College in NC locked down after report of gunman

MilProGuy said:

From the pic posted in the second link it certainly looks as if the guy is carrying a slung rifle.
I've never seen anyone carry an umbrella that way. Anyone here who has?
The guy got the attention he was craving. End of story.

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I guess it's official now... carrying a 30 inch umbrella in an 18 inch tall backpack is "asking for attention." Keep them 'brolly's hidden folks, or you're upset the hoplophobes and their enablers.

Ruger said:

This is why the promotion of long gun OC is prohibited on these forums.

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I must've missed this forum "memo".

razor_baghdad said:

I must've missed this forum "memo".

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It wasn't a "memo." It's one of the forum rules you agreed to when you became a member on OCDO.

(14) LONG GUN CARRY IS OFF-TOPIC: This web site is focused on the right to openly carry properly holstered handguns in daily American life. We do NOT promote the carry of long guns. Long guns are great! OCDO co-founders John & Mike and most of the members of this forum own at least one long gun - but due to urban area issues of muzzle control, lack of trigger guard coverage, and the fact that the long gun carry issue distracts from our main mission to promote the open carry of handguns in daily life, we will leave long gun carry activism in the capable hands of the future founders of web sites about long gun carry. Exception: This rule does NOT apply to discussions about long gun carry in jurisdictions such as California which ban handgun carry and thus require long gun carry as a matter of public policy.

http://forum.opencarry.org/forums/misc.php?do=showrules

He was about 10 feet from main campus when he crossed the street. I attend ECU i am a JR majoring in criminal justice. While i do think the helios where a bit much. im grateful that the ECU police adorned their new AR-15's and cleared my building because it was said that he had entered it. I would rather them take the time to clear the building to be safe than me walking out of class to a rifle in my face or shooting my friends. while we were on lockdown though, me and a few other ROTC students/ex military convinced much of my class that as only adults (18+ mostly) attend college that we should be able to carry on campus as long as we are legally allowed to own the weapon. i was amazed at how many people thought u werent allowed to carry a firearm. one girl even said that she KNEW it was illegal especially if people around you are scared of guns. lol. it was pretty scary experience thinking that there was someone that could take my life and i could do nothing to defend myself but throw my books at him if something were to happen.

Actually, this guy was walking AWAY from campus when the video was taken, going toward the "Sup Dog" restaurant. So he wasn't "on campus" at all, but nearly a block away on a public street, where OC of ANY firearm is 100% legal in NC...

Second, it was a freaking umbrella, and this guy is well-known on campus as being a bit eccentric and wearing strange hats and carrying an umbrella in his backpack. I've seen him dozens of times myself just like he is depicted in the photo.

Third, it took 3 responding agencies nearly 6 hours to find a guy who EVERYONE on campus knows, who wears a big white cowboy hat and carries a golf-size umbrella. If he HAD been a REAL "active shooter", the carnage would have been unimaginable with that sort of "response time".

Fourth, if the people manning the Big Brother cameras in Greenville can't tell the difference between an AR-15 being carried in a person's hand and a long umbrella sticking out of a book bag, then I think the LEAST of ECU's and Greenville's worries are the possibility of a MWAG on campus--they had helicopters, K-9 units, and SWAT teams--with guns DRAWN and at the ready ALL over campus for 6 hours--at a cost to the taxpayer of tens of thousands of dollars--for a freaking umbrella.

I can't wait to see what happens when the next game of "Zombies vs. Humans" starts up again on ECU's campus--that should provide some SERIOUSLY funny "Barney Fife" action.

It's instances like this that make me ashamed to admit that I ever attended that institution...

Junior Lee Campbell said:

He was about 10 feet from main campus when he crossed the street...

...im grateful that the ECU police adorned their new AR-15's and cleared my building because it was said that he had entered it.

I would rather them take the time to clear the building to be safe than me walking out of class to a rifle in my face or shooting my friends.

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If I had a family member on your campus when this occurred, I would be expressing the same sentiments as you have.

Police only react to the reports that people call in, and it appears that they showed up in ample force to deal with this situation had it turned out to be some crazed fool with a tactical rifle who wanted to injure / maim / or kill innocent people.

Better to err on the side of caution in a situation like this.

Junior Lee Campbell said:

one girl even said that she KNEW it was illegal especially if people around you are scared of guns. lol.

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Next time I'm in town, I'll let you know, and you can bring your "friend" from class to McAlisters for lunch with me and some of the other local OCDO folks--I'll even pick up her tab.

I'll OC my 1911, AND I'll show her copies of the MULTIPLE CC permits I currently hold (NC, PA, UT) and PROVE to her that not only is it 100% legal to carry in NC, but you don't even need a permit to do it, if you are OCing...

MilProGuy said:

Police only react to the reports that people call in, and it appears that they showed up in ample force to deal with this situation had it turned out to be some crazed fool with a tactical rifle who wanted to injure / maim / or kill innocent people.

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The POLICE started this Mongolian Cluster F#@& by mistaking an umbrella for an AR-15 on one of the City of Greenville's "Big Brother" Surveillance cameras near campus. There was no MWAG call made--the POLICE initiated this whole exercise...

MilProGuy said:

Better to err on the side of caution in a situation like this.

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Better to get some freaking training in weapons identification, situational awareness, public interaction and boots-on-the-ground investigative techniques first though, before deploying several helicopters, AR-15-toting GPD officers in full battle-rattle, and numerous Deputies, Campus police, and other City police ALL OVER campus with GUNS DRAWN over what is CLEARLY anything BUT a man "carrying an AR-15 in his hand".

This guy is sort of an icon on campus--he wears funny hats and carries a large umbrella any time the forecast is over 20% probability for rain. He's tall, sort of keeps to himself, but he's actually a pretty nice guy.

As a former graduate student at ECU, and the founding President of ECU's SCCC chapter, this incident only reinforces my belief that GPD PCSO and ECU police are actually HOPING for a real MWAG incident someday so they can justify all the extravagant equipment, over-the-top training, and ever-growing anti-Constitutional attitude displayed by Greenville government and ALL the LEA's in that city...

If Greenville PD is going to use spy cameras to monitor the streets of downtown G-Vegas in direct violation of the 4th Amendment, they need to AT LEAST get some people on the monitors who can tell an assault Rifle from an umbrella. Last time I looked, Totes and London Fog had NOT entered the "assault weapons" market.

I laugh at them all, and will derisively point my finger at them and cry "FAIL".

tak2w said:

So...who's up for an open carry walk in downtown Greenville this weekend?? Should be interesting!!

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Actually, when I lived there, I would OC in downtown Greenville almost DAILY. And never once got a second look or more than a nod from an LEO...

"We received two independent calls of a man armed with an assault rifle," he said. "Everything went the way it should have. We don't think it could have gone any better."

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Really? Two different people called and actually specified they saw an "assault rifle"???

While open carry of a long gun is legal in NC, I think you'd probably get shot for actually doing so:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUd_00Xrf_U

Ruger said:

Well, apparently legally carrying an umbrella on a public street is asking for trouble around ECU....

While the details included in numerous reports have varied, I've seen it reported that he was walking on a street (or in some reports "sidewalk") that runs through the campus. If indeed it were an AR that he had slung, rather than an umbrella sticking out of a backpack, then I still say he's asking for trouble. Try walking down the sidewalk on a street that runs through a college campus OC'ing a rifle & see what happens to you.

Is this sidewalk on this street considered to be "Public Property" or "University Property"? If it is ECU property, and if it were a rifle, then he would not be legally carrying the firearm.

And I think we all learned from Kwikrnu's antics that what might be technically "legal" is not always helpful to the cause, and is sometimes asking for trouble. This is why the promotion of long gun OC is prohibited on these forums.

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Okay I'm not going to argue about long guns but I did something thinking about this...let's just assume he was carrying a firearm legally. The arguments I see here about him 'trying to attract attention' and 'asking for trouble' are the same arguments I get everyday from my friends who are CC proponents about me open carrying. They think I'm endangering the rights of all gun owners by 'not covering up' because I might 'scare' someone and the backlash would affect them. I find it highly hypocritical. I am the only one of us that open carries. I'm seen as a threat to their gun rights. Then I read the same kind of thinking here and it really irks me. If it is legal to carry...handgun, long gun, rocket launcher, nuke or whatever..it's legal and I would support that person's right to carry even though it may not be my personal preference.

The police definitely initiated all of this. Just like Dreamer, I've OC'ed countless times downtown. I guess their cameras don't work properly when someone actually has a gun.

The original report around 10am this morning was that there was a man spotted on 5th St. with an assault rifle. After they released the notice to students, panic ensued, which prompted everyone to start rumors. I heard everything from hostages on a city bus to hostages in several buildings on campus. Meanwhile, the umbrella man was casually eating his lunch, not knowing what the hell was going on.

Maybe GPD needs to invest in some HD spy cameras or properly train their Big Brother staff who monitors the cameras.

interesting gpd et al isn't providing comment

I wonder why nobody (read as news, concerned citizens, etc.) has challenged the authorities blantant use of the street camera monitoring nor why the gpd is silent on starting this greased pig chase...

especially since the bloke apparently is known on campus and about town, but not by those who patrol the city and monitor the camera(s).

i hope all of us appreciated our tax dollars at work for the equipment and man hours spend on this expensive exercise.

finally, i am glad, truly thankful, there was nobody OC'g today in the area or they might have found themselves....

wabbit

ps: dreamer, i'll OC my five seveN and split the lass' lunch tab if you want company...

Smith45acp said:

Really? Two different people called and actually specified they saw an "assault rifle"???

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Bu tlet's be PERFECTLY CLEAR about the timeline of these MWAG calls--they ALL came AFTER the lockdown was established.

The MWAG situation was STARTED by GPD, based on video from a surveillance cam downtown:

The lockdown was issued after what was believed to be an armed man was spotted near the corner of 5th and Reade Street around 10:00 a.m. Greenville police Sgt. Carlton Williams tells WITN News that video from a security camera showed the man wearing a cowboy hat, with a backpack and what appeared to be an assault rifle in his right hand.

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http://www.witn.com/crime/headlines/BREAKING_NEWS__Police_Action_On_ECU_Campus_133958673.html

I think it should suggested to ECU and to Greenville the banning of assault umbrellas. They have been shown to be dangerous and it would be better if AU’s were registered and licensed . I mean, any Tom Dick and Harry can go to any store and pick one of these weapons up. How many kids will have to suffer before they do something about this problem? The sheriffs office can issue UPP’s (umbrella purchase permits) and run background checks before the AU’s end up in the wrong hands. Citizens should also have to notify any LEO to the fact of concealed AU’s when pulled. This is paramount for officers safety. What do you think?

My wife works in a building directly (BB&T) across from the campus. The rumors were rampant and she ended up leaving work until the all clear several hours later. It angers me because where she works she is not deemed responsible enough to be able to protect herself. She doesn't work in the bank itself but in the upper floor of the bank. She said the tellers felt safe because they are behind bullet proof glass but the rest of the employees aren't. I would not be surprised that the police would respond much like Va Tech police did if, God forbid, an active shooter got on campus. They would wait behind trees and walls until the shooting stopped and then string their crime scene tape out and start the body count.

Everybody
Carries
Umbrellas

Fallschirmjäger said:

I guess it's official now... carrying a 30 inch umbrella in an 18 inch tall backpack is "asking for attention." Keep them 'brolly's hidden folks, or you're upset the hoplophobes and their enablers.

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I wonder what the requirements are for obtaining a UPP - Umbrella Purchase Permint?