I was standing right out in front of my apartment on the West side of Bloomington just before 11pm tonight, and three guys came walking down the sidewalk, talking loudly, one of them OC'ing a .38 in a cheap holster. The impression that they gave was very much one of looking for trouble. My friend, who is also licensed to carry, was standing with me and said the same thing after the fact. We politely said "hello" and Mr. .38 loudly replied "Yeah. Nice evening ain't it!" while strutting down the sidewalk. After they passed us, we stood quietly and watched them until they were out of sight.
My question is this-- under what circumstances would you call the cops on someone who was OC'ing? I realize that many folks think that OC is a great idea. I don't. I realize that I'll get flak for saying that, but I do think that everyone has to agree that some OC crosses the line into being intimidating and inappropriate.
Because of the neighborhood, the time of night, and the general attitude and appearance of the men, I was concerned. I would have been much less bothered by it had my wife and infant daughter not been at home, but as it happened, they were only 15 or so feet away, on the other side of a ground floor window with the shades drawn.
What do you think?
My question is this-- under what circumstances would you call the cops on someone who was OC'ing? I realize that many folks think that OC is a great idea. I don't. I realize that I'll get flak for saying that, but I do think that everyone has to agree that some OC crosses the line into being intimidating and inappropriate.
Because of the neighborhood, the time of night, and the general attitude and appearance of the men, I was concerned. I would have been much less bothered by it had my wife and infant daughter not been at home, but as it happened, they were only 15 or so feet away, on the other side of a ground floor window with the shades drawn.
What do you think?