my dogs and short of just going to the other side of the street, but I also don't want to feel like I can't walk around in my own neighborhood because someone don't know how to exercise their 2nd amendment rights in an appropriate manner. I'm trying to figure out what else I could or should do. It's been bugging me but I've come up with nothing. Has anyone else had to handle other gun owners they don't know in this sort of situation?
I was taken aback and asked him if he had just done that to which he responded that it was about his not knowing my dogs and what they were going to do. I explained that they are friendly(they had done nothing, just ignored him and his dog), and then he became belligerent. His thinly veiled threat didn't make a lot of sense considering the situation ; "Do yourself a favor and you turn around and just keep walking" was one phrase he used. So much for meeting people in my new neighborhood.
From a legal perspective I can't help but wonder if putting his hand on his gun to unclip it constitutes brandishing. I wonder how a LEO in my position would have dealt with it. I can imagine that it might have been enough for a LEO to draw on him.
Anyway, so now I'm a little at a loss as to how to handle him. I've never run into anyone who was openly or concealed carrying which didn't attempt to be pleasant. For a variety of reasons I don't think that if I too was carrying it would have helped. Going through Law Enforcement seems like it wouldn't accomplish much unless they are right there when something happens.
I can't help but feel like I'm likely to run into him again when walking my dogs and short of just going to the other side of the street, but I also don't want to feel like I can't walk around in my own neighborhood because someone don't know how to exercise their 2nd amendment rights in an appropriate manner. I'm trying to figure out what else I could or should do. It's been bugging me but I've come up with nothing. Has anyone else had to handle other gun owners they don't know in this sort of situation?
