Pixiq

We are really not so far apart on this matter. It just appears that we have different ways of approaching it.

In fact, something neither of us have mentioned is that a considerable percentage of police officers are also in the National Guard or military reserves.

I work with a lot of military people, some of whom are MPs. And most of the MPs are not the kind of person who is inclined to question the legality of an order, but just go ahead and carry it out. Every one of them I know has had legal problems--some involving domestic violence, others for fighting, drunk driving, etcetera. They go to extremes to avoid responsibility for this stuff because they want to keep their jobs. Now, these guys worry me, even as members of the military. Because if their National Guard units were federalized and ordered to go house-to-house seizing any weapons to be found, they would comply without a second thought.

There is a national organization of cops and military folk called the Oath Keepers, who have sworn not to do any of that stuff if ever called upon, but they are a minority, and somewhat looked down upon.

I am cautious around anyone I think is likely to view me as less than human, or having fewer rights than they. Doesn't matter whether they are cops, military, drug addicts, or simply sociopaths.

A psychiatrist would consult his DSM-IV, determine that I am "hypervigilant," and that I have a very sharp recall of the times I have been the target of violence, then write me off as someone with PTSD. I prefer to think of it as having learned from experience.

Double post. Sorry.

Neither I nor any of my contemporaries (some of the retired coppers) can reacall an incident of a cop shooting someone who was running away, back in the day.

What they did do--at least here in Baltimore--was throw that wooden night stick ("espantoon" as they are called in this town) towards the runner's legs to bring him down. But that all went by the wayside when the commanders decided that the espantoon was too threatening to the public, especially when being twirled by someone walking a beat. So it has largely been replace by the ASP baton, which does not have that utilitarian function, and can be far more deadly if misused. (I love the way the ASP training advises you never to hit someone with the baton in certain ways...)

Mom, this is a prime example of how police have changed. When I was a kid, the cops were all "gun guys." If you wanted to learn something about firearms, you'd ask a cop. If you were to do that today, you would instantly come under suspicion.

We had a youth rifle program that had been set up and managed by one of the town police forces. The guys even commandeered a building and built the range themselves.

More recently there was this situation, the next county over in the Baltimore metro area: A guy walks into a public (commercial) range to rent a gun and buy some range time. He seems OK to the RO (and this range is pretty tightly managed), so they rent him a Ruger Mark II and sell him 50 rounds of ammo. Now, if you don't know guns, you wouldn't know this: Ruger's Mark II shoots the .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartrige, and it is arguably the most popular target pistol in the country. (This comes into play in a moment.)

The customer goes out to the firing line, and essentially just burns 48 rounds, firing downrange at a target that he barely even hit. Round #49, he puts into his brain, in a successful suicide attempt, which apparently was the reason for visiting the place. Someone notices him slumped on the floor bleeding and calls 911. The local constabulary arrives in force. Meanwhile the range officer notices that the slide on the Mark II is not locked back, indicating that there is at least one round in the chamber. Among the dozen or so uniformed cops and detectives who have converged, not a damn one of them can figure out how to clear the pistol. To reiterate, this is probably the most common target pistol around, and is not all that difficult to understand just at first sight.

So it does not surprise me that a cop working traffic patrol would not know how to clear a Tokarev. Most likely, he'd never even heard of the brand.

The police commanders (especially this pantywaist who is currently commissioner in Baltimore) are themselves so afraid of firearms that they do not encourage their guys to work on proficiency on their own time, even though what you will find in the average police cruiser is far more powerful and sophisticated than it was a few decades ago.

Mom, this is a prime example of how police have changed. When I was a kid, the cops were all "gun guys." If you wanted to learn something about firearms, you'd ask a cop. If you were to do that today, you would instantly come under suspicion.

We had a youth rifle program that had been set up and managed by one of the town police forces. The guys even commandeered a building and built the range themselves.

More recently there was this situation, the next county over in the Baltimore metro area: A guy walks into a public (commercial) range to rent a gun and buy some range time. He seems OK to the RO (and this range is pretty tightly managed), so they rent him a Ruger Mark II and sell him 50 rounds of ammo. Now, if you don't know guns, you wouldn't know this: Ruger's Mark II shoots the .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartrige, and it is arguably the most popular target pistol in the country. (This comes into play in a moment.)

The customer goes out to the firing line, and essentially just burns 48 rounds, firing downrange at a target that he barely even hit. Round #49, he puts into his brain, in a successful suicide attempt, which apparently was the reason for visiting the place. Someone notices him slumped on the floor bleeding and calls 911. The local constabulary arrives in force. Meanwhile the range officer notices that the slide on the Mark II is not locked back, indicating that there is at least one round in the chamber. Among the dozen or so uniformed cops and detectives who have converged, not a damn one of them can figure out how to clear the pistol. To reiterate, this is probably the most common target pistol around, and is not all that difficult to understand just at first sight.

So it does not surprise me that a cop working traffic patrol would not know how to clear a Tokarev. Most likely, he'd never even heard of the brand.

The police commanders (especially this pantywaist who is currently commissioner in Baltimore) are themselves so afraid of firearms that they do not encourage their guys to work on proficiency on their own time, even though what you will find in the average police cruiser is far more powerful and sophisticated than it was a few decades ago.

Double post. The server is slow and I am too impatient today.

Whoops. Triple post. Sorry.