Man Sees Gun, Thinks Bank May Be Robbed, Gets Arrested Himself (CT)

[davepc]

http://touch.courant.com/#section/2225/article/p2p-77427140/

A man who became alarmed when he saw a man carrying a gun inside the TD Bank at 2461 Main St. last Thursday afternoon was himself charged with breach of peace because he shook up bank staff.

Robert Gursky, 50, of Cavan Lane, was in the bank transacting business when he saw a person with a handgun. The person he saw was legally carrying the firearm and had no ill intent, police said.

...

"He was trying to relay to the teller someone had a gun," Glastonbury Agent Kevin Szydlo said. Gursky was trying to write a note to the teller, and also said "gun." Gursky then completed his transaction and left the bank. He also tore up the note he was writing and threw it away.

The teller and other bank staff became alarmed, activated their robbery protocol and called police, Szydlo said. Police figured out who had the gun and determined he possessed it legally. They also tracked down Gursky, interviewed him, then charged him with breach of peace.

[Xipe Totec]

1. So much for: If you see something, say something. nt

[Nay]

3. Really. Now you can't even say anything about gun carriers in banks. That's messed up. nt

[Eleanors38]

14. Some controllers advocated reporting to police Anytime

they saw Anyone with a gun, using the rubric that the reporter "felt threatened." I think the motivation for this recommendation was more disdain and desire for confrontation and less from fear. There were warnings of unintended consequences. And now we have them.

[Jenoch]

2. It is never a good idea to hand

a note to a bank teller with the word "gun" in it. It is also not a good idea to say the word "gun" to a bank teller. If you have a problem at a bank, go see the bank manager.

[Bjorn Against]

25. It is an even worse idea to open carry a gun into a bank

[Travis_0004]

29. Not really.

I worked at a bank, we had people who open carried all the time. It was the same people, who often made large withdraws, and large deposits. It didn't phase me one bit. I always assumed somebody who is going to rob a place is not going to carry a gun in plain sight, it attracts too much attention.

[Bjorn Against]

34. It is absurd to claim saying the word gun in a bank is worse than open carrying a gun into a bank

[Jenoch]

31. The guy carrying was a U.S. Marshall.

[Bjorn Against]

33. Was he wearing identification?

If not there was no way for anyone to know he was a Marshall.

[Travis_0004]

43. Does it matter?

Open carry is legal in that state. Obviously none of the bank employees freaked out about it, just an idiot customer.

[Jenoch]

45. The bank employee did not necessarily freak out,

but apparently did inform supervisors who called police. Then they likely had to go through transaction history and the surveilance video to identify the idiot who wrote a note with the word gun and said the word gun to the teller. The customer created havoc with his paranoia.

[petronius]

4. Unless there's more to the story, arresting him seems a bit over the top

Sounds like he (unnecessarily) freaked out and communicated very poorly, but it doesn't sound like he had any sort of criminal or disruptive intent. A simple conversation would have settled it, I think.

But I hope the "Call 911 when you see open-carry and claim you feel threatened!" brigade is paying attention...

[SecularMotion]

8. Agreed, arresting him was unnecessary.

But I don't think he was wrong trying to alert someone to an armed man in a bank, just that he communicated very poorly.

[petronius]

11. If somebody honestly and genuinely feels concern over anything at all, I support

them in notifying the appropriate authorities. I think (and expect) police or others are and should be competent to evaluate the situation.

But I hope police are equally competent at recognizing when someone is claiming 'fear' or 'concern' for purposes of harassment, or to make a statement, or for any other dishonest or disingenuous reason...

[Jenoch]

12. I don't think we know enough details about what actually happened in the bank

to make a determination about whether or not the moron bank customer should have been arrested.

[petronius]

13. You're right, but if we only talked about things where we had enough details,

DU would be a very very quiet place.

We can really only go with what we know at the moment; that's why I tossed in the "Unless..." caveat.

[Eleanors38]

15. I agree with this. This fellow needs to get used to seeing some armed citizens about.

[CreekDog]

23. maybe even shooting

nobody should feel threatened by a gun unless it's being held or carried by a bad guy.

now tell us what a bad guy looks like.

[Eleanors38]

24. Don't worry about "looks." Worry about actions. nt

[Bjorn Against]

26. So once they shoot you then you can worry?

At that point I think it might be a little late to worry.

[Eleanors38]

30. Life is not a sure thing, but situational awareness gets everyone closer.

[Starboard Tack]

5. Best policy when entering any bank and seeing a gun - leave quietly

Then you can call the cops, if you want, and let them decide, but writing a note with"gun" on it is an absolute "No-No!"

[gejohnston]

6. profiling based on atire instead of behaviour?

and writing notes that are on the same intellectual level as greeting your cousin Jack on a plane.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

9. "profiling based on atire instead of behaviour?"

I'm left to wonder how this story would have been received by the anti-gun faction had the man alerted on a young black gentleman wearing a hoodie.

[Bjorn Against]

27. I think a gun is just a wee bit different than a hoodie

Most sane people do not consider a gun to be mere "attire".

[Nuclear Unicorn]

32. The narrow-mindedness that leads some people to see all minorities as potential criminals

is the same lack of wit that makes others quiver and fear the mere sight of a firearm. Both are so trapped by their own preconceptions they are incapable of imagining anything other than a threat where none exists.

[Bjorn Against]

35. That is an extremely stupid comparision

Discomfort around deadly weapons is not even remotely similar to racism. Not even remotely.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

36. They're both self-inflicted phobias.

A gun is a mere object, it has no impetus of its own. It will never suddenly animate of its own accord and attack you for no reason. It takes a human being to make it dangerous. You could stand in a room filled with a thousand randomly selected guns and not one of them would move to harm you. I doubt a thousand randomly selected humans would be as safe as odds are at least one of them would be willing to do you harm if given the chance. Yet, if you cast your suspicions about potential malefactors based solely of skin color you would be making assumptions absent any basis in reason.

If you choose to be scared that's your problem and no one else's.

[Bjorn Against]

37. No one is worried about a room full of guns no one is touching

People do have the right however to be suspicious of a total stranger displaying a deadly weapon to them. A person who makes a stupid CHOICE to open carry a deadly weapon can be judged on their choice. No one chooses their skin color. To act like discomfort around armed assholes is the same thing as racism is absurd and insulting to those who have suffered from real racism.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

38. "displaying a deadly weapon to them."

That's a rather ego-centric mindset. "It's all about MEEEEE!" I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest the people lawfully carrying are quite content to see you go on about your own business without making any demands of you.

[Bjorn Against]

39. There is nothing ego-centric about not wanting to be shot

And let me tell you one more time that your efforts to compare this to racism is disgusting, you clearly have no fucking clue of what racism is.

[gejohnston]

41. it is still making assumptions not based on behavior

and is equally irrational. Calmly standing in line either with a gun or a hoodie is suspicious.
Since we don't know the race of the marshal, and it is CT, (I found more racists from New England than in the south) it could have been race based.

[Th1onein]

40. Tell that to the people at the Naval yard. Or Virginia Tech. Or Sandy Hook. GET REAL.

No one should compare this to racism. That's BS, and you know it.

[gejohnston]

42. not about race

white guys wear hoodies too. Black guys open carry, including cops.
None of these guys calmly stood in line with a holstered pistol.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

44. That's not the fault of any gun, that's untreated mental illness.

But it should be noted that those of you who are so arrogantly confident in your fear think you can control all society when you can't (or won't ).even help the mentally I'll.

[Th1onein]

46. Look, there's places where guns just don't belong. At least not without uniforms to go along with

them. Bars, for one, comes to mind. Schools are another. Banks another. YOUR rights to carry a gun don't trump MY rights to be secure in certain places.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

47. Except the person carrying in the bank was a plain clothes LEO

I would also agree some places should be gun free but such places tend to attract bad guys and "MY" gun is the least of your worries.

[Th1onein]

48. Normally, I'd agree with you, but I'm shell shocked at all of the rampage killings.

There are places that guns just don't belong. Period. Because of rampage killings. YOUR security at the cost of everyone else's is not a trade that we should make as a society.

[rl6214]

7. Good

[ileus]

10. more OCfobia...

Dude wanted to try and intimidate the man from carrying via LEOs....didn't work out too well.

Carry on my friends...

[jpak]

16. The open carry douchebag should be charged.

yup

[Jenoch]

17. Where in the story did it say the man was OC instead of concealed carry?

[jpak]

18. What part of "Man sees gun" don't you understand?

[Jenoch]

19. That does not mean it was OC.

He could have been wearing a shoulder holster and a jacket. He moves a little and the jacket moves a little...or the holster could have been on his belt and the jacket moves. I do not think you should assume facts not in evidence.

[friendly_iconoclast]

20. The OP appears to have something of a problem with confirmation bias

The most recent example:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1172131435

[hack89]

21. The "douchebag" was a state marshal

http://www.courant.com/community/glastonbury/hc-glastonbury-bank-alarm-0926-20130925,0,7937725.story

[hack89]

22. The guy with the gun turned out to be a state marshal

http://www.courant.com/community/glastonbury/hc-glastonbury-bank-alarm-0926-20130925,0,7937725.story

[PoliticAverse]

28. He should have gone with 'he has a gub'. n/t