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911 Calls from Snowbirds

lykwidtepp

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
28
Location
Oro Valley, Arizona
I was talking with a buddy, who claimed that during the colder season in Arizona, that more 911 calls are brought onto OC'ers by Snowbirds (Folks who move to Arizona or Southern states for the winter). Being that they don't understand the law and become more afraid when they see a firearm. Is this a true statement? And should us as OC'ers be more expectant on LEO encounters during this season?
 

mFonz77

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2009
Messages
265
Location
Sierra Vista, AZ
I was talking with a buddy, who claimed that during the colder season in Arizona, that more 911 calls are brought onto OC'ers by Snowbirds (Folks who move to Arizona or Southern states for the winter). Being that they don't understand the law and become more afraid when they see a firearm. Is this a true statement? And should us as OC'ers be more expectant on LEO encounters during this season?

This will be my second winter in southeastern AZ and I have never had a negative/neutral LEO-initiated encounter while OC'ing. I have had many positive ones.

Sonora Rebel may have more experience with this question.
 

GWbiker

Guest
Joined
Mar 21, 2008
Messages
958
Location
USA
Don't know about any increased 911 calls by Snowbirds, but I have received several "Evil Stares" from Women when they spot my OC. I then smile and tell them:"Welcome to Arizona". They either look away all weepy eyed or scurry off.
 
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mFonz77

Regular Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2009
Messages
265
Location
Sierra Vista, AZ
Don't know about any increased 911 calls by Snowbirds, but I have received several "Evil Stares" from Women when they spot my OC. I then smile and tell them:"Welcome to Arizona". They either look away all weepy eyed or scurry off.

Are any of them cute? Ask them to go shooting! ;)
 

Sonora Rebel

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2008
Messages
3,956
Location
Gone
This will be my second winter in southeastern AZ and I have never had a negative/neutral LEO-initiated encounter while OC'ing. I have had many positive ones.

Sonora Rebel may have more experience with this question.

I've never had a LEO encounter as a result of a 911 MWAG call. I don't doubt the 911 operators get 'em tho and put 'em straight right there. I've gotten the stink eye... and one idiot yellin' 'I don't want no trouble..." 'bout 20 yards away while I was walkin' thru a Circle K parkin' lot gas station on Cortaro near I-10. I ignored that... 'Say anything to those types and they'll swear you threatened 'em. Up around Prescott, Sedona 'n Scottsdale I expect there'd be more of that than down here.
 

JesseL

Regular Member
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
207
Location
Prescott, Arizona, USA
Up around Prescott, Sedona 'n Scottsdale I expect there'd be more of that than down here.

Prescott has no trouble with that sort of thing.

Sonora, you've really got to start lumping us with those other lib havens - don't judge the whole town by what you saw at a motel (naturally full of people who don't live here), and on the community college campus.
 

lykwidtepp

Regular Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2010
Messages
28
Location
Oro Valley, Arizona
Well that's very good to say the least. I would rather not have any LEO activity at all for me OC'ing. But if they are involved because of the Snowbirds, I hope it's a peaceful encounter.

Speaking of I-10 and Cortaro. I'm at the Ihop every Thursday and Saturday nights. There are ALOT of police officers on Cortaro road, eastern side of the interstate. They're social "meeting" hub seems to be in the lot in between the Circle K and Wendy's around 10:30 - 11pm. Usually 2-3 Marana cruisers parked there with low beams on. Same with the Circle K on Cortaro and Thornydale. Same time 10:30-11pm you'll see the Sheriff's out in the parking lot. Multiple vehicles.
 

ccwinstructor

Centurion
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
919
Location
Yuma, Arizona, USA
I had one encounter that I believe was snowbird instigated

This will be my second winter in southeastern AZ and I have never had a negative/neutral LEO-initiated encounter while OC'ing. I have had many positive ones.

Sonora Rebel may have more experience with this question.

It occured when I was running for exercise in the Foothils, a heavy snowbird area just East of Yuma. Someone called in a MWAG call to the Sheriffs department. The first I saw was a patrol car coming toward me along the road and slowing down. I was pretty sure what was going on, and certain after the second squad came up. I had no ID with me, but I ID'ed myself verbally. I suggested that it was probably a Canadian who called in, and we all had a chuckle over that. I am fairly well known in the community. One officer suggested that I carry ID with me, and I said I would consider it. Another suggested that I not carry. The first officer said, "If you were in this neighborhood, you would be carrying.", and that was that. They left, and I went on to finish my exercise.
 

Sonora Rebel

Regular Member
Joined
Aug 6, 2008
Messages
3,956
Location
Gone
Prescott has no trouble with that sort of thing.

Sonora, you've really got to start lumping us with those other lib havens - don't judge the whole town by what you saw at a motel (naturally full of people who don't live here), and on the community college campus.

I don't doubt for a minute that somebody didn't drop a dime up there... They just wouldn't get the response expected. 'Same in Tucson area with the seasonal Yankee element. I thought one guy in the Target parkin' lot on Ina Rd. was gonna have a coronary. "What kind of place is this where people carry guns?" I think he was from NY or NJ. He prob'ly called 911 too. New UofA students are another source of 'OMG... he's got a gun' reactions. I figure the 911 operators are well schooled in their responses to such stuff.
 

acmariner99

Regular Member
Joined
Feb 12, 2010
Messages
655
Location
Renton, Wa
I don't doubt for a minute that somebody didn't drop a dime up there... They just wouldn't get the response expected. 'Same in Tucson area with the seasonal Yankee element. I thought one guy in the Target parkin' lot on Ina Rd. was gonna have a coronary. "What kind of place is this where people carry guns?" I think he was from NY or NJ. He prob'ly called 911 too. New UofA students are another source of 'OMG... he's got a gun' reactions. I figure the 911 operators are well schooled in their responses to such stuff.

Sonora: Ive been carrying openly all over Prescott for almost a year now. I have never gotten comments one way or the other and the only MWAG call Ive ever had was in Everett, WA. Nobody in Prescott cares whether you carry openly or not. Ive seen a couple of other OCers around here as well. If one person were to make a scene over an OC here, the rest of us would just laugh it off. There is a very good reason why Prescott is a very low crime city. Even Prescott college students on a hike not too long ago didn't say anything one way or the other. And I would have thought they'd throw a fit.
 

Snakemathis

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 11, 2010
Messages
107
Location
Prescott Valley, Arizona, USA
Sonora: Ive been carrying openly all over Prescott for almost a year now. I have never gotten comments one way or the other and the only MWAG call Ive ever had was in Everett, WA. Nobody in Prescott cares whether you carry openly or not. Ive seen a couple of other OCers around here as well. If one person were to make a scene over an OC here, the rest of us would just laugh it off. There is a very good reason why Prescott is a very low crime city. Even Prescott college students on a hike not too long ago didn't say anything one way or the other. And I would have thought they'd throw a fit.

You've probably seen me out and about up here. I've never had a MWAG call, I've had one impolite stare and another person who was genuinly curious about the laws though. I would have expected Prescott College students to snap! lol. Hope to see you out and about sometime. Stay safe.
 

AZkopper

Regular Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2008
Messages
675
Location
Prescott, Arizona, USA
I have to agree with Snakemathis and acmariner99 on the non-issue of OC in Prescott. While I don't exclusively OC (factors being weather, and where I'm going at the moment [mall, restaraunts that serve on-premise, etc.]) I do OC quite a bit of the time. I've never had a negative comment. I've had many, many positive or inquisitive comments. Most of the time no one says anything. Whether they don't notice or don't care, I don't know.

I've been all around town OCing. Touristy places like the courthouse plaza and Whiskey Row, and normal places like Wells Fargo, Ace Hardware, Home Depot, McDonald's, JoAnn's Fabrics, Walgreen's, Fry's, Best Buy, and many others.

I've OCd in Sedona as well. Again, no one cared. If they don't care in Sedona, they don't care anywhere in Yavapai County.

At work I have been waved down a few times by out of staters over someone OCing. Not that often though. They're always amazed when I don't care and just tell them 'well, it's their Right'. Dispatch won't even dispatch such a call. If the reporting party is being persistant or an a$$, then they will find an available deputy and patch the call to our cell phone, so we can 'tell them with authority' to mind their own business.
 

GWbiker

Guest
Joined
Mar 21, 2008
Messages
958
Location
USA
At work I have been waved down a few times by out of staters over someone OCing. Not that often though. They're always amazed when I don't care and just tell them 'well, it's their Right'. Dispatch won't even dispatch such a call. If the reporting party is being persistant or an a$$, then they will find an available deputy and patch the call to our cell phone, so we can 'tell them with authority' to mind their own business

You da' man.....
 

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Joined
Aug 20, 2008
Messages
200
Location
Prescott Valley, AZ
Sonora: Ive been carrying openly all over Prescott for almost a year now. I have never gotten comments one way or the other and the only MWAG call Ive ever had was in Everett, WA. Nobody in Prescott cares whether you carry openly or not. Ive seen a couple of other OCers around here as well. If one person were to make a scene over an OC here, the rest of us would just laugh it off. There is a very good reason why Prescott is a very low crime city. Even Prescott college students on a hike not too long ago didn't say anything one way or the other. And I would have thought they'd throw a fit.

If you really want to have some fun, then go ahead and OC something very visible (a full-size 1911, or Ruger Blackhawk) walking down the sidewalk in front of the Prescott College buildings on Grove. Depending on the time of day, you can really get some interesting reactions.
 

JesseL

Regular Member
Joined
May 22, 2006
Messages
207
Location
Prescott, Arizona, USA
If you really want to have some fun, then go ahead and OC something very visible (a full-size 1911, or Ruger Blackhawk) walking down the sidewalk in front of the Prescott College buildings on Grove. Depending on the time of day, you can really get some interesting reactions.


I'm going to have to try that.

Maybe on the pretext of going from The American Gunshop/Buck O'Neill's down to J&G. :D
 

MKEgal

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 8, 2010
Messages
4,383
Location
in front of my computer, WI
At work I have been waved down a few times by out of staters over someone OCing. Not that often though. They're always amazed when I don't care and just tell them 'well, it's their Right'. Dispatch won't even dispatch such a call. If the reporting party is being persistant or an a$$, then they will find an available deputy and patch the call to our cell phone, so we can 'tell them with authority' to mind their own business.

I think I love you.
Would you mind if we sent some... er, a LOT... of cops from WI over there for you to train?

I only know of one time (for sure) that someone here in WI called 911 & the cops basically told them OC is legal.
Of course, the cops also called the Starbuck's we were meeting at to make sure it was just us.
(Starbuck's staff said "yeah, they're meeting here, they're spending money, there's no problem".)
 
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