“A New York mom vacationing in South Florida was expecting a healthy dose of sun, surf and fun,” sun-sentinel.com reports. “Imagine her surprise when her daughter unzipped a bag in their rental Nissan Rogue and found a rifle — a big rifle. Looking just like the ones real soldiers use.” What’s worse than surprised? “Horrified, she immediately called E-Z Rent-A-Car and then drove to the nearest police station. And there would be one more surprise: The AR-15 semiautomatic had been left behind by model Lauren Tannehill, the wife of Miami Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill. ‘We got out of the car, we were kind of freaked out,’ Judith Fleissig recalls of the moment this month when she and her daughter found the weapon. ‘I didn’t want to touch it.'” It gets better. But first, what’s the bet the rifle actually belonged to Mr. Tannehill? Then again . . .
A model in possession of an AR-15, the civilian’s version of the military’s M-16, may be incongruous to some. But it shouldn’t surprise Lauren Tannehill’s fans who view postings of her on Twitter.
Pictures on the social media site show her and her husband shooting guns together. Ryan Tannehill, who is from Texas, has often talked about his hunting experiences.
The Tannehills view this as a personal matter, according to a Dolphins spokesman Wednesday.
The gun legally belongs to Ryan Tannehill, and the couple immediately called the rental car company to report a missing item, even though the couple didn’t specify what was in the bag, a football league source said.
OK, fair enough. But what of the New York tourist? Who’s gonna pay for her PTSD treatment eh? I smell a lawsuit! Or something nasty . . .
Thinking they would just call the owner, they searched for an ID, but there was none, she said. Her daughter unzipped the bag and said, “‘Oh my God, it’s a gun.’ I said, ‘I think I’m going to throw up,’” Fleissig said.
Fleissig said she and her daughter jumped out of the car to get away from the gun. “I took a picture, zipped it back up and went to the police station. They came out and took it.”
Picture or it didn’t happen, happened. Anyway, nice optic. For a girl . . .
[h/t Dirk Diggler]
I’ve got to think that wherever they are, Aldous Huxley and George Orwell are laughing their assess off right now. I really feel for the gun owners in NY. Stay strong, folks. Do what you can and hopefully the rest of us will support your fight by sending money, at a minimum. It may not be much, but it helps.
How does someone leave a rifle in a rental car?
I’d feel pretty stupid if I did that.
I’ll bet the cleanup / turnaround crew at the rental car agency is simultaneously kicking their butts / getting their butts chewed for half-assing this cleanup.
By getting out in a hurry. Some of those kiosks have things moving fast and a bunch of workers. She could have had multiple bags. She was switching rental cars.
“Oh my god, its a gun!” I said “I think I’m going to throw up” that’s a serious reaction to an irrational fear. She should seek help from a mental health professional immediately.
Good thing she didn’t see the KAC condom promo swag.
.
Give them a year and it will be down to one small box with a monocle display. Private industry works faster than gov’t programs.
““‘Oh my God, it’s a gun.’ I said, ‘I think I’m going to throw up,’””.
Quoting that to add more quotation marks, and also because it’s one of the dumbest things I’ve every read.
Floridians, please grab the New Yorkers while you’ve got them and offer them comfortable and fun tourist shooting opportunities. This is the only way the tide can be changed. “Travel,” so they say, “is broadening.” Work it.
Preferably not at gunpoint.
You know you needed to add that. When I was growing up down there, I knew several I would have liked to escort out of state in that manner.
You know, this might not be a bad idea. They do something similar in Hawaii for the Japanese tourists. They put up ads in Japanese for them to visit the ranges and shoot full auto. Its a huge attraction.
An enterprising individual could establish a business offering something similar. Group rates, family deals, package deals and all.
LMT WIN
…although I’m not so sure how the 3x mag works with fixed iron sights. Weird.
Wow glad they didn’t touch the rifle. Those things have a nasty tendency to indiscriminately murder when rubbed the wrong way.
“Thinking they would just call the owner, they searched for an ID, but there was none, she said. Her daughter unzipped the bag and said, “‘Oh my God, it’s a gun.’ I said, ‘I think I’m going to throw up,’” Fleissig said.”
Idiots.
I would have been: “SWEET! Free gun!!!!”
Exactly. This sucker would have been going home with me.
Bad move.
Can’t the police confiscate all of your firearms if they find even one stolen gun in your collection?
I suppose the owner would have had to be smart enough to note the serial somewhere but I personally would never take a strange gun home with me.
Why not? I take strange women home with me all the time. And that is certainly more dangerous. Just ask my attorney.
She can leave my dust cover open any time…
Rifle, what rifle?
“…jumped out of the car to get away from the gun…”
Rolling my eyes so much that my eyesockets are hurting now.
. . . and was immediately stuck and killed by a passing semi truck. Just another sad victim of “gun-related violence”.
“… and was immediately struck and killed by a passing semi truck.”
And so much more likely to happen. +1
Those rifles are shifty, good move.
i say the right of free speech and press is just as absurd. baltimore sun, how do you feel about that?
This is a perfect example of the irrational fear of the antis.
Is it grounds for divorce if your wife leaves your AR in the trunk of a rental car?
…she and her daughter jumped out of the car to get away from the gun.
They’re doing a great job trying to convince the public that these repulsive vermin, theses “firearms” as they’re called, actually do kill people.
I would too have forgot the rifle if I was with such a dreamy guy.
*Swoons*
NOTE: I am not homosexual, this is a tired attempt at being funny.
Do me a favor and grow up. What kind of world do we live in where people are terrified of just the sight of a gun? I admit, surprise is an understandable response. No one expects a gun in their rental car. You don’t have to like it, but please spare your floundering emotions for a more gruesome sight. You almost vomited? If a gun in a bag is going to make you ill I’d hate to see you at a more unfortunate time.
I dont get how people can just forget $1500+ in firearm and firearm accessories. The first thing I do whenever I am transporting my arms is to check them all and make sure they are all where they need to be, because the damn things cost alot of money sheesh.
Is a rental car the same as a boating accident?
Be sure you have the rental receipt …
Jumping out of a car to get away from a gun that’s strapped into a padded storage case in the trunk… Sad. Just sad.
The stupid is strong with these people.
Browning 725 is a great, less expensive alternative. Although Perazzi has a huge following in the competitive clays shooting world (for good reason). Berettas are good guns, and I have owned a few…. but their customer service is a non responsive to say the least.
“Have you tried CCI standard velocity? It stays subsonic out of my MP15-22 and it’s never given me cycling problems.”
^^^ +1 My 15-22SBR (6″ 15-22P upper) even cycles without issue with my AAC Pilot2 attached and SV and SS ammo
Almost threw up?
Yea, and they want to be part of the rational conversation about firearms?? Wow.
The article doesn’t mention if the rifle was found with ammunition. I think Mrs. Tannenhill deserves the IGOTD.
Ran away from a strapped in, unloaded rifle, almost threw up, and didn’t want to touch it?
She is officially lost to us… no amount of gun education and/or mental help can fix this. The children, however, are young and can still be saved.
Florida is so freaking dangerous, they should be issuing rifles with every rental car.
Used to work in rental car office back in the day, while cleaning a car that had been returned by a local cop who rented alot of cars for “surveillance work” found a .38 Colt snub under the seat. Called him and he came back to retrieve it, said thanks and gave me 20 bucks tip. A couple months later him and his brother were arrested for multiple bank robberies, they had been using our rental cars for getaways.
Well, I’m sure the tourists will spread their shock, dismay, and nausea upon their return to NY. At least they got a true vacation memory, though I suggest shark attack or a carjacking as more appropriate for their reactions.
When did hoplophobia and outright stupidity become social acceptable? Somehow I missed the turning point, but here it is.
NYC sent uniformed police to let me knw my Ruger 10/ 22 is not an assault weapon according the the scumbag Mike Bloomberg. I had to contact Ruger and buy a 5 round clip
Total NAZI minded people in the state of NY especailly in NYC where Mrs Clintn even called NYC plice murders
Poor Jerry. He probably hasn’t missed a target since 1987 or so. I suppose it doesn’t help when your hits are so close together you can’t differentiate the sound of bullet hitting target. Just one continuous *diiiiiiing*
One of the carriers at the post office where I work found a loaded S&W model 10 in a mailbox last year. As the resident “gun guy” they asked me to take a look at it while we waited for the police to pick it up.
Here’s what I think happened. The gun acquired the rental car, a la Aaron Hernandez, and performed a couple of drive-by’s. Afterwards, it went to the bar, had a few drinks, and drove back to the rental company wasted. It passed out drunk, only to be found the next day by an out-of-town woman and her daughter. The gun was immediately taken into police custody and is awaiting trial on charges of being scary and inducing nausea.
PEALS of laughter from this zip code! Thanks!
Check out the following info for BPCR (black powder cartridge rifle): http://www.BPCR.net, http://www.longrangeBPCR.com. And the American Single Shot Rifle Association (www.assra.com).
Having shot a fair number of these goodies ranging from .38-55 through .50-140, I have a few recommendations for someone buying their first one. If you want a light weight one for hunting, don’t get anything bigger than .45-70 unless you plan on shooting it only a few times a year. The big .50s use a 700-gr lead bullet, and it will thump you. The .45-70 uses a 405 to 520 grain bullet, and it will take care of any large North American game animal. If you are getting into the BPCR silhouette game, the .40-65 seems to be the best combination of effectiveness on the 500-yd rams with tolerable recoil. The .38-55 had a brief popularity for a while, but the bullets are too light to guarantee knocking down the 65-lb ram silhouettes. The 500+ gr bullet from the .45-70 will take down the ram no matter where you hit it, and the ammo/cases are a bit easier to find. (You will need to get into reloading if you go with black powder loads.) .40-65 cases can be formed from .45-70 brass.
Reloading with black powder, and cleaning the resultant residue (VERY hygroscopic -“readily taking up and retaining moisture” = rust city), is a whole ‘nother topic that the BPCR folks will be happy to help with. Including why you need to use a “drop tube” when you make black powder loads.
Warning: the BPCR hobby can easily become an obsession, if you haven’t noticed.
Great photos.
Kind of gives new meaning to the cliche:
“He shoots! He scores!”
$50,000 worth!
I think if Jerry missed, he intended it and they should just change the rules from this point forward.
: )
You know Israel has the big long fence between itself and the Palestinian controlled territory in the West Bank, to specifically keep Palestinians out and reduced the suicide bombings?
I think we need to build a fence around California to keep their whacky ideas from spreading.
Burmese python, I jump from said car. Rifle in a bag? Not so much.
Why does that thing remind me so much of the ED-309 from the original robocop? That one didn’t work out so well, but this thing looks flipping AWESOME. Didn’t the M26 MASS already fill the void on this though?
“The NY SAFE Act of 2013 was unparalleled in terms of its comprehensive measures, and it is imperative that New York State continues passing gun control and safety legislation following in the same path.”
So the first one was very comprehensive (got those dang muzzle ‘breaks’!) but we need more? Why? Aren’t we safe yet?
Regarding New York, I Googled and don’t see anything about microstamping occurring right now in New York state. They pushed for it in 2012 but it died. I wouldn’t be surprised if they push for it again however.
Damn, this may be the most interesting firearm at SHOT. It’s both new and cool. Any word on availability to civilians and when it will be hitting the market?
Boy, could I have used one of these last year when I locked myself out of my apartment.
In the middle of the desert, late at night. The cop is lucky Mr. FIlippidis seems like a good person, I know some unsavory individuals who would have solved that differently.
Seems scary for you guys that your guns are registeret without you knowing it.
Nice muzzle discipline there chief.
Well, crap, Maryland has just given Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart another bright idea. “I know you’re a FOID-card holder and have applied for a concealed carry permit. Where’s your firearm? We know how excited you nuts have been over concealed carry, so don’t tell me you don’t have it on your person or in your car right now.”
Again I say, watch the youtube video by the attorney speaking to a law class about why you should never talk to the police, ever, under any circumstances. And have your wife watch it too…
I have that video bookmarked. Very insightful.
The video is useful and informative. Cops I know agree about 99%. The point they make is that there are a very few times when talking to the police is necessary. One such example: child abduction.
If you are the child’s parent in a child abduction investigation, police MAY consider you a suspect based on solid social science data and simple circumstance. You may find such police assumptions and their questioning offensive, distressing and outrageous.
Sorry, get over it. If you care about the kid, you need to swallow your pride and try to get the investigation away from you and onto the actual perp ASAP. Hopefully, competent detectives will clear you quickly.
In such circumstances, I see no non-suck options.Or am I missing somthing?
I think I once heard of something called ‘due process’ but maybe it was a dream.
I saw this in the Sporting News, which basically summarized the Sun-Sentinel article. I found this interesting: “The gun is often used for hunting and gun range enthusiasts, according to the Sun-Sentinel.” That’s it. No hyperbole, no “high capacity” drivel, just that sentence. Not sure if it’s progress or hypocrisy, but color me surprised that there was no Sandy Hook reference.
I travel to MD to visit family at least once a year, and every year I’ve had my pistol with me. Granted we lock it up before crossing state lines, but technically I still have an “illegal pistol” in my possession for the entire visit.
I don’t care. If a situation arises where I need that pistol, I’ll be glad to have it and it will be worth the fight in court. If we got pulled over like this, I suppose I’d be screwed. But me and my wife would lie our asses off. Yes sir, traveling through MD on our way to “insert gun friendly state here.”
FOPA’s got your back…. right, guys?
A solution looking for a problem.
Why not make all the barrels 20″ long and have choke tubes be external with internal thread that happen to be 4″-8″ long? Then you could have the same gun be home defense, turkey and upland bird/water fowl.
There’s actually a pretty simple way the cop could have known this guy had a Carry License. I carry my license right there in the wallet with my Driver’s License. If I went to hand my DL to a cop, it’s quite possible he would see my Carry License too. No need for grand conspiracies about record-sharing. It was probably right there in front of the cop’s eyes.
In Missouri, the state police illegally gave a copy of all CCW holders over to the Social Security Admin b/c some investigator asked and claimed he was looking into “fraud”. SSA claims they couldn’t read the disk, but it was enough that the legislature changed the law and now the county sheriff handles the permitting and they no longer put your picture on it. Hmmm . . . . . . I wonder now if this is how they are getting this info?
Would this affect folks in California that already own a model that is dropped off the list?
Cool concept, but you think they would have picked a buttstock other than a MagPul PRS. Maybe a Troy Battle Axe?
TFW new gun. Hope no bugs and not $$$$$
What is the average price of rhinos other products? More in line with larue or more in line with dpms?
According to the new story, the twin girls — Nasia and Yianni — are 17 years old. The story does not mention whether 13-year-old Gina was searched.
So far, no complaints from the ACLU, or the other usual suspects, about “stop and frisk” in this case. Because, you know, uh, guns…
Because having multiple barrels for one gun is expensive. Extra long choke tubes can be made cheaper and therefore bought cheaper. They could be added/removed by simply threading.
Rememeber it requires an additional 2 rifles to put together.
Having used these hunting pigs in GA, I can’t tell you how amazing they are on a cool night. Something like this would allow some walk n’ stalk to get in position on nocturnal piggies. From that point, you could light them up under red/green light with a traditional rifle/scope combo. At nearly $4000, they aren’t a steal per se, but if you’ve got a pig problem, they could pay for themselves in lost crops fairly quickly.
Maybe I’ve read too much Larry Correia… but I wouldn’t mind seeing Sullivan’s bullpup BAR made manifest.