Gun control groups accused of swatting open carry permit holders, putting lives at risk

[techbeck]

Second Amendment groups are accusing the gun control lobby of putting law-abiding owners of firearms in danger by urging people to call the police on anyone carrying a gun in public.

As more states relax rules about open-carrying of guns, the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence has taken to social media to urge the public to assume gun-toters are trouble, and to call the cops on anyone they feel may be a threat.

“If you see someone carrying a firearm in public—openly or concealed—and have ANY doubts about their intent, call 911 immediately and ask police to come to the scene,” the group wrote on its widely followed Facebook page. “Never put your safety, or the safety of your loved ones, at the mercy of weak gun laws that arm individuals in public with little or no criminal and/or mental health screening.”

That approach, according to a blog post by Ohio-based Buckeye Firearms Association, could give rise to needless, tense confrontations between police and gun owners. The association and other similar groups liken the tactic to “swatting,” or the act of tricking an emergency service into dispatching responders based on a false report. Many online harassment campaigns have been known to participate in the practice.

“This practice is exactly what they [Coalition to Stop Gun Violence] are doing,” said Erich Pratt, spokesman for Virginia-based Gun Owners of America. “It’s one thing if someone is using a gun in an illegal or unlawful manner. No one is questioning that. But this clearly sounds like swatting.”

More....

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/09/01/gun-control-groups-accused-swatting-open-carry-permit-holders-putting-lives-at/?intcmp=hpbt2

[oldtimefighter]

Duh! Everyone knows you only call the police if you see a black person with a gun in public.

[Rippleman]

Second Amendment groups are accusing the gun control lobby of putting law-abiding owners of firearms in danger by urging people to call the police on anyone carrying a gun in public.

How does this endanger lives? I don't see it. Carry a gun? Act responsible, don't pull it out on the police. Simple.

[techbeck]

 

How does this endanger lives? I don't see it. Carry a gun? Act responsible, don't pull it out on the police. Simple.

Not sure if it will directly.  But having police chase around issues like this takes them away from the real crimes/incidents which could cost lives.

[FloatingFatMan]

Duh! Everyone knows you only call the police if you see a black person with a gun in public.

And Mexicans. Don't forget the Mexicans!

[DocM]

FYI, legal non-citizens can buy a firearm and get a carry permit.