Joshua Severance, 26, was visiting his dad in Rutland City, Vermont on Monday when he was detained and handcuffed by police for openly carrying a gun.

Severance was walking down a street to his father's apartment, when police took notice of him and a 9 millimeter semi-automatic handgun clipped to his belt.

"There was a cruiser sitting there parked, and it saw me. I had my firearm on my side, had my shirt off because I was hot, minding my own business just walking along, cops saw me," Severance told WCAX-TV (video below).

"The officer asked me why I was carrying [the gun] and I said it was because I could. It was my right to," recalled Severance. "And he said, 'Do you know there was a shooting here the other night?' To which I said, 'No, I didn't, but what's that have to do with me?'"

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Severance, who was in the National Guard, says police handcuffed and detained him, while they conducted a background check.

"I can see pulling somebody over and asking them to look at the firearm or check the serial number to see if it comes back stolen, but putting somebody in handcuffs and throwing them in a cruiser and treating them like a criminal from square one, I don't agree with," added Severance.

Apparently, there were some recent shootings on the street where Severance was walking, so police were making sure he wasn't part of the gunfire.

"In this particular neighborhood it is not commonplace to have people walking down the street with firearms, either rifles, shotguns or handguns. It was suspicious, it was out of the ordinary," said Rutland City Police Sgt. John Sly.

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Source: WCAX-TV

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