"See something, say something?" What would you do?
Tell me what would you do.
I was at my local indoor gun range here in the north Twin Cities area this evening to do some target practicing. Ahead of me were 6 young (18-20 yr old) young men renting for target practice there at the range rifles and ammo 7.62x39 (AK / SKS?).
They were speaking what I perceived to be a middle-eastern language. (However, I don't know which.)
After they went into the closed range area, one of the range officiers, a young man who said he in the last year got back from Iraq, commented that the 6 fellows were speaking Arabic.
Otherwise, they seemed well behaved.
We hear from homeland security and some law enforcement people "If you see something, say something..."
Does what I just described to you lead you to believe this is something that you'd "say something" about? If so, to whom/how? If not, why?
I'm hesitant to do so, because of how much I value the right to own (rent), bear arms and my own privacy. I also don't want to judge someone just because of where they came from or the language they speak. But I also would not want a warning of something more serious to be overlooked, unreported, if I had the knowledge that might prevent it. Thanks.
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MinnFinn
"Now there you go again..." "I'm not going to hold your youth and inexperience against you." -- Ronald Reagan
I would have called the police to possibly see what could be done. Most police wouldnt know or care so I think you would have probably been at a loss anyway.
Another thought would be to question the guy that rented the weapons to them. He may have needed the snot kicked out of him. What was he doing renting weapons to these guys anyway?
So Middle Eastern folks aren't allowed to shoot anymore??? Seriously, they're not all terrorists. Should I call the cops if I see a Catholic anywhere near a small boy?
More often than not, if someone is a serious person of interest, they're already being watched.
__________________ Ted Kennedy's car has killed more people than my handgun...
I know that the range officer followed the range rules in checking and holding their valid IDs, range registration cards and other requirement like anyone else while they shot. So, I don't have any issue with what he did.
They have the right to responsibly rent, own and use firearms, as long as they meet legal requirements.
My question is simple and serious. It kept me up much of the night thinking about. So, think through what you say. I don't want to get into any side discussions.
Wouldn't it raise questions in you mind why these young men were renting what's the semi-auto equivalent of AK47 or SKS (for use at the range)? They weren't familar with range operations. These are the rifles that are symbolic of those who fight against us.
If they were there as individuals or a couple of buddies practicing with their pistols, I wouldn't have thought about it.
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MinnFinn
"Now there you go again..." "I'm not going to hold your youth and inexperience against you." -- Ronald Reagan
Look at it this way. If they were renting one the probablly don't have their own. Maybe they were doing it to make a statement and see who they could get a rise out of someone. You know to intimidate people. I would have walked over to them and shot the **** with them.
I would have called the police to possibly see what could be done. Most police wouldnt know or care so I think you would have probably been at a loss anyway.
Isn't that racial profiling?... I would have walked over and introduced myself and asked them is this was the first time there, just to start a conversation.
I like to think a stranger is a friend I haven't met yet.
I don't think this is racial profiling. MinnFinn isn't making some decision or taking some action based upon their race or perceived race. If anything, he is questioning if there were enough suspicious things occurring together to justify reporting this to Homeland Security or not.
He saw 6 males, age 18-20, of apparent middle-eastern decent, speaking some foreign language that a returning vet identified as Arabic and renting AK47/SKS type rifles to shoot. He said they were well behaved and didn't notice anything else that would lead him to suspect something. He didn't feel completely comfortable but didn't report it at the time.
Now after the fact, he's asking all of you if he made the right decision and if you would have done anything differently?
People report suspicious activity like this to the police all the time. They generally have partial information like MinnFinn that just didn't quite seem right to them and left them feeling uncomfortable. They often report it by saying something along the lines of this probably isn't anything serious but it just didn't quite look right. In the vast majority of these occasions, the police find out it's nothing and the people who were checked thank them for doing their job and being professional. I know because I've investigated a lot of complaints like this and people do thank you for doing your job and being professional when you are respectful, professional and explain why you're checking.
If you'll recall, the news mentioned a problem with some middle-eastern young males taking flight lessons for jet planes and only wanting to learn how to take off, not land. Some of those same people later flew planes into the World Trade center. Or how about the guys who bought a whole lot of fertilizer and loaded it into a rental truck somewhere in Oklahoma? Little things can make a difference if people pay attention. Most of the time, it's nothing criminal and no harm. Occasionally, however, it turns into something where people really wish they had said something. I think that is what MinnFinn is trying to avoid and rightfully so. IMHO.
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Jesus Christ--The reason for the season!
If you can read this, thank a teacher. If you can read this in English, thank a veteran.
If you're certain you know everything, there's little opportunity to learn anything.
So Middle Eastern folks aren't allowed to shoot anymore??? Seriously, they're not all terrorists. Should I call the cops if I see a Catholic anywhere near a small boy?
Rev, I suppose that may have been the response of the Army superiors who overlooked the warning signs of the Army Psychiatrist before he went over the edge at Ft. Hood in the name of his god.
The vast majority of other attacks on Americans over the past 17 yrs. haven't been made by silver haired Lutherans ladies on vacation from Norway or middle aged Polish Catholics visiting Disneyland ... they've been committed by young men mostly from mid-eastern countries, who've been radicalized by extreme Muslim sects here and abroad, who gave off many warning signs before they committed their terrible acts.
There have been numerous Somali immigrants' sons leave Minneapolis and head back to Somalia to fight in that war to their own families horror.
The 19th hijacker from 9/11 who was arrested in flight training school in the Twin Cities after a flight instructor became suspicious that he said he, "didn't want to learn takeoff or landing a jet... only how to fly it level."
These fellows I saw yesterday at the range probably aren't up to anything... but if it turned out later that they were and I say nothing how many would say then "you did the right thing and shut-up not making any judgements about them or make them uncomfortable."
With all due respect, I wouldn't recommend coming up to anyone on the hot firing line "just to start a conversation." You need to stay out others’ space and not cause distraction for anyone who is handling loaded firearms. I think that's common sense.
I think I'll just talk to a Community Service Officier who lives down the block to get his view. Thanks
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MinnFinn
"Now there you go again..." "I'm not going to hold your youth and inexperience against you." -- Ronald Reagan
"See something, say something?" What would you do?
... I would have walked over and introduced myself and asked them is this was the first time there, just to start a conversation. 
