Earlier this hour, several LoCO readers claimed to have seen a man walking through Downtown Eureka carrying a rifle. One reader reported seeing him around Red Lion Hotel. Scanner traffic indicated 911 callers spotted him near a nearby pawn shop. Are we in danger?

Nah, says Eureka Police Department PIO Brittany Powell. EPD contacted the man in question and it turned out he was carrying a BB gun he’d just purchased from said pawn shop. 

While we’re talking about alleged roaming gunmen, last night a few readers were inquiring about a different (probably) individual with a large, scary looking firearm on Fifth Street near the County Courthouse. In that instance, Powell said EPD responded to the area but were unable to locate the subject. 

So it seems we are 1 for 2 on answering the “what’s that gun?” queries for the day. Maybe that’s good?