VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON — An entire Hewlett-Packard building was evacuated after police received a call about a person holding others hostage at gunpoint in a conference group.
And this is where the game ‘telephone’ has it’s problems.
An employee in the building found out last week that one of her co-workers carries a gun to work, Vancouver Police Department spokeswoman Kim Kapp said. The employee has a concealed pistol license and is legally allowed to possess a firearm.
After hearing about the gun, the employee reported it to supervisors this week, Kapp said. As the information was forwarded to other supervisors, some mistakenly came to believe that someone was holding people hostage in a conference room.
via columbian.com
My God, what a mess. Since no laws were broken, no one is facing any charges. That includes the legally armed concealed carrier.
I’m not sure where the communication broke down, but it shouldn’t have even been a thing to begin with. If someone is carrying a concealed firearm, legally, who cares? It might be against HP policy to do so while on property, but we’re not aware.
One lesson to take away from this is to choose very wisely with who you inform that you carry a firearm. The news had to get to the employee who started this fiasco somehow, and it likely started with that armed citizen telling someone about their firearm.
If it’s concealed, no one should know it’s there. That, coupled with keeping your business to yourself, should avoid any of these silly situations in the first place.
