S. Tahoe businessman draws gun on suspect
An argument on private property escalated to the point a gun was drawn Saturday morning.
South Lake Tahoe police officers said John Runnels saw a guy walk across his auto lot at the Y and then they got into an argument. Then the suspect allegedly shoved Runnels to the ground.
Runnels, who has a concealed weapons permit, pulled his gun. The suspect fled.
Runnels called 911.
A description of the suspect has not been released. He is wanted on a battery charge.
— Lake Tahoe News staff report
Way to go John!!
Good for John in protecting himself.
Why is the right to bear arms the only constitutional right which requires a permit or a background check?
Advocate. Tell me of another Constitutional right that kills citizens? What if the guy was mental and pulled a gun first on John?
Yea what if the guy pulled a gun on John then a drunk driver jumped the curb and then what if what if. It will be interesting to see how this period of comments go. Im sure it will get very entertaining.
Nice place there on the main intersection at South Lake. Eye-catching and friendly-just what is needed as tourists enter Tahoe.
It isn’t the constitutional right to bear arms which kills.
If the guy was unstable and had pulled a weapon or even started hitting him, I expect that John would have killed him to protect himself.
Since this guy ran away when John showed that he was armed, John followed the law and did not shoot.
So if I read this correctly. Some guy is walking on his property and he gets into an argument. Really.
Then let’s escalate the situation. The guy pushes him and he pulls a gun.
Was there any other indication that there would be additional harm to the supposed victim?
Proper training and common sense would say, hey, I think I will call the police since the situation has escalated.
I am in support of people having firearms but there really has to be great training and some sort of mental evaluation.
Not everyone can be a police officer and not everyone should be allowed to carry a gun.
Runnels doesn’t need a gun, he needs a junk yard dog! LOL! Just kidding!
Go to http://www.Yelp.com and put in zip code 96150 and Runnels and see what tourist and locals have to say about Runnels.
The man seems very rude,a lot of complaints about him, I was going to go see the old cars, But better not, I may be having a gun pointed at me, ,Not a nice man,Maybe I should not judge but if you do read up about him, Its not good about him,Just a warning from others i hear,and read,
I’ve know John for almost 40 years; he is definitely a piece of work. I’ve only had minor disputes with him, but in any kind of a dispute, be ready.
Nevertheless, in the long term, pulling a gun an a knucklehead is rarely a good idea, however appealing it might seem in the short term.
Perhaps John’s feeling a bit of pressure, what with his junkyard collection, albeit a well swept and potentially restorable junkyard, getting criticism as being the primary attraction at an intersection that many would like to see presenting a somewhat different image to new tourists arriving at Tahoe.
But, in his defense, isn’t “well swept and potentially restorable junkyards” pretty much a description of the business appearance of South Lake Tahoe these days? Hope the rest of these folks don’t start pulling guns..
I could give my opinion on Runnels but I’m striving every day to not speak ill of others.
All these people criticizing a man who made something of himself.
South Lake Tahoe is a caustic, hostile, vile community of disrespectful, dishonest punk class of trash.
John, stand proud, the you are a light of integrity in a sea of mostly trash.
I think it is sad when these commentaries get down to “trash”! SLT is not a caustic, vile community of trash at all. I have never seen a “community” that acts more like COMMUNITY and steps up to the plate to put on fundraisers for their own, whether it be uninsured locals who have serious diagnoses, accidents, personal nightmares, etc., support the arts, neighborhoods, kids, and much more.
Mudslinging does no good for anyone. The Runnel corner (& I guess the proprietor) is indeed controversial. That said, it should be a black & white issue to take on. Leave the inflammatory remarks and guns out of it. And call the police for police issues. This is not the WILD West.
Irish Wahini, I agree, SLT is not at all like the gentleman(?) from Oregon describes. I take great offense when people attack my home town and the afore mentioned person seems fixated on insulting the residents of SLT, the area itself and all of California… oh, and lets not forget Liberal/ progessive folks, he REALLY hates those people.
As for John Runnels pulling a gun on someone? Well I wish he hadn’t of done it but at least he didn’t fire. What was the cause for this is unknown to me, I’m just glad no one was hurt.
Let’s hope we get some rain in the basin and some snow up higher. Old Long Skiis
John is very protective of his property. Some people might say that it is excessive or obsessive. However, it is HIS property. At least he wasn’t refusing to serve someone…
I’ve known John for many years and like him. The guy who knocked him down must have been a large man because John is not a small person, good for him not shooting the guy and the rest of you people who are commenting the bad things about John must not know the man. Shame on you
I am glad this did not turn I into a Trayvon Martin repeat. That would have been bad. Almost as bad as the eye sore at the ‘Y’.
If anyone “walks” on John’s property, he’ll come out swinging. Don’t mistake Runnel’s property for a business. It’s not open, he’s not selling anything. The guy that pushed Runnels (so he says) is not the problem, it’s Runnels. We accidentally walked on the property once, just once and only once. He came out yelling at us as if we trespassed on private property by climbing over barbed wire fence and locked gate. We just walked on to look at the cars and we’ll never do it again. He’s not open, he’s not a business. Don’t know what’s going on there, but this situation could happen to anyone who mistakes that place for a business.
First of all I wish I had a gun and a was there when my business was burglarized a few weeks ago. Good for you John. I applaud you. I too was at the “Y” yesterday with my wife. It seems that my daughter and her friend, he being a first time visitor to Lake Tahoe ran into some auto issues and we had to pick them up at Welcome Towing. Roy opened up his shop for him to help out. Also at least three other Tahoe people tried to assist him with his problem on the way there. We gave him a bit of a tour and he did notice the collection at Runnels only to say “maybe I should see him about a new ride!” All in all he felt the help and concern of the local folks in Tahoe was remarkable. Made him feel quite at home. Thanks to the Tahoe locals for being so gracious.
I agree with Teatime. I was walking with a friend and he wanted to stop and see the cars. John came out like a pit bull on a mission, cursing and charging at us. Sad thing is I have known John for years and it didn’t matter.
When I approached the man with the car lot, asking about a few that were there, I was rudely accosted as well.
Runnels. If you load up a corner lot with antique cars so close to where HOT AUGUST NIGHTS happens, take a moment to put up some signs stating that your collection is not for sale, and if you don’t want folks wandering in to look-
PUT UP A GATE MORON. Signs- communicate before someone ends up shooting YOU.
Stupid, stupid, stupid. That is a major intersection, and sort of selfish to the rest of the town, and other auto enthusiasts.
My collection is stored out of sight, far from the main drag through town. By the way, why don’t you get some of those gems rolling, instead of just sitting there attracting folks attention to something that you don’t have any interest in sharing.
My guess is the guy that pushed you was provoked.
Sounds like a bad situation just waiting to happen. Maybe there should be “No Trespassing” signs posted so innocent visitors don’t run afoul of a potentially volatile situation. To have a “business” with an open sign begs for misunderstanding if indeed it is not a real business and it is not open. It should be one or the other. Is there a requirement to have signs on businesses that are accurate???
Personally, I think the old cars are kinda cool. However, it sounds like Runnel’s is paranoid…@local-I just read the yelp reviews. One of them confirmed what I had heard from a mechanic friend years ago, that he’s a trustfund recipient who is required to keep a business ‘open’ in order to continue receiving his checks. Not exactly someone who has ‘made something’ of himself as CJ(another irrational, paranoid loose canon) suggested in his rant. How long til he actually shoots one of the ‘hungry, help me’ folks who haunt the ingress at raleys/ltb?
Has something changed? I live close by and have been on the lot at least 50 times with visitors over the years.
A couple of years ago I went in to ask a question and John gave me good advice. The door was open and it looked like an auto parts store to me.
Hopefully local law enforcement is aware of the situation and will protect us from anything unfortunate.
……a person with a psychopathic personality whose behavior is antisocial and who lacks a sense of moral responsibility or social conscience.
SOCIOPATH
any questions?
Runnels has been the town jerk for years. Now somebody pushes back on his little ‘bait and bully’ corner junkyard game and its a problem. Real hero, finally gets put to the ground and he pulls a gun. Lame.
The impression is he is definitely not open for business. Why store your cars on such a prominent corner of town? maybe a fenced in lot, in an industrial section of town would be more appropriate? Then people would leave him alone. His current location to an unassuming tourist, looks like every other used car dealer, they actually think the place is open and would want customers.
I suggested awhile ago that Mr. Runnels should paint some of his cars and put them up front, lining his property. It would look nice and be a treat for those of us that like old cars.
But if he’s chasing people away from his prominent location with a gun, maybe it’s time he find another location for his car collection. Removed from where he’s at now and to a more secluded area with little public interaction. He could keep his “Y” property and sell auto parts there or whatever else.
Just my thoughts, OLS
For the record… Runnels had a run-in with the City back in 2006 regarding registration of the cars on the lot. However the city was not able to force the issue… (http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/3767731-113/story.html) (http://www.tahoedailytribune.com/news/3768420-113/runnels-vehicles-repair-cars)
Funny how the articles above say he buys the cars and “fixes the up” on his lot…I have yet to see hi actually fixing anything up. The cars are pretty much left there to rust away.
I wonder what is going to happen though as the continued redevelopment reaches the “Y” and he is not included in the plan? (at least I hope not) Personally looking forward to having that blight on the corner cleaned up.
An armed society is a polite society. I’m glad John showed a certain amount of restraint. Without knowing any of the facts of the situation, he might have pulled out his firearm a little early in the confrontation. If he had shot the fellow, then the city could follow through with their plans for buying the property cheap.
“An armed society is a polite society.”
Total nonsense.
An armed society is an armed society
SLTPD response on the phone is a joke. What a waste of taxpayer dollars to be abused by SLTPD response to relatively law abiding citizens complaining about abusive jerks in this city. John probably knows this.
I happen to agree with both barf and Gordon. In reality the “Wild West” wasn’t so wild. Just think what would of been the possible outcomes of all the gun violence we have had over the last few years if everybody was packing. Perhaps it would of been fewer incidents and fewer deaths. Vigilante justice! Bang, bang the criminal has been brought to trial on the scene and earned their just rewards. Yes, society would be armed and knowing everyone else was they would be a darned site more polite because of it. I am not a gun nut by any means and I do not own one yet it has become too clear that the American public is armed to the teeth and the police usually show up much much too late.
Why do you need to carry a gun if you aren’t expecting to be attacked?
I’m not expecting a fire but I have a fire extinguisher in my home, my business and my car.
wow, just read all the reviews on yelp. Clearly not a legit business he runs. He needs to be shutdown. Did anyone see him get shoved to the ground? What a loser.
Isn’t it normal to walk across the lot of a business??? We all routinely walk across the Raley’s lot, Grass Roots and any other place I can think of in town. Why would this business lot be any different? How would anyone know that the business is “Open” but that you can’t walk across the lot and that it is, in fact, defended by someone with a gun?
The heart of the problem (besides John being John, of course) will be evident when the next passerby who wanders into John’s territory and has a gun pulled on him, may very well feel threated enough to pull his legally concealed weapon and drop John in mid rant. Most folks with concealed weapons permits know how to use them, practice with them, and are very specific as to what kind of a situation warrants their firing. And a screwball yelling and waving a gun at them would probably fit that scenario.
Kae, of course, will have a great story for her site, but the tourism promoters will not find the resulting coverage helpful to their efforts. Nor, likely, will John.
Trash begats Trash and CJ is full of cow hookie, as usual…
That is John. No doubt. Nuff said. Seems to be getting worse.
I agree with Teatime and the others who have merely walked onto Runnell’s property…my friend and I were riding our bikes and cut the corner to avoid a pot hole and rode our bikes thru a portion of his lot. He came running out screaming obsentities @ us.
His property is an extreme eye sore and should not be visible to tourists or us locals entering our beautiful area.
From what I’ve heard, John is in escrow to sell the property to the “In an Out ” burger franchise. Also, the vacant lot at the corner of Ski Run Blvd and Hwy 50 has been sold to Trader Joes, and they should be breaking ground soon. Also, Joe Tventen’s old gas station at the entrance to Meyers has been sold to Cosco. That should be a real treat. Talk about watching ugly for years.
barf12 in n out does not francise and I have never seen one that does not have a drive up which is almost impossible to get unless it is grandfathered in like Mcdonalds at the Y and Jack in the box. So I do have to ask if you are just trying to pull our legs about all of these coming into town. Though a trader Joes would be great
I realize that, these days, Kae, and apparently other journalists, have problems getting what has always, in the past, been considered public information from SLTPD, but I have difficulty imagining that this isn’t a violation of 417 PC, and should, at minimum, be submitted to the District Attorney’s office for consideration of charges. Local law enforcement might simply dismiss John as a local “character,” but county DA’s are rarely that flexible. Even (or especially) in El Dorado County.
Copper : The circumstances were that John Runnels was assaulted, (on his own property) and believed further aggression was imminent. 417, brandishing of a deadly weapon, will obviously not apply to circumstances pertaining to self defense. A criminal charge under these circumstances would be futile, for two reasons. One : The suspect fled. (victim or suspect) To prosecute John Runnels according to 417, the case would quickly be dismissed due to Runnels unable to confront the accuser. 2 : Even if the prosecutor could find the guy, the claim of self defense would prevail because excessive force was not used. ( Runnels didn’t pull the trigger, and the guy wasn’t injured.)
Copper : I hope you feel real stupid now.
Wow – I just looked up the place on yelp. Insane, the guy posses at a business then screams and curses at tourists who are looking for a mechanic or are interested in his junk cars NO TRESSEPASSING GET THE F#$%&* OFF MY PROPERTY is his appraoch to customers from the yelp reviews. No wonder many visitors view this town as a dump full of fruits and nuts. An ugly junk yard run by a hostile trust funder is how we welcome tourists, followed by a string of profanities, WTF? nice gateway to town…
One condition of have a CCW permit is to be of “good moral character”.
Is there some way the public can request that the Sheriff review his permit?
How does being grumpy violate the “good moral character” requirement? Or is it being an old car dealer?
Hello my fellow taxpayers and Tahoans, many of you seem to demonise the “gun”. It is just a tool, like a fire extinguisher, seatbelt, an avalanche transceiver etc…yes many of citizens here in Eldorado County do have CCW permits, our esteemed Sheriff allows us the priveledge,we have to go through extensive training, Live Scan backround investigation and application, we also have a face to face with our awesome Lt. Pete here in South Lake Tahoe, we are ready to defend our lives and the lives of our spouses and children, that does not make us bad people, if need be, if my life is threatened, I will defend…It is my right and yours as well. I am no means a gun nut or a defender of John. But if you all think “bad humans” do not exist, you live in a dreamland. Don’t forget about IHOP, the recent shooting at Renown and other hospitals, the Reno Middle School shooting, those are in the last five years alone. Bad people (the wolves) do not register their guns or care about their fellow humans…I do. The sheepdogs are here, in concealment,in waiting to protect our families, to protect our sheep.
Peace to you all…
John doesn’t need a CCW to conceal on his own property, he can carry legally without one, but thanks LTN for letting us know he has a CCW.
Grumpy is an understatement. Read the stuff on yelp. And google plus. He had two signs up that said ‘open’, and yelled at people from out of the country for not reading the trespassing sign. I think John actually enjoys it. He isn’t doing anything to prevent confrontations. He wants people to wander on his property so he can abuse them.
I don’t think he is emotionally stable and rational enough to own a gun.
He wasn’t just randomly assaulted. It was a matter of time before he verbally abused the wrong person. John would be better protected by changing his attitude and avoiding confrontation than owning a gun. The trust fund thing makes sense. He probably hasn’t ever had his butt kicked, he always got away with it. And now look at him. Someone should have kicked his butt long before he was old enough to own a gun.
The Yelp comments explain a lot about “Runnels Automotive.”
Barf 12, I believe you are mistaken. The Tveten lot is not salable at this time due to liens and pollution.
Cosa, you are correct. That is why I called the situation at Runnels ‘bait and bully’. John’s old cars are the bait, and he is the bully. This is no doubt something John enjoys. I believe he is a sociopath, which, by the way is NOT the same as a psychopath.
Ultimately I actually kinda like his old cars and the funky nature of that corner. It’s when a man like John Runnels, with his bait and bully game, has a concealed weapon, is when it has a whole lot of bad potential. Coupled with his explosive personality I would think this needs to be taken seriously. Windshield washer anyone?
have any of you folks looked at how many (no trespassing} signs are on and around the property?
I don’t like the guy I thought he was a lousy mechanic since 1976 when I let him tune up my Pontiac
I would like to buy the Jaguar that’s in his lot but I’m not going to.
I doubt that his life was in danger, he should be arrested for flashing his gun.
Copper, I’m a business owner. I’ve been assaulted numerous times. I’ve given up reporting these crimes. According to SLTPD, they can’t arrest the criminals because, according to them each and every time, the D.A wont prosecute. Perhaps our local journalists can interview SLTPD and ask them why they insist on using this as an excuse to allow the local thugs to carry on? Maybe Kay could interview the D.A and ask him if he is aware that SLTPD is failing to arrest people who have committed crimes based on this excuse?
Nonetheless, it is because of SLTPD that I have no choice but to police myself and my business. I have two choices, do it myself, or rely on a tax paid entity that refuses to do it’s job.
I feel safer relying on myself. Even if that means carrying a gun.
Bike Bum Has it RIGHT..
Did you know if your house gets broken into.
There is not One detective to look into it.
Your going to get a “Sorry about that…”
The city needs to step in and close, clean-up and force the sale of Runnell’s.
Start by towing the cars. You can’t have abandoned, Unregistered cars to be parked in the open on your property. Shouldn’t that be easy. Isn’t there a City Code. I see those nice code enforcement trucks driving around all the time.
“tahoe Pizza Eater says – Posted: March 11, 2014
Copper : I hope you feel real stupid now.”
Geez, I hate to disappoint. But perhaps you’ll agree that only we real men enjoy anchovies on our pizzas.
To Bike Bum and Drake: It’s been a lot of years since I’ve had close contacts with SLTPD. And I’m almost always supportive of folks from any PD who are caught between trying to support and protect the citizens for day labor wages while the politicians and the folks who’ve put themselves afoul of the law and carry their grudges do what they can to reduce the quality and competence of the PD that protects everyone, even the malcontents.
I’ve been disappointed that SLTPD, and the council, found it necessary, for whatever their reasons, to go outside the Department for a chief, for the first time in their history. I don’t know Brian well; he seems to be a good guy, albeit an outsider from the PD and the City, but going outside, for whatever reason, always means breaking the continuity of professionalism that has been established – which SLTPD has had in abundance.
SLTPD once required its investigators to re-contact all felony victims, and most misdemeanor victims, regardless of a lack of apparent evidence, to see if any leads were missed at the initial contact. San Jose PD doesn’t even take non-violent crime reports, providing its citizens with post cards on which to report their experiences with crime, both felony and misdemeanor. Have budget cuts and breaks with traditional promotions reduced SLTPD services to its citizens to the level of large, non-caring limited budget Departments? Only those of you living and voting in the City can decide. But where the PD was once able to attract young officers with a few years experience training and working on other Departments, it seems to now focus on hiring officers late in their careers, looking for somewhere to retire. I’ll leave that to Kae to agree or disagree; she’s much closer to the current situation than I.
Copper, I think you said it best. HOWEVER, if that is the case, then why is it some people can be arrested for non violent crimes while others are never questioned for committing felonies? Why are young men targeted for doing nothing more than walking down the street while no contact is made for felony crimes that there are witnesses and video proof of?
Why do the police constantly encourage citizen to obtain TRO’s for incidents that don’t warrent restraining orders? Even if a restraining order is ordered, what are the Police going to do when a call is made? Nothing.
As is the case in many communities, the lines of law and order have been blurred by nepotism and politics. Which runs rampant here.
@snoplease-A gun is NOT a value-neutral tool, akin to a fire extinguisher, seat-belt or avalanche transceiver. How many schoolkids were mass bludgeoned to death by fire extinguishers, at the hands of crazy strangers last year? When was the last time an avalanche transceiver was implicated in a murder-suicide? When these types of arguments are used they obscure the real issues facing us about our violent society by prompting us to shrug our shoulders and say…’well, what are you gonna do?’ (Time out while I take my daily Cialis-so I can be ready any time the moment is right….) and go back to watching TV. Your running around with a ‘registered’ gun does not make me feel more protected. It makes me a bit worried for your family and your neighbors.
copper:
I agree with your comments and would add that budget cuts and a lack of revenue have contributed to the day labor wages to which you refer. Also, officers late in their careers looking for a place to retire have already expended the majority of their youth, careers and earning potential elsewhere in areas where they were better paid thus giving them the chance to have accumulated more and now making it possible to work for less in the twilight of their careers.
I think one of SLTs problems is while everyone wants good public services (police, fire, snow removal) and paved neighborhood streets, a large majority aren’t willing to pay for any of it. Seems like whenever the City government wants to charge for anything that can generate some revenue other than property tax and sales tax a lot of local citizens vehemently object and say the City government should provide the use of taxpayer owned assets for free. The problem is when you keep giving away what little you have to sell your financial hole just keeps getting deeper.
at hmmm…-These are false accusations by you, who said anything about “running around with a gun” you paint a false picture of me and don’t even know me or my background. CCW license holders are not people that commit crimes, check it out anywhere. We are good people. These people that commit these horrendous crimes are not well people, they are sick and need help, unfortunately our society likes to shun the mentally ill. Social services and mental health services are the first things to be cut from budgets. The fact of the matter is is that there ARE bad people hmmm and I am just prepared if me or my family is assaulted by one of them. I would much rather be ready and prepared then not, but thats me, I’m not saying you should be armed as well.
Maybe the administrator of the trust fund should be apprised of this situation so they can decide if the stipulations of the trust are being carried out correctly.
@snoplease…I agree that mental illness is not seriously addressed in this country. To do so would require an honest discussion of family structure, education, race, government intervention, economics, advertising, and violence just for starters, and facts quickly give way to opinions and fear based knee jerk responses. I apologize for using the phrase ‘running around with a gun’. I assumed someone with a CCW license kept their weapon with them-so they can be ready anytime the moment is right. Not exactly an accusation, though. Maybe you walk. How do I know the mental stability of the person next to me? Maybe they are growing increasingly paranoid, day by day. How do we set the criteria? People who look like me? People who vote a certain way, have a credit score as high as mine, the same color skin? To assume that EVERY person with a CCW license is stable is just that-an assumption. My main point of contention with your post was in response to your assertion that a gun(i am assuming you mean ‘handguns’) are on par with seatbelts, fire extinguishers and avalanche transceivers as value-neutral tools. They are not.
“I agree that mental illness is not seriously addressed in this country. To do so would require an honest discussion of family structure, education, race, government intervention, economics, advertising, and violence just for starters, and facts quickly give way to opinions and fear based knee jerk responses. ”
And so instead of dealing with the real causes of mass shootings and gun crimes we try to pass meaningless gun control bills that will do nothing but take guns out of the hands of law abiding citizens.
Please tell us what the real causes of mass shootings and gun crimes are. I believe Adam Lanza WAS a law abiding citizen…until he shot his mother in the face and then took the guns to school. The retired cop who shot the guy in a practically empty movie theater(rather than just moving to another seat) for TEXTING was, himself texting.
I’ve passed by this place hundreds (thousands?) of times and always wondered what went on there. I’ve never seen signs of a human being there although there is the neon “Open” sign in the window. Last fall a sign advertising windshield washer fluid appeared in the window as well. Sure looks like he’s operating some sort of business. If this guy is indeed operating this as a business and threatening those who come onto his property, he needs to be investigated, carefully.
I’m glad I know what I’ve learned based upon these comments and those of yelp users. Sociopath sounds like an accurate description. I don’t buy the story that he was “pushed down” either. Most gun nuts live for the moment they can draw their weapon.
You guys are all sick – this is all milicious gossip. You all should be ashamed. STOP IT – John – you first.
Hummmmm, couldnt agree with you more regarding gun violence and the fact that concealed guns are not making me feel more safe. I dont feel safe at all knowing that a business I walk and drive past daily has a hostile, gun toting whacko sitting inside waiting for an unsuspecting person to make the mistake of trying to do commerce or check out his old cars. In my old job we would have called that situation an attractive neusiance, beckoning people to come see but hiding potential hazards. Today when going to the parade for the Olympic skiers, I walked right past this business and there was a very mean looking man siting near the door scowling at everyone. Nice, welcome to South Lake Tahoe! Me thinks mental health needs to get involved.
Concern for innocent bystanders if he starts shooting at whoever.
This is the topic that gets 70+ comments?
His corner is nothing more than an eye sore. Those dust collecting old cars have never been moved or restored. He’s an old, crusty, angry man who pees in his sink there because the water has been shut off (I was told).
This is not good for our community. This guy is a huge liability waiting to blow up in our faces if he’s agressive and pulling out guns on citizens. His claim is not backed up with any type of surveillence video or eye witness account, so I won’t waste energy debating his claim of self defense. As it stands, he’s admittedly pulling guns on people. If he would’ve shot the gun and missed his target, there would be a wide swath of victims and property the bullet could’ve hit.
There’s a strong possibility he involved the police to cover his butt by being the first party to claim vicitim- in case whomever he had the alleged altercation with decides to report him or have lawyers contact him.
I’m not a cop, lawyer or expert; this is just my humble opinion as a concerned citizen with time to waste on the internet. Those who don’t agree can keep scrolling- peace be unto you and yours.
peace
@cosa-So what is your stance cosa on the gun debate?? People on this site who give their reasons for owning guns “basically, protection from bad people” is “fear mongering” to you…yet, you own at least one weapon that you cache 5000 rounds for, you shoot 3-5 thousands rounds a year. You must be just a hunter? Just a plinker? I love me some plinking too, heck I love shooting for the sport of it, just so happens, YUP If need be, I’ll protect myself and my family’s lives with a gun, Just wondering…I’ve read through many of your posts, not only on this one but several archives…If you can, please explain. And my apologies if I come off as confrontational, I’m not trying to be, just curious sir
Alright. Thank you for asking. Making things illegal doesn’t work. Example: The ‘war on drugs’. Guns can be made by anyone with a basic machine shop. Guns are made over open fires in markets in Pakistan. Banning guns is illogical. So is denying that guns allow murderous people to kill more effectively. The problem with guns is somewhere in our culture. I don’t know exactly what it is. I don’t believe that we are any safer with guns, I think we would be fine without them. You fear the government? Learn to program, you can do a lot more damage with a computer. In my opinion, the vast majority of this country is safe and the cases where guns are used by ‘good guys’ is over hyped (by people who sell guns by exploiting fear?). There are exceptions. A friend from high school is a District Attorney and puts a lot of people in jail. The chances of someone wanting to kill him are much higher than average. It makes sense that he carries. In most other cases, if you really think people want to kill or harm you, you are likely part of the problem. As you know, I take issue with the fear culture in the gun community. That’s my perception. There is a lot of irrational fear in many aspect of the culture in this country.
I shoot targets. It’s a skill that is fun to practice. I also enjoy taking things apart and figuring out how they work. I own a gun for the same reason I have a dart board and a bowling ball. Sporting clays is by far the most fun I have ever had with a firearm. This ammo fiasco is probably going to lead me to take up archery.
I should just do a reddit AMA.
Thanks cosa, well said sir…
Well said Cosa
Runnels did not need a CCW to carry a gun on HIS property. If Runnels had a history of violence, he would have been denied a CCW permit.
Runnels was allegedly knocked to the ground by someone trespassing on HIS property. This was NOT Travon Martin. This was NOT a CCW holder shooting wildly at the Y. This was a man allegedly being assaulted on HIS property, and being knocked to the ground. Being on the ground is a very dangerous, and sometimes deadly place to be. I do not know Runnels, but I know the name, as it has been in town as long as I can remember. I do not believe Runnels is a young man, which increases his potential for serious injury on the ground. Runnels did not shoot the man, as a “Mad Man” would do. His response was measured. He also contacted the police to report the incident, for which he has been criticized for doing in prior comments. Contacting the police after an event, even if you do not shoot, is the CORRECT thing to do.
The people who do not feel safe with CCW permit holders in South Lake are not unlike those who claimed the streets would, “Flow with blood” when CCW’s first came into being nationally, yet the Bureau of Crime Statistics shows a drop in firearms related crime of almost 40% in the last 20 years. All the while, gun ownership and the number of CCW permits issued have skyrocketed.
If you do not like Runnels property, too bad. Runnels is old Tahoe. He owns his property. I find it sad when residents of Tahoe think it is okay to run a man off of his land because it doesn’t fit their commercial resort town appeal.
Gun’s kill people like spoons make people fat. just saying…
J, does a spoon left unsecured and found by a small child have the potential to kill that child instantly by virtue of obesity?
Bigpicture, here is some unbiased facts about kids and guns for you to ponder.
http://www.gunfacts.info/gun-control-myths/children-and-guns/
I worked for that guy and yes he is a total bully! But if you stand up to tha t guy he is a coward! I got into a fistfight stance after his abuse and he ran- away like a scared little schoolgirl! He needs a gun to defend himself against a lone man just walking down the street looking for a short cut. What a little coward! Use your fist coward!
“What we have is failure to communicate”.
Shawshanck Runnels has added another sad story for Clockwork Tahoe.