The police - here to protect you?

[QUOTE] [b]The Real Wizard wrote:[/b]
But I would amend this to say one can't view the toll this would take on American society as being somehow equal to any other. You're essentially painting them all with the same brush, when the reality is they couldn't be much more different.[/QUOTE]

I've been trying to work out what this means for two days. :) Can you expand?

Ha, that's almost flattering.

Putting every country on level playing field regarding changing gun laws isn't realistic. Adding the right to bear arms in Sweden, for instance, would not be nearly as drastic a chance as taking away the right to bear arms in the US.

In Sweden, most people would shrug their shoulders because guns aren't of great important to them in their comparatively progressive culture of equality and fairness. Guns would not be flying off the shelves.

The US, on the other hand, would likely launch into a civil war.

From The Village Voice:

8 Of Those Injured In Shooting Were Shot By Police



Mayor Mike Bloomberg confirmed at a press conference this morning that there's a chance some of the victims were accidentally shot by police who were trying to take out the initial gunman, 53-year-old Jeffery Johnson. We're told eight of those wounded were shot by police, who were returning fire at Johnson, who pointed a 45-caliber handgun at officers and witnesses say fired at least one round. However, it's unclear whether he actually fired the weapon.

Before any alarm bells are rung, it should be noted that Johnson drew his gun on officers before fatally meeting the business end of a cop's service weapon, so the police were more than justified in taking him out. But the fact remains: eight people were shot by police this morning.

[url=http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/07/us/new-york-mistaken-police-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t3]http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/07/us/new-york-mistaken-police-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t3[/url]

So, after gunning down 9 innocent bystanders before hitting one guilty man, a New York police officer has now shot and killed *the unarmed victim* of an armed robbery while he was trying to escape his assailants, not harming any of the culprits.

Is there a law prohibiting anyone with an IQ over 50 from joining the NYPD?

Several years ago, in Queens, NY, a guy and his buddies were at a strip club celebrating the man's last day of freedom - he was to be married in the morning. In the strip club, which was being investigated for something, were several undercover cops. These cops saw the groom-to-be and his buddies drink until they could barely stand...and they heard the groom and his friends talk about 'hitting' someone nearby. The last thing the cops heard, apparently, was one of the men calling for another to get his gun. The cops, justifiably, approached the groom as he prepared to drive off. The groom ignored him, brushing the cop's leg with the car as he pulled away. More cops arrived as the first cop, apparently seeing the invisible, yelled, "Gun!" In seconds, 50 police bullets were fired with 19 hitting the man in the passenger's seat, three hitting someone in the backseat and four hitting and killing the groom in the driver's seat. No weapon was found in the car. 50 bullets - 26 hits, 24 misses, 1 dead, unarmed man.

There are plenty of stories where police act responsibly. It's stories like the one which started this thread and the one I posted here that make the greatest headlines, and with good reason.

We're supposed to count on the police to maintain calm in moments of chaos. In these cases, though they had cause to intervene, their actions were over-the-top, dangerous and amateur. As was said here in this thread, cases like these are the perfect argument AGAINST gun ownership by regular citizens. If police, who are indeed trained to handle a weapon and to think rationally in split-decision moments, fail so monumentally, then how well would the average citizen - and by extension, average bystander - fare?

When US Representative Gabby Giffords and more than a dozen others were shot by one gunman last year, one of the survivors who was interviewed said he, himself, was a gun owner and had his weapon with him. He said, however, that when the bullets flew, he hit the ground and, while he thought to shoot, he was afraid how many more innocent people would be hurt. Arizona, where this occurred, is a gun-friendly state yet not one private citizen used his own weapon to take the gunman down. Instead, he was subdued the old fashioned way - bravely without regard for personal safety, with fists, chairs and other 'weapons' on hand.

A couple of months ago, in Colorado, another gun-friendly state, a man opened fired in a packed movie theater, killing several and injuring dozens. Cops got him in the parking lot after he left the theater on his own. Private gun-owning citizens, if any were present, did not stop the chaos. If any had tried, I think it's safe to say, more people would have been injured or killed.

Gun-lovers came out swinging after the Colorado incident with one government official asking where all the gun owners were. He went on to say this gunman could have been stopped - while wearing kevlar in a dark movie theater packed with people - if only someone was 'brave enough' to use his weapon.

It's an election year here in the states so the discussion about gun laws never took place.

In defense of the NYPD in the most recent situation, the man was armed, had just killed someone, had just pulled his gun on the cops, AND the area around the Empire State Building was packed with pedestrians - it was NYC, every street is packed with pedestrians. It would have been nearly impossible to avoid hitting/hurting at least one person other than the gunman. If anything, comparatively speaking, those cops showed much more restraint than other cops in other city shootings, but it's still a clear example of why NYC cops need more training and review, and why the average Joe should not be allowed to carry a loaded gun.

Gun activists, however, will fight every and any attempt to create and enforce stricter gun laws, and no amount of logic will ever outweigh the hefty backing of the NRA or the politicians that the NRA buys.

(btw - hi everyone. I've been away for a while, and thought I'd make up for lost time in one post. :-))

Holy samosa! How great to "see" you MFM! :) Strangely, I've been thinking about you lately, hoping all was well and thinking too that I missed your posts. Thanks for this thoughtful one on gun issues.

"Holy samosa." lol Great to see you, too, GratefulFan. Things were tough here for a while but we're on the mend and catching up. Thanks for the warm welcome back. :-)

:)

Is this a spam thread?
I mean it is accusing the police of shooting innocent people,
and although i concur it is accurate.
When i post such things about this type of corruption like this, my posts a labelled as spam posts.