These scum are everywhere..even out in the middle of nowhere on land that hasn't changed since the Spanish explorers came through.
Posted on 11/18/2021 7:16:16 AM PST by marktwain
In early November 2021, this correspondent was doing some target shooting and chronograph work on public land, in an unused sand and gravel pit with a good backstop, off a dirt track north of the Foothills/I8 interchange. The weather was clear and calm, about 72 degrees.
The deputy asked if I knew how far I was from houses, I said it was more than a quarter-mile. A quarter-mile distance from occupied dwellings is required to shoot on public land in Arizona. The deputy said that I was an adequate distance from any buildings.
I was carrying my old Glock17, concealed. He asked if I had a firearm on me. I said I did. He asked if I would please refrain from touching it while we talked. I said that was fine.
He indicated someone had called in about someone shooting in the area, and, while what I was doing was legal, I might consider changing the location or geometry a bit.
He asked for ID and I handed mine to him. It was my Arizona driver’s license, with the option of not having the Social Security number on it.
This correspondent has been in his shoes. I knew he was following protocol. It doesn’t hurt that I am known in the county. There have been other incidents where deputies have contacted me during Second
(Excerpt) Read more at ammoland.com ...
As it should. Respect begets respect.
As there are no state prohibitions on silencers in Arizona, and the deputy was not a Federal agent, I wouldn’t have expected the deputy to ask you for your paperwork on the silencer.
I would have expected the deputy to ask you what make of silencer it was, how well it worked, how loud it was, how much it cost, and if you liked it.
Back when I was about 13-14 years old in the late 1970s (in NY State no less), my friend’s older brother (who was 16) would load up their father’s guns in the trunk of their family car, and take us out to an empty field/forest on the edge of town, where we would shoot bottles, cans, etc...
A local cop drove up. He came over, said hello. He asked who owned the guns (sammy’s dad, sir!), asked if we had permission (yes sir!) looked around, told us to be careful, and left.
I can only image if this were today.... the sheriffs, dressed as Seal-team 6, would have come in helicoptors, we would have been arrested, and sent to gitmo
The key to interactions with LEOs when one is armed is always to disclose it immediately at the beginning of the interaction. I’ve had it happen with traffic stops here in TN. Each time the officer and I became quite friendly and I showed him my weapon after requesting his permission. Indeed, in the first of the two I got off with a warning. Indeed, in TN and, I think, in most other shall issue states, courtesy, legal carrying, and immediate disclosure are more likely than most other things to improve one’s chances of a good outcome with LEOs inn most interactions.
Altercations on the street(or in the boonies) with LEO often don’t end well. We live with a lot of open spaces near us and when looking at the “approved” map for where one can practice with their firearms, it’s pretty limited. Our congested area number is 1,000 feet of where you are shooting including pellet guns. Other areas are NO SHOOTING. For me, 1,000 feet seems pretty short. And yet we hear gunfire frequently from the hills near us. We know they are in the no shoot zone but by the time a sheriff would get to the location the violators would likely be gone. Irritates me because I would love to go over the hill and loose some rounds but I know the zones and restrictions. Glad your encounter was a good one.
Treating other people with respect, particularly including police officers, usually gets a positive result. It didn’t hurt at all that AZ law seems to be fairly clear on the issues raised in this story, and that the officer also treated the shooter with respect.
Too bad that the Leftists don’t respect either our rights or the rules of civility. They are, like Leftists of every nationality and time period, only after power and they simply don’t care what laws or norms of social discourse they have to violate to obtain, maintain and grow that power.
These scum are everywhere..even out in the middle of nowhere on land that hasn't changed since the Spanish explorers came through.
Stop and Identify statutes - good to know information.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop_and_identify_statutes
That close to the border it’s probably worth calling in shots. Might be a normal guy having some 2nd amendment fun. Might not.
I had a similar encounter near Bartlett Lake in AZ. The MCSO deputy never asked for ID, even though I have an AZ CCW (a CCW is NOT required in AZ). Additionally I was at a restaurant in Cave Creek, AZ and there was a gentleman enjoying his right to ‘open carry’. Two idiots complained to the restaurant staff and they were told that if they didn’t like it, they could leave. They did. There are too many California types coming to AZ and they are slowly but surely going to ‘California my Arizona’...
Been carrying for over a decade. Every LEO encounter has been polite and friendly. Never any issues.
I totally agree with you and have encountered numerous interactions with LE for being cursed with a heavy foot.
When I know I have been caught speeding, I immediately pull over, drop all the windows down, turn on the dome light (if dark) and have both hands outside the window with my drivers license, registration, insurance AND my concealed carry license in my hands. I know in most jurisdictions, the CC is not necessary to show, but this alerts them that I am packing heat.
Personally, I can’t believe the bravery and risk our LE takes to routinely walk up to a vehicle as part of their job. If I can make their lives a little easier, then so be it.
Yes, my actions sounds extreme but the LE knows immediately that you are complying and the tension in the air immediately dissipates. 9 times out of 10 they will let me off with a warning and in most cases, we talk guns for 15 - 20 minutes afterwards. My wife rolls her eyes but, she gets it.
Years ago I had a similar encounter with a country sheriff deputy in Wisconsin.
A group of buddies and I went to a nearby range to do some target practice. When we got there, we found out that they were having a Civil War shoot, and as such, we couldn’t shoot that day. I did some quick searching and found a public hunting ground not far away, and we went headed over.
There was about 6 of us, and probably 20 different weapons. We found a safe spot with a good backdrop and proceeded to shoot at some targets. We each got to try out different guns as we shared them between us.
Some Karen (before Karen was a thing), stopped by to complain about us shooting. We politely told her that this was public land, and we were well over the proper distance away from any inhabited dwelling. She left in a huff and we continued to shoot.
A short time later, we saw a county sheriff drive by, and decided it might be time to wrap things up and head out. We picked up our targets and brass, and returned to our vehicles. Once we had everything cased and loaded, we went to leave, and just as we headed out, the deputy pulled up, and blocked our exit. He waiting until our group of well armed guys had them all stowed before engaging.
Apparently Karen had called 911 on us. We talked to the deputy for a while and he informed us that while you can HUNT in public hunting grounds, it’s illegal to target practice there (in this particular jurisdiction). We explained that we were unaware of that, and apologized for the error. He was very nice and told us that he didn’t think that made any sense, especially since the surrounding counties allow it.
Respect all around, and he let us go. Now we all have the story about how we had 911 called on us.
Results in Civility,,,
I learned that making My
encounter,Armed, with The
PoPo is My Job.
.
“Armed encounter with Yuma Deputy results in civility.”
Wrong. The deputy asked for ID when it was not needed. Had the request been denied the deputy very likely would have escalated. For some odd reason too many cops think they have a right to demand and run ID from everyone even if no crime was committed. And that’s not how it works.
Also, the deputy instructing the man to keep his hands away from his pistol was an overt threat. This was not civil. Not at all.
Make “Them” feel SAFE!
True story... Right after moving to Az in 2000 a similar thing happened to a friend and I. We were out 5 miles from any houses popping a few rounds against a hill using a white rock as our target. A pickup with a large older man wearing a cowboy hat pulled up behind our car and got out with open carry.
He asked that we carefully put our firearms down so we did. He came up and asked “You guys plinking?”, “What are you shooting at?”. We pointed and told him that white rock. He drew his pistol and bragged “let me show you how to do it”. He emptied his magazine at the white rock. Looked like he only missed one or two but only by inches. So we told him it was great shooting.
He put another mag in his pistol and holstered it then said “well you guys just be careful, have a great day, By the way my name is... “ We were fresh from Ca and did not recognize the name. A couple days later we were telling someone who lived in the area about the encounter. He said “really? That was our county Sheriff you were plinking with! He lives right up the road from there”.
All I could say was “I’m home now...” :)
My guess is that almost all sheriffs deputies would prefer civility to hostility. Most of my contacts with leo’s has been in the context of getting caught speeding. Always respectful, obedient and never lip off, so I have not had a negative experience since about 1970, when my then-long hair apparently triggered a pig in Tucson.
I’ve come to the point of believing that legally carrying, having a permit, and being super polite with LEOs will do any reasonably smart person more good in avoiding traffic tickets than most other things. The whole idea is to charm, not intimidate.
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