Posted on 04/26/2013 7:05:36 AM PDT by LibWhacker
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- A man who walks around his neighborhood with a rifle strapped to his back says he is not a threat to harm anyone, but some neighbors fear he is an incident of vigilante justice waiting to happen.
John Schultz, 19, also wears a bullet-proof vest, carries ammunition and has a knife in a holster as he walks through Walnut Creek, which is off Sunset Road in north Charlotte.
The gun is his grandfather’s 303 British Enfield from WWII.
His walks cause double-takes as well as safety concerns for some. Schultz says others thank him and wave at him.
He says his walks are for exercise and picking up garbage, but also for looking out for his neighbors.
"It's nothing to do with the body armor, it's the person,” Schultz said. “Yes, it just so happens to be there."
“It’s a problem and a concern,” said neighbor Vanessa Aidara.
She says the rifle scares her and scares her kids to the point they won’t play in the yard.
"He could be good without the rifle. The rifle is what scares everybody because why do you need a rifle to pick up trash, get a trash bag,” Aidara said.
Schultz says he's spotted peeping toms and potential burglars in backyards while on his walks, which include in nearby woods, but not on private property.
"I won't brandish a firearm or anything, I won't chase somebody around. I will ask them to stop,” Schultz said.
"Let the police take care of that, not you,” said Aidara.
Aidara says she called police the first time she saw Schultz walking down the street.
“I had a panic attack, didn’t know what was going on,” she said.
She fears Schultz could be an incident of vigilante justice waiting to happen, or someone could target him for violence because he is armed.
"He could get hurt,” Aidara said.
"She's not really wanted to talk to me,” Schultz said.
If she did, Schultz says Aidara would feel different.
He's from a military family, hates garbage, loves his neighborhood and says he isn't looking for a fight.
Aidara wants the rifle-strapped neighborhood walks to stop.
Schutlz’s answer is no.
Police say Schultz isn't breaking any laws because he's not pointing the gun at anyone or threatening anyone with it.
Ugh! Someone sporterized that 303 — that is a crime in my book.
what video?
Many years ago I was sighting in a scoped black powder rifle on private land. An idiot of Miz Aidara's caliber came a-trespassing to berate me for causing his wife to have a panic attack. I graciously allowed that I was not finished and would leave when I was done. He went back in phoned in a report of a person firing a "machine gun" toward his house. The cops did not arrive while I was there, but I heard about it later from a neighbor. I determined that the next time this pussy trespassed I would hold him for the cops and have him charged with trespassing and harassment. But he never did, more's the pity.
Kinda sad to have such pussies for neighbors.
Nobody targets an armed person for violence.
This is the same liberal insanity that says we’d be safer without a strong military.
Exactly, gun owners are either scary militia types, psychotic school shooters or creepy poindexters with no friends.
Yes, I just don’t like a lot of attention and I think it does more harm than good for. I’m all for carrying concealed with or without a permit.
I wasn’t going to mention it, but yeah, that rifle is a serious bubba gun.
Yes. It is an “Us and Them” thing. The object the exercise is to make gun owners “Them” to as many people as possible.
Video at the top of the linked page.
It seems Arizona isn’t for you then.
DC snipers did. If you have a long gun and optics, it’s not hard or dangerous.
No, too far west and too dry, but Virginia is, we have open-carry just about anywhere you want. I’m hoping for concealed without a license to pass.
Chapel Hill NC was where a guy walked around with an M1 Garand and shot a bunch of people. But he didn’t walk around with it before that incident.
These people need to go to a gun show.
I enjoy mine. With a 125gr bullet, lot’s of fun and pretty flat.
There is an advantage to open carry though. It removes the ‘Is he or isn’t he” from the mind of the potential criminal and he just moves on down the road without the idea ever forming.
When you stack up enough desert rats in an area with open carry, such would be thugs just leave the area and rarely return.
Worked great in Earp’s time. Removed many burdens on the system.
I’m trying to convince my dad/partner that we should post a “Concealed Carry Welcome Here” on the front door of our law office.
I don't remember the DC snipers targeting armed people. They shot people pumping gas or mowing lawns and such.
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