Just an observation. Everyone seems very concerned about this gun that they can clearly see and aren't saying anything about the ones they cant see....
It's going to be disturbing and will cause intimidation to see someone with a gun slung over his shoulder in any neighborhood, not matter what the race.
I live in a mixed race neighborhood - black, white, Hispanic and Asian/Indian. I consider it quite safe, but quite frankly, if I saw "any" member of the neighborhood started walking around with a gun slung over their shoulder, I'd be concerned. I'd be even more concerned if another neighbor were out there yelling and screaming at them.
It's impossible to know what's going to happen... The guy should not be allowed to "stalk" a neighborhood, nor should a member of that neighborhood be allowed to go off half cocked and demand to fight him without his guns... they're equally dangerous.
Someone with a restraining order against them can't come within a certain distance of the persons who filed the order so, that's a consideration, even if they are on public streets.
My guess would be, based on the limited info in the article that a white man with a gun slung over his shoulder is not the common scene in that neighborhood and by this man doing this for reasons unknown, but suspected, caused a bit of angst and intimidation to the neighborhood. Sort of like the domestic violence idiots under a restraining order that drive by on public streets in a menacing manner but the police cannot do anything because its a public street. haha. I know, maybe not a great analogy. But the store owner saying lay down the gun and take me on man to man is disconcerting as well. And I agree that if it were a black man with a gun in a white neighborhood doing the same thing probably would have had different results too.
There isn't any reason for the man to be stalking a neighborhood - either black or white and it would concern me, as well.
By the same token, someone (black or white) yelling and saying "“I told him to take his guns off. I told him let me have five or 10 minutes with him without his weapons,” is equal reason for concern. Someone acting ready to fight will draw police attention more than someone with a gun who is not threatening anyone.
Somehow I can't believe there's nothing the police can do -- they're using the term "stalking" in the article and there are laws against stalking... Somehow, it would seem there must be more to the story than is being told.
Good question.
I'm actually not against gun ownership, my husband has a rifle, always has but things here are out of whack and definitely guns are too easily available, I've seen them for sale at garage sales !
That scenario, regardless of the color of the gun carrier, walking and displaying in that manner would cause me fear as well. What in the hell are we coming to?
Now, if it was a black man with a rifle stalking a white community, how long do you think it'd take the cops to take him down ?