I shoot at a range in California that is used Monday's and Tuesdays by law enforcement. According to the RSO, the only injuries that have occurred at the range have been cops shooting themselves or other cops. He's also pointed out the divots in the cement and holes in the awnings put there by cops.
What is it that can make cops so irresponsible and incompetent? Is it cockiness? I see newbies at the range all the time, and the vast majority of them are far more cautious and respectful of firearms than the jokers in these news stories and anecdotes.
It's the magic State check: it imbues one with the power to carry firearms, something the plebs should never be allowed to do, and it grants one powers of the holy trifecta of arrogance, incompetence and irresponsibility, rarely seen outside of Hollywood or D.C.
Yeesh. This sort of baloney has eroded the confidence I have in the police. I'm glad so many private citizens carry -- they seem more responsible and civic-minded.
Rus: to give the Brits an iota of credit for their consistency, they don't think cops are responsible enough to carry guns, either.
It isn't most cops, but it only takes a few cocky idjits to engender a series of incidents like these.
The first problem is that most cops do not receive adequate firearms training. They get the safety lecture and fire 50 to 100 rounds at a target, renewed once a year. If they want to be actually proficient, they probably have to pay for more ammo themselves and practice on their own time. A gun-nut goes to the range regularly, and shoots thousands of rounds a year. That not only greatly improves your chances of hitting your target under stress, but it also means you handle the gun sufficiently that safe handling is a reflex. For too many cops, safe handling is something they have to think about. Add a huge amount of overconfidence, and there's an accident waiting to happen...
"The first problem is that most cops do not receive adequate firearms training. They get the safety lecture and fire 50 to 100 rounds at a target, renewed once a year. If they want to be actually proficient, they probably have to pay for more ammo themselves and practice on their own time."
I know a member of law enforcement who is also a member at my range. He offers his officers free ammunition and the opportunity to go to the range and practice on the clock, and they don't take advantage of it.
The majority of his officers shoot for the annual qualification, and that's it.
"In June, the (Washington D.C.) District paid almost $800,000 to settle a case from 1994, when a D.C. officer accidentally shot his roommate. The officer had not been to the firing range to train with his weapon in more than two years – 20 months out of compliance with regulations."
It's probably overconfidence. My agency had a newbie discharge his weapon in a parking lot a few years ago. They never could determine which cars the round ricocheted off of. He swore up and down he didn't have his finger on the trigger! Yeah, right! Me, I'm paranoid. Whenever I check or clean my weapon and reload the ammo I point it into the bed or the couch so if I do screw up my neighbors are a little better protected. We go out several times a year to practice and I go several more times on my own. The only unloaded weapon I've ever seen is the one I've already broken apart and in the process of cleaning. As for that DEA agent who shot himself in the foot (yes, I've seen the video and I laughed when I knew he had not been seriously hurt), our chief firearms instructor had the answer for him. Never ever use live ammunition in a classroom setting!!!!
Note:
All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost;
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JS-Kit/Echo comments for article at http://smallestminority.blogspot.com/2006/07/in-related-story.html (11 comments)
Tentative mapping of comments to original article, corrections solicited.
"The suspect, identified by Baca as Winston Hayes, 44, was found to be unarmed, but has an arrest record for narcotics and assaults.
Hayes was wounded, but Baca said the injuries were not life threatening. One deputy was also injured, he said, possibly by friendly fire."
Okay, it's a good thing I wasn't drinking anything.
I shoot at a range in California that is used Monday's and Tuesdays by law enforcement. According to the RSO, the only injuries that have occurred at the range have been cops shooting themselves or other cops. He's also pointed out the divots in the cement and holes in the awnings put there by cops.
I thought only the Italian cops were the butt of countless jokes...
I beat you to it too:
http://www.saysuncle.com/archives/2006/07/24/rule_4/
What is it that can make cops so irresponsible and incompetent? Is it cockiness? I see newbies at the range all the time, and the vast majority of them are far more cautious and respectful of firearms than the jokers in these news stories and anecdotes.
They're the "professionals," Sarah!
It's the magic State check: it imbues one with the power to carry firearms, something the plebs should never be allowed to do, and it grants one powers of the holy trifecta of arrogance, incompetence and irresponsibility, rarely seen outside of Hollywood or D.C.
Yeesh. This sort of baloney has eroded the confidence I have in the police. I'm glad so many private citizens carry -- they seem more responsible and civic-minded.
Rus: to give the Brits an iota of credit for their consistency, they don't think cops are responsible enough to carry guns, either.
It isn't most cops, but it only takes a few cocky idjits to engender a series of incidents like these.
The first problem is that most cops do not receive adequate firearms training. They get the safety lecture and fire 50 to 100 rounds at a target, renewed once a year. If they want to be actually proficient, they probably have to pay for more ammo themselves and practice on their own time. A gun-nut goes to the range regularly, and shoots thousands of rounds a year. That not only greatly improves your chances of hitting your target under stress, but it also means you handle the gun sufficiently that safe handling is a reflex. For too many cops, safe handling is something they have to think about. Add a huge amount of overconfidence, and there's an accident waiting to happen...
"The first problem is that most cops do not receive adequate firearms training. They get the safety lecture and fire 50 to 100 rounds at a target, renewed once a year. If they want to be actually proficient, they probably have to pay for more ammo themselves and practice on their own time."
I know a member of law enforcement who is also a member at my range. He offers his officers free ammunition and the opportunity to go to the range and practice on the clock, and they don't take advantage of it.
The majority of his officers shoot for the annual qualification, and that's it.
Check out this story. Excerpt in point:
"In June, the (Washington D.C.) District paid almost $800,000 to settle a case from 1994, when a D.C. officer accidentally shot his roommate. The officer had not been to the firing range to train with his weapon in more than two years – 20 months out of compliance with regulations."
But hey, he hit something!
It's probably overconfidence. My agency had a newbie discharge his weapon in a parking lot a few years ago. They never could determine which cars the round ricocheted off of. He swore up and down he didn't have his finger on the trigger! Yeah, right! Me, I'm paranoid. Whenever I check or clean my weapon and reload the ammo I point it into the bed or the couch so if I do screw up my neighbors are a little better protected. We go out several times a year to practice and I go several more times on my own. The only unloaded weapon I've ever seen is the one I've already broken apart and in the process of cleaning. As for that DEA agent who shot himself in the foot (yes, I've seen the video and I laughed when I knew he had not been seriously hurt), our chief firearms instructor had the answer for him. Never ever use live ammunition in a classroom setting!!!!
Note: All avatars and any images or other media embedded in comments were hosted on the JS-Kit website and have been lost; references to haloscan comments have been partially automatically remapped, but accuracy is not guaranteed and corrections are solicited.
If you notice any problems with this page or wish to have your home page link updated, please contact John Hardin <jhardin@impsec.org>