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I have to call the police tomorrow.
Just found out that on Friday my ex was showing my daughter a gun on Skype. A nice realistic pistol.
My daughter was talking about it today, so we went and checked the video camera which records the calls, and there's my wife holding a pistol up quite happily showing it off.
Since she's never taken a firearms course, it's illegal, and with how she's been asking very specifically about my daughters schedule, I'm a little alarmed. Only the fact that she's 14 hours away keeps me calling the police right now.
Jesus, never marry a crazy person.
Comments
Don't wait!
If you are concerned enough to call the police and she's on Skype asking about your Daughter's schedule. Don't wait as it may be too late by tomorrow when you do call. I doubt the officers' time would be wasted worrying about a misunderstanding rather than investigating a shooting at a school or home when Children are involved!
Yeah you're right.
Yeah you're right.
Watching more of the video, this woman isn't stable. Calling it in now.
Not suggesting you shouldn't
Not suggesting you shouldn't call, but keep in mind that depending on where she is, ownership of a handgun likely is _not_ illegal (at least if you're in the US). There are usually laws about being stupid with a gun around other people, however. Not sure how that would qualify over a video call.
Good luck.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
We're in Canada, to get a
We're in Canada, to get a handgun you need to jump through a lot of hoops, and until September she was on probation, which makes it nearly impossible.
And the reason why I changed my mind about waiting, she was asking for class pictures, bus schedules, who picks her up from school, and lots of things like that. Things you don't ask a 4 year old.
Since we're in a custody battle, well it makes every red flag about an abduction start waving.
Ah, that does make a
Ah, that does make a difference. A big one. I also know that most police up there are insanely stupid about guns. If you do some looking, there was a guy that decided to turn in his guns, because he was tired of constantly paying the licensing fees for them, called the local station so they could be picked up, and they basically stormtroopered his home. I don't think any of my family members up there own one, and it's a big reason why I'm not thrilled with the idea of ever living there permanently.
(Remember, the motto of the police is actually "When seconds count, we're minutes away!" )
Anyway - I agree with the calling. Especially with a copy of the video in question.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Yeah I agree with you. My
Yeah I agree with you. My family is big on hunting and they were on the pro gun side during the 90's when a lot of the really annoying laws were enacted. That's why when I heard she had a gun I really started to worry because there's no way it's legal.
I think you were right to contact the police.
No one actually needs a gun, except the armed services and perhaps the police on occasion. The American situation and the 2nd amendment is the reason they've had 294 shootings in schools in the past few years. People do stupid things which occasionally can be dangerous, make guns accessible and the risk levels rise a thousandfold. There are more guns in America than the rest of the world - that should say something.
Angharad
Thanks, but
Lets agree to disagree, and keep politics out of this.
Not Quite
"There are more guns in America than the rest of the world" - this turns out not to be true; I've seen it elsewhere and did the research to find out. There are about 900 million guns in the world[ the US has about 1/3 of them. Which is still an astonishing fact.
In most countries, most guns are in the hands of the military or police, which is not true in the US. But then, it depends on how you count what is and is not a military. Still worldwide, civilians own 60-75% of all guns, but less than half of all civilian-owned guns are in the US. Again, depending on what you consider to be a military.
These numbers are available on the web from several sources; they don't all agree completely but my summary above is a consensus of the sites I found.
That said, I do think you did the right thing in contacting the police. In fact, I think your ex wanted you to do exactly that.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
The reason for shootings in
The reason for shootings in schools is simple. They're sites where the attacker can be certain that there's little to nothing in the way of any way for people to resist. Someone with two machetes would go there for the same reason (and almost certainly do more damage. No reloading, and slash wounds are harder to treat than through holes. Most modern ammunition purchased is metal coated, so it goes straight through. Thus the constant repetition in safety courses of _always_ be aware of what's behind your target)
They're also large zones of stress and pressure - not just peer pressure, but intolerance from above as well. Thus the bomb threats, etc. I will say that we don't have as many street bombings as the UK has had in the past. (stuffed in the old metal rubbish bins) That may change after the Boston Marathon bombings. (interestingly enough, if the bins were shaped right, and strong enough at the base, they'd just channel the force of the blasts upwards. Showering everyone with old banana peels, bottles, cans, and half sandwiches. Downside? The trash cans would probably cost $3,000 each, and would require a truck with a small crane to move them around.)
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Gun culture
I think that USA have a gun culture proplem compared to other countries which have about the same gun owner density. In other comparable countries guns are bought for hunting and for sport, and gun ownership is thightly regulated.
I am happy that you have called the police.
In USA alot of the guns are bought for protection, and thus the owner has already accepted that the gun can be used against another human being.
Gun vs knife argument is flawed, because shooting with a gun is far less personal than using a knife (even though knives have the same potential for damage). When i hear senators and NRA spokesmen say that the answer to prevent shootings is to arm teachers and priests I am very happy to not live in the US.
Well the police were useless.
Well the police were useless. Watched the video I made, and said it seemed likely she was talking about a toy gun, and while the questions were worrisome, they weren't enough of a red flag to warrant further action.
So I have to be extra cautious, and if she does anything that sets off red flags I call the police again.
Now I have an idea how an abused woman feels while dealing with police.
I'm tempted to have you send
I'm tempted to have you send the video to me to check (at least the section with the gun). I suspect they don't have a lot of experience with gun identification.
I know that almost all _recent_ toy guns have a yellow or orange tip, other than some paintball guns, and despite how cops act, they're VERY obvious as to what they are.
I'll get a life when it's proven and substantiated to be better than what I'm currently experiencing.
Thanks but...
It's too blurry to tell. There's no red tip, but it's a little too hard to tell if it's real or not, and my Dad and I, both gun enthusiasts looked it over closely.
at least it is evidence gathering
at least it is evidence gathering. Check with your attorney if he/she needs a copy.
Already done.
Already done.