Frustrated by what they say is a lack of police response to neighborhood crime, a group of Beacon Hill residents have formed a citizens patrol group where some its members pack heat, reports the Seattle Weekly. All of its armed members have concealed-weapons permits, and the group does 90-minute walks at dusk along Beacon Ave. South to 15th Ave. South and South Massachusetts Street, considered a "hotbed" of crime, drugs and prostitution. "We're not looking for trouble; we just want to see what's happening," says participant Mike Cheney, a longtime Beacon Hill resident and former Fort Lewis military police officer. The armed patrols have sparked spirited discussions on Beacon Hill about whether people should have to disclose whether or not they're carrying guns during the evening walks. "I'm not in favor of a neighborhood vigilante group,"said resident Roberta Carlson. "The thought of people walking around with guns, no matter what their intentions are, is a little scary." (Via Mid Beacon Hill)
"The thought of people walking around with guns, no matter what their intentions are, is a little scary."
How frightening is this remark. she's worried about law-abiding citizens, LEGALLY carrying, LEGALLY armed, walking around LEGALLY in her neighborhood, who also live there and are breaking NO LAWS? I'd be more worried about the people carrying ILLEGALLY, ILLEGALLY armed, walking around casing parked cars, easy victims, and easy targets in a neighborhood where they DON'T live.
Also, the way the current STATE law is written, no municipality (City of Seattle included, neighborhood of Beacon Hill as well) can impose a restriction asking people if they're (legally) carrying concealed. This is the whole point of CARRYING CONCEALED (Legally, via a PERMIT). If I wanted you to know, I'd carry open (which is also not illegal in the state of Washington, either). Leave these law-abiding citizens alone, you sure wouldn't worry if there had been no mention about their carry status in the first place.
Bravo! The entire South end of Seattle is entirely neglected by the SPD and they damn well know it. The goal here is not necessarily to begin a movement wherein all entitled law abiding citizens are armed (however, if that's what it takes, so be it) but to provoke a response from the City of Seattle whose South end residents are desperate for heightened police activity, intervention and a pro-active stance.
I totally agree with Tim w. However he is wrong about open carry in the State of Washington, it is
illegal and has been for several years or more.
Great to see citizens take action when the incompetent Mayor and City Council are too worried about plastic bags to deal with real issues.
Can you guys also patrol Belltown? I would love to see a similar neighborhood effort around the 2nd/Bell & Western/Battery St area.
It's about time someone did a block watch like this with guns. They're patrolling like this because there's obviously thugs out there who illegally carry guns and the fact that crime is being more reported in the media in this area and the S.End shows that crime is on the rise and nothing is being done about it!! If the gov't won't do anything then we need to take our streets back!!I'm tired of cars being vandalized, drug needles and condoms on my streets that I grew up on. Beacon Hill is a beautiful place to live!
Good for them all.
We need to start up this sort of thing in Queen Anne.
You bet you can "Open Carry" a firearm in this State. If it's out in the open and NOT concealed NO CRIME.
Case in Point. Bothell PD Detectives NEVER cover their firearms in public. No...just because they're cops it doesn't matter. Washington is an, "Open Carry" State. You can carry a firearm out in the open. And it's LEGAL.
Yes, I agree with lawfully carrying guns in public. There are too many crazies here in the big city. If some deranged pedophile/gang member tries to go berzerk on my family or some poor unarmed do-gooder while out on a Sunday walk, then I want to have the opportunity to defend myself and the poor gunless joe walking by me. So please, dont be mad or against carrying LEGAL pistols. They will detter would-be criminals.
2 knife wielding maniacs break into your home and you are able to take your family with you to the bedroom and lock the door. The maniacs are trying to break your door and you yell at them "take anything you want, just go"! And their response is "What we want is inside that door". If you are a legal gun owner you would be safe. If you are not a gun owner you would have failed your family and watched them perish in front of you.
Please stand with us in Legal Gun ownership. I love this Emerald City and its really sad to see it go to waste.
while Washington State may be an 'open carry' state.. doing so is still a guarantee of having the police respond to a weapons call on you.
yes, yes.. you'll howl and whine about your rights..but they'll still approach you with THEIR weapons drawn, they'll run your gun to see if it's stolen, they'll run YOU to see if you have warrants, etc..etc.. and THEY will still be within the law to do so
(and they'll enjoy doing it if you're being an ass about it too)
and if you were being menacing at someone?
well..that's a night or two in a filthy cell.
while YOU will be parading around, thinking you're Patrick Henry.. you'll still look like a tool on the ground with a shotgun pointed at your back.
gonna sue the city for it? think again..
if you're gonna pack.. get a CPL..there's nothing wrong with packing concealed, I do it all the time.
it'll save you a LOT of trouble..regardless of how you perceive the system
Finally, this is long overdue. I am happy to see that citizens are taking some action. There is nothing wrong with concealed carry to protect yourlself or others in danger. I used to work at a place off of Yesler that requried us to guard doors with shotguns, out in the open, in view of the criminals. Do you think they ever looked at us twice? No way, if they know there are other armed citizens out there ready for any kind of trouble they dont want a part of it. This should be something that spreads to Belltown, Pike place, and Pioneer sqare as well as other towns in the region that have this kind of trouble. Legally Armed Citizens of Seattle-you have my full support.
Open carry is not against the law in Washington, but where the issue with doing it lies in a statute where if you are causing a public disturbance then you are in violation of the statute. The disturbance is loosely defined, and if someone calls the police because you are carrying and they are distressed by it, the police ask you to leave the area. It does not specifically say that carrying a firearm in plain view is illegal. (However, it's much easier to simply apply for the permit, carry concealed, and not worry about it)
Cheers all around. This is why I moved to WA state. People aren't afraid of guns or marijuana. Take that, George Bush!
This is why I love Washington. We got the best of both worlds. Pro-Gun people and Pro-marijuana people. Its like heaven.
Why do they make captchas so hard to see.
LMFAO!!! You people are seriously idiots. Just grab a gun, how hard can it be to take someone down? Fine, shoot from your own porch - protect your family. But for those of you who are dying to play COPS and ROBBERS - buy a video game. Just because you went to the shooting range, doesn't mean you have any knowledge of how to deal with a complex criminal scenario. In case you didn't know, the first line of action is not to whip our your gun and shoot someone. Perhaps you can handle an unarmed thief grabbing a little old lady's purse. But when you talk about "taking action" I cannot help but laugh. When you draw your weapon on someone and they hold a knife to the victim's throat, what do you do? What happens when they whip out their gun? When someone dies during your little shootout? You people make me SICK with your delusions of grandeur.