# I don't see what this guy did wrong. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 7, 2010, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865 "2010-09-07T01:17:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![phouka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c5a1d2/32.png) [@phouka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phouka)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/21 "2010-09-07T01:58:59Z")
He’s a _teacher_?! JFC, he won’t be one for long after this. Seriously, how does someone get to be a teacher without having a sense for ‘responsible things grown ups do’ and ‘shit that will get me arrested and prosecuted’. What the hell must his classroom discipline look like? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/22 "2010-09-07T02:00:03Z")
Looks like I’m in the minority on this one. Thirty years ago I would have agreed with you. We live in a different world today. There’s so much more crime. You have to be suspicious of almost everything. We had a cop talk at our neighborhood watch meeting a few weeks ago. The city finally put up gates to close a park at the edge of our neighborhood. Volunteers lock the gates every night at 9pm and unlock in the morning. We trying hard to keep our neighborhood safe. Closing the park at night has helped a lot. It’s a shame we have to live like this these days. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/23 "2010-09-07T02:04:17Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Looks like I’m in the minority on this one. Thirty years ago I would have agreed with you. > We live in a different world today. There’s so much more crime. You have to be suspicious of almost everything. It’s fine if you’re suspicious of almost everything, just don’t be suspicious with your gun. When you’re suspicious contact the authorities, tell them what’s going on and let them handle it. If you want to take it a step further, let’s say you called them, and by the time they got there the kids were gone and their actually was damage and this is becoming a big problem (slow response time, calls getting ignored) then you can contact the media. But I really can’t see any reason for a gun to be involved. Even if they really were trashing the place, there’s no need for deadly force. You simply can’t point a gun at someone for property damage, especially when they aren’t an immediate threat to you or anyone else. ---
**Author:** ![Tethered\_Kite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a5b964/32.png) [@Tethered\_Kite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tethered_Kite)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/24 "2010-09-07T02:09:59Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > By the way voters, > > You do not call emergency 911 because you think someone may have done something wrong. Don’t know where you are but where I live law enforcement frequently receive calls of suspicious activity and do check it out. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/25 "2010-09-07T02:10:12Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Looks like I’m in the minority on this one. Thirty years ago I would have agreed with you. > We live in a different world today. **There’s so much more crime.** You have to be suspicious of almost everything. > > . Cite? According to Wiki: > [@](#): > > Over the past thirty years, the crime rate rose throughout the 1980s, reached its peak in 1993 and then began to decrease throughout the 1990s and 2000s. > **[Crime in the United States](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States)** > > Crime has been recorded in the United States since its founding and has fluctuated significantly over time. Most available data underestimate crime before the 1930s (due to incomplete datasets and other factors), giving the false impression that crime was low in the early 1900s and had a sharp rise after. Instead, violent crime during the colonial period was likely three times higher than the highest modern rates in the data currently available, and crime had been on the decline since colonia... Both the violent crime rate and the property crime rate are now much lower than 30 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/26 "2010-09-07T02:12:28Z")
If it were a violent crime–someone being stabbed or raped or something like that–I don’t think rushing in with guns blazing would be a bad idea. That’s a life or death situation. But for vandalism? Vandalism isn’t good, I agree, but what if his “warning shot” had killed someone? It wouldn’t have been worth wounding someone to make sure that the cemetery was clean. ETA: Isn’t there less crime today, in general? ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/27 "2010-09-07T02:15:42Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > It wouldn’t have been worth wounding someone to make sure that the cemetery was clean. Well, it could be a win/win for the cemetery owner. d&r ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/28 "2010-09-07T02:16:39Z")
**Freudian** : yes, and moreover in this case _there wasn’t even vandalism._ (At least, none is mentioned in the news article.) There was just kids walking around a cemetery. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/29 "2010-09-07T02:16:39Z")
From the article in the OP. > [@](#): > > The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office says deputies went to Shipley Cemetery, outside of Chattanooga, on Saturday night after a complaint of shots fired. > > Police say they confiscated an assault rifle from 45-year-old Stacey Swallows. Does the idiot realize how far those bullets can travel? Along with all the other idiot things he did, that alone should get him a world of legal hurt. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/30 "2010-09-07T02:18:54Z")
Yes he did something wrong, he discharged a weapon in public and he was not under any direct threat, the rest of the story is frankly irrelevant. That bullet came down somewhere, hopefully nobody was harmed. I am all for gun rights and in favor of open carry. This type of irresponsible knucklehead makes it much harder for the rest of us. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/31 "2010-09-07T02:20:13Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Well, it could be a win/win for the cemetery owner. > d&r Well, if the warning shot had _killed_ someone, I’d agree! **matt** , if there wasn’t even vandalism, but just kids walking around, that’s even worse for the guy to do it. I suppose the man might have thought they were trespassing, but they weren’t trespassing on his property. If someone goes into your house and you pull a gun, that’s different, but bringing out a gun because you see kids on someone else’s property? That’s insane. The kids don’t even sound all that bad. I’ve always wanted to ghost hunt in a cemetery. (The part of me that grew up on urban legends and Scary Stories to tell in the Dark won’t let me, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/32 "2010-09-07T02:22:56Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > Looks like I’m in the minority on this one. Thirty years ago I would have agreed with you. > We live in a different world today. There’s so much more crime. You have to be suspicious of almost everything. This is totally untrue. Crime rates of all kinds have been falling for years. In 1981, the violent crime rate in the US was 594.3 per 100,000, the homicide rate 9.8/100,000, and the property crime rate was 5,624/100,000. In 2008 (the most recent year for which I could find records), the violent crime rate was 454.5/100,000, the homicide rate was 5.4/100,000, and the property crime rate was 3,213/100,000. [Cite.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_in_the_United_States) ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/33 "2010-09-07T02:24:38Z")
I’m baffled too why the guy pulled an assault rifle. Actually firing it was pretty extreme. calling 911 and getting their car tag number would have been the smartest move. My comment about crime going up is based on my own part of the city. We’ve had several shootings in drug related cases in our area within the past year. ---
**Author:** ![ENugent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/4af34b/32.png) [@ENugent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ENugent)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/34 "2010-09-07T02:32:49Z")
It wouldn’t even have been appropriate for a _cop_ to pull his gun on these kids, let alone some random private citizen. ---
**Author:** ![GHO57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df788c/32.png) [@GHO57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GHO57)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/35 "2010-09-07T02:32:52Z")
I like to do my shopping at either very early in the morning, or late at night…because the shops are emptier then. So… you’re saying that I deserve to be held at gunpoint to explain why I don’t shop at the same time as others do? It’s after all \*possible \*I \*might \*have some nefarious purpose to deviate from the norm, right? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/36 "2010-09-07T02:35:22Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Both the violent crime rate and the property crime rate are now much lower than 30 years ago. And would be even lower if it were not for criminals like that gun nut in Tennessee. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/37 "2010-09-07T02:36:35Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’m baffled too why the guy pulled an assault rifle. Actually firing it was pretty extreme. > > calling 911 and getting their car tag number would have been the smartest move. > > . So, we’re all in agreement then? ---
**Author:** ![cosmosdan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a6a055/32.png) [@cosmosdan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cosmosdan)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/38 "2010-09-07T02:38:41Z")
> [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > > [@cosmosdan](#): > > > > By the way voters, > > > > You do not call emergency 911 because you think someone may have done something wrong. > > Don’t know where you are but where I live law enforcement frequently receive calls of suspicious activity and do check it out. Sure, buy where I live 911 is the **emergency** number not the suspicious activity number. It may vary from place to place but I called 911 when we had a guy in the store selling stolen merchandise and they reminded me that it was not an emergency. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/39 "2010-09-07T02:44:24Z")
> [@cosmosdan](#): > > > [@Tethered\_Kite](#): > > > > Don’t know where you are but where I live law enforcement frequently receive calls of suspicious activity and do check it out. > > Sure, buy where I live 911 is the **emergency** number not the suspicious activity number. > It may vary from place to place but I called 911 when we had a guy in the store selling stolen merchandise and they reminded me that it was not an emergency. That’s the location issue. In the City Of Milwaukee, often times 911 can take hours to respond or won’t respond at all to something non-violent (my car was broken into, drunk driver on the road etc…) OTOH, at my work in a suburb of Milwaukee almost anytime I call 911 for something, even if it’s something minor like a patron we need removed or a stray dog wondering around in the busy street, 2 or 3 officers will show up within minutes. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865/40 "2010-09-07T02:52:23Z")
looks like it. I should have thought about the story awhile before posting. Sometimes my initial reactions aren’t the best. Mea culpa It’ll be interesting to find out more details as the story progresses. > [@Procrustus](#): > > > [@aceplace57](#): > > > > I’m baffled too why the guy pulled an assault rifle. Actually firing it was pretty extreme. > > > > calling 911 and getting their car tag number would have been the smartest move. > > > > . > > So, we’re all in agreement then? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-dont-see-what-this-guy-did-wrong/552865.md?page=3)