Neighbor busted carrying gun next to Montana school — after cops called it legal

Montana parents were up in arms over a man repeatedly seen carrying a rifle across from an elementary school — and local cops said they could do nothing legally to stop him, according to a report.

Federal authorities stepped in to arrest the menace in Billings Wednesday — charging him with illegally possessing a gun in a school zone, according to Montana US District AttorneyJesse Laslovich.

The neighbor, Gabriel Cowan Metcalf, 49, had allegedly been spotted for several months displaying a rifle while pacing around his lawn in view of a playground at Broadwater Elementary School, according to The Billings Gazette.

In the weeks leading up to the first day of school Tuesday, cops got multiple complaints daily about the gun-toting resident — who allegedly refused to stop whipping out the weapon,  according to Billings Police.

“We have made contact with him on multiple occasions, and currently he is refusing to stop displaying his firearms while on his property,” police Lt. Matt Lennick told the paper Tuesday.

“At this time, he has not done anything illegal and we do not have the authority to arrest him, take his firearms, or force him to stop coming out into his yard.”

In Montana, there’s no statute forbidding guns in a school zone or adjacent to it, especially on private property, the lieutenant said.

Federal prosecutors, however, argued that Metcalf was seen wielding the rifle on the sidewalk — within 1,000 feet from the school, also known as a “school zone” under federal law, according to www.ktvq.com.

He now faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $100,000 fine.

School officials on Tuesday draped a tarp over a playground fence to shield the man from the sight of children, the paper reported.

They also moved some outdoor activities to another side of the  building and restricted parts of the playground.

“Of course we wish we could use the entire building, we’re just trying to be cautious,” said school superintendent Erwin Garcia. “We are taking every possible step to ensure the safety of our neighborhood.”

Billings police said they have beefed up patrols around the school and are looking into whether federal authorities may be able to stop the unidentified neighbor, Lennick said.