How would you have handled this?

[Nauticus]

I was very careful to mention this very important fact in the opening lines of my post

Two people arguing spoken to by a passing by security guard, vs two people causing a disturbance approached by a responding security guard are actually two very different things.

A loaded question as such should be answered based on the context. You did not originally provide the correct context.

[DonP]

if a your working with a team and everyone has a radio ... i would definately press the talk button on the radio and have the conversation be aired on the radio for witness purposes. Somehow work your name and location in "alright well my name is XXXX and your here at XXXXX " that way back up can be notified.

as far as holding the weapon. Thats up to the person. We had a situation were some kids were throwing rocks over to another building and me and the dean caught them. Dean announced over the radio "WE HAVE THE SUSPECTS" ... few min after we finished up with the kids, the dean got chewed out for usiing the word "suspect"

[Trunk Monkey]

Two people arguing spoken to by a passing by security guard, vs two people causing a disturbance approached by a responding security guard are actually two very different things.

A loaded question as such should be answered based on the context. You did not originally provide the correct context.

There is some truth in what you are saying but ,again, I wasn't there. what you are reading in the opening post is what I got from reading the incident reportand talking to the supervisor who dealt with the mess. That makes it hard to provide concrete details.

From my POV as the guard I wouldn't have messed with the couple, maybe a polite 'Is every thing OK here?" but that would have been about the extent of it. Had the female told me the guy had a gun I very likely would have told her "As long as he's not waiving it around it's none of my business." Then i would have tried to ge tthem off site before their argument had a chance to escalate.

[Arrowslinger]

Asking for permits and the weapon? REALLY??

I would radio my dispatch informing them of two subjects who appear intoxicated and one has informed me the other was armed. I would have my dispatch roll local law enforcement immediately.

All of this as I took position to observe and report anything needed to my dispatch, who can relay this to local law enforcement on the way.

Nothing else