A facebook friend is worrying me. Seriously. Need your advice.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

A little background on the guy. I know him from high school. Reasonably smart guy, never has given me any problems personally on Facebook or in real life. I was actually responsible for introducing him to his future wife back in high school (a very nice, intelligent woman), and now they are married with two kids. Works a blue collar job.

He's very opinionated and will occasionally go off on long rants on a variety of subjects. Best described as a hardcore liberatrian, was a big supporter of Gary Johnson in the election. A while back, most of his anger was directed towards the Republicans and congressional leadership. But now the pendulum has swung and his anger is directed mainly towards the President. Some of his gripes are at least legitimate on the surface--he's raised a big problem with the drone program, and I can't say that I'm not necessarily in disagreement with some of his concerns there.

But since the Sandy Hook shootings, he's begun to really rant on and on about guns and how about he thinks the President is going to violate the 2nd Amendment. I engaged him a bit in debate, and it was never personal, all pretty cordial. He pushed back a bit, claiming he was okay with some measures of gun control but thought that people were out to ban all guns.

Then today he posted something rather peculiar. He spoke about how he "should have bought that rifle sooner" but that it was okay, "I have experience with homemade explosives." He then warned against government agencies "attempting to infringe upon his constitutional rights" and that any agency that does so would be considered a "foreign invasion force."

Needless to say, I'm a bit worried about the guy's mental health at this point, and his agressive posteuring. 99% chance the guy is all just bluster (he always had a sarcastic, sardonic edge to him since I knew him), but the guy is married with two young kids and....well....that just scares me. Need your opinion: Should I just ignore it? Is there anything I can or should do? Should I quietly and very gently raise the issue to his wife, whom I'm also friends with?

The talk just caught me off guard, and the notion about people with mental illness mixed with weapons.....it's been bothering me for the past week.

[zappaman]

1. I don't blame ya

that part about "I have experience with homemade explosives" is disturbing to say the least.
Are you still engaging him in discussion?

[Chorophyll]

2. I'd certainly mention this to SOMEBODY, yeah.

He might be "all bluster," he might not.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I think a conversation with his wife is in order.

I'd be concerned too, if I were you.

I would also engage him and try to find out just how serious he is. I'd do that first, I think...

Good luck!

[kuba]

4. Hmmmm

That's a tough one.

On the one hand, if you tell someone about the situation and it turns out he was all "bluster" then you've created a personal problem.

On other other, if he isn't just all talk and he does something irrational, you'll feel bad for it.

It's a tough call and you seem like you're smart enough to know what to do and will do (or not) the right thing in the end.


Tough call though, not sure how I'd handle it.
Good luck.

[Whovian]

5. I believe I would report him to the feds.

Good luck. It is most likely blather but with comments like that one never knows.

[Barack_America]

6. PM him. "Worried about that 'explosives' comment, dude."

Or something to similar effect should suffice. Don't get too overtly involved, however.

Keep an eye on him, notify authorities if he keeps it up. Not much more you can do.

[renie408]

8. Exactly.

Just get him to talk about it more.

[renie408]

7. You need to just ask him what he means.

He will either back up or escalate. If he backs up, no problem. He was just shooting his mouth off. If he escalates, you will have to decide what to do from there.

I have had many similar situations occur. I live in the Deep South and work with horses and have a lot of rural, conservative friends some of whom think they are libertarians. They aren't actually libertarians, they just like to play libertarians on Facebook. Anyway, when any of them get overly shirty, I just say, "What do you specifically mean by that?" Every time, they back up a little bit and I figure out they were just blowing off steam.

I am not sure what I would do if I ever thought that any of them meant it.

[TexasTowelie]

9. Skip the wife.

He made a terroristic threat and show be reported to law enforcement authorities. I wouldn't want to have any regrets for failing to report him if he actually did something.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

10. Tell him he's an idiot for posting that

Anything you post on Facebook- especially threats and suggestions of intent to do violence- are admissible as evidence. And if you post it in a public forum like Facebook, they don't even need a warrant. Rest assured he has already drawn Big Brother's attention on himself.

[NICO9000]

11. You may want to keep an eye on him if possible

Maybe take a screenshot of that post in case he comes to his senses and removes it. Stuff like this is a bit like people who threaten suicide - it needs to be taken seriously.

OTOH, it's possible that he's just become more of an asshole as he's gotten older (I know many people like that) and it's all bluster. If he's a Faux watcher, then that could become a problem e.g. the drunken fucknut who tried to burn the mosque down.

Good luck to you. It's obviously a very uncomfortable situation for you and I hope things turn out for the best.

[TeamPooka]

12. sounds like he's on the "soveriegn citizen" track....

block or unfriend.

[ecstatic]

13. If nothing else, please beg him to keep his weapons locked up

so his children don't accidentally get shot/killed. Hopefully, he doesn't use them against his family or anyone else.

[99Forever]

14. I wouldn't presume to tell you what to do.

But if it were me, he'd be getting a visit right about now and explaining exactly what he meant, by someone that we pay to protect the public safety. If it's just bluster, it'll put him on notice not to shoot his mouth off. If it's something more sinister, then you might be saving lives. I would do so without a tinge of guilt, with the turn this nation has taken with regard to loose cannon gun nuts, there can be no tolerance for stupid threats, real or not.

[srichardson]

15. The shooters

of innocent African Americans in Tulsa were caught bc of posts on their FB page. Speaking on homemade explosives in a house w children is cause for alarm. In today's crazy world, threats, even those bullshitting, must be addressed. How many of these school shootings were talked about to friends whom thought the shooters were talking bullshit. Today, these kinds of things can no longer be ignored.

[ksoze]

16. Engaging a meaningful conversation on FB is a fools errand

FB arguments are not a conversations, but theater. They are a forum where each arguer is being reviewed by family friends, as well as the same for the contender. That is not the format for a logical discussion, but one for grandstanding, exaggerated views and a faceless spouting. At a minimum, a private messaging mode would remove the grandstanding and allow for more real conversations that are best ignored with those who you know are intractable and will make you ar hero to your fans and an ass to others who do not really know you.

[rusty fender]

17. Here's what I would tell him:

Explosives, aren't funny, man. You'd better be kidding about your experience with homemade explosives because, since you've posted this remark on FB, someone is going to report you to the bomb squad.

[coalition_unwilling]

18. His FB post may be a plea for attention, since he may feel very disenfranchised. He

may actually subconsciously want someone to intervene with him because of other stressors in his life. I'd contact BATF and pass along the relevant information, so someone who is competent in such matters can check it out. I doubt what he has posted has reached the threshold of 'terroristic threat' but it's definitely better to be safe than sorry.

[green for victory]

19. send him this link: Facebook data pool

http://europe-v-facebook.org/EN/Data_Pool/data_pool.html



Max Schrems holds his facebook data

[tj_crackersnatch]

20. geez i feel sorry for hiz family

Something ain't right there. Imagine the b.s. her and the kids have to listen to.