Yeah, quit reading jeepsellers account, he wasn't there. I holstered my weapon as soon as I knew it was safe, and spoke to two police officers I know who had no problem with me remaining armed. After they interviewed me, I went to the opposite side of my property to talk to my neighbor and just didn't bother putting on a shirt and concealing my weapon - after all, why bother, they had already cleared me. I'd done nothing wrong, and was not involved in the investigation. Hell I was just standing at my fence talking to someone when the guy approached me and started ordering me around. Was I upset, well, of COURSE I was. THe police were packing thier cars up and were nearly ready to go when this cop approached me and ordered me to disarm.
Contrary to the events that Jeepseller experienced, I didn't mouth off to the police. I simply asked him to tell me what law I was violating. I wasn't under arrest, wasn't even considered a suspect, and was not even being detained at that point. He ASKED me to disarm, he KNEW I was not the shooter, and according to the letter from the police chief, I was not under any obligation to comply with his request. He got out of control, however, when I refused to disarm.
He ordered me into my house. I asked him how that was a lawful order, and he was unable to tell me or to justify it. I was still not in custody or being detained, it was a request, that I refused. He arrested me for "interfearing with an investigation," that was already over.
Was it smart? Smart implies that I was doing something dangerous or foolish. It wasn't dangerous to carry my weapon in a place that I was legally allowed to carry it. It wasn't foolish to stand around talking to someone as far from the scene of the crime as I can get in my yard, and still be armed after I was cleared and told that it was OK to be armed. Where did I go wrong? Not hiding in the house? Not crawling under the bed? If I did that how long do you think we will still have the right to own a firearm? How long before no one cares if they ban them? SOMEONE has to stand in the front and say this is my right, you go to this line and no further. In this case, I chose my ground and I stood it. This is not the first time I've had a problem with PD while being armed, and I thought we had an understanding. Look, foolish or not, I can only back up so far before I am at the wall, I prefer to fight before then.