Criminals, beware: Officers will carry assault rifle Colt AR-15

Miami Herald ^ | Apr. 26, 2005 | Miami Herald

[GarySpFc]

Indeed they would, but personally I'd prefer a BAR

In an urban environment? I personally prefer a Barrett's .50 caliber, but I don't plan on blowing down walls when I am in cities.

[BipolarBob]

"The expiration of the nation's ban on the sale of assault rifles and the appearance of more heavily armed criminals

Hmmm. I wonder...

Do they have any evidence to back up the 2nd part ofthat statement?"

Possibly mis-translation occured here. Perhaps they were referring to the criminals are having an obesity problem; the heavy criminals were armed. That's gotta be it.

[Myrddin]

I would expect standard .223. Departments that want a 9mm or 40 S&W tend to select the Ruger PC-9 or PC-40. That allows use of the same magazine in the pistol or rifle.

[Bon mots]

Hope they don't give one to this officer
Short Film

[Leatherneck_MT]

In an urban environment?

I could care less if it's an urban environment. The point is to win the gun battle. If you can shoot through walls to take out the bad guy, so much the better.

But then I'm a Marine, not a cop, so my attitude about Criminals is similar to my attitude about enemy troops.

Kill the SOB and do it as violently as possible.

[TChris]

In the small-town Wyoming PD of which I was a part in the early 90's we had Mini-14's in the patrol cars. Nice to see St. Pete catching up to the 90's ;-)

[TMSuchman]

I would much perfer the AR10,7.62mm rifle better.It is small enough to be carried in the vehicle, and the officers are already familar with the weapon type. This is just one former Marine's thought, being respectfully submitted.

[GarySpFc]

Ammo weight is not a big issue for a city cop. The rifle sits in the rack inside the squad car or in the trunk 99.9999% of the time. They aren't humping rifles and ammo on foot all day long. Most engagements use the service revolver or pistol. By the time the rifle is an issue, they have called for SWAT to place snipers. This is mostly a "fluff" issue to permit officers to carry an AR-15 in the car.

I agree that weight of ammo is not an issue for police, but I am not all that certain this is a "fluff" issue. You might recall when the police were seriously out gunned by bank robbers, which I believe happened in California. The police were so seriously out gunned they had to raid the local gun store for AR-15s to keep from being blown away. Drug dealers are carrying more firepower than ever.

[TChris]

The weapons must be stored in a hard case in the trunk of a patrol car except when being used.

St. Pete officer: "Umm... Mr. Bank Robber, will you please wait right there while I get my rifle out of the hard case in the trunk of my car. It'll only take a minute."

[ARCADIA]

I once put 180 gr .308 softpoints through a 1 inch thick mild steel plate angled at 45 degrees at 25 yards. I have no doubt that rifle rife will go right through a vest. That is probably why armored suits went away during the 16th century.

[demlosers]

She must be Mrs Barney Fife.

Barney, give me your bullet.

Aaaw geeee Andy, do I have to?

[Tuba Guy]

If the criteria is:

semi-automatic - .223 and the officers have to pay for them,

I think my Ruger Mini-14 would be an excellent option.

[ARCADIA]

Colt isn't selling to the civilian market right now. They claim they have all the business they can stand from law enforcement right now.

Cool... so it is just a local department coming up with an excuse to help their officers to buy the Colt AR-15 (for personal use).

[SpinnerWebb]

I'd like to know the follow-up to that little incident... was the suspect wounded? Was the female officer fired, reprimanded, applauded, etc...

[real saxophonist]

[blackdog]

Why would you want to shoot a bankrobber during the fluid and dynamic nature of a robbery? There are lots of people around, streets crowded, and LEO's who have homes to go to with children who need them. There are hundreds of camera's, witnesses, and sources of information on the perpetrator which will remain intact if the robber obtains an egress from the scene.

As a matter of fact, why make criminals think they need to arm themselves even more? Police need to arm themselves for personal protection and that's it. Police have never been armed to protect you, period! Their role is to secure the crime scene, sort out witnesses and evidence, run it by a judge via the prosecuting attorney, and then go arrest the criminals while they buy a gallon of milk and a pack of diapers at the local Circle K.

[real saxophonist]

They're hiring lots of 4X4s. 4 feet tall, 4 feet wide.

[demlosers]

"I have no doubt that rifle rife will go right through a vest. That is probably why armored suits went away during the 16th century."


I once saw a picture of a punctured Soviet 'bullet proof' vest in an old Soldier of Fortune magazine. The round, probably from a .303 Lee-Enfield rifle, penetrated the titanium plate killing the high ranking Russian officer in Afghanistan.

[ARCADIA]

I think my Ruger Mini-14 would be an excellent option.

I have both and the colt has been far more accurate. The Ruger can do a nice 1/2" group at 50, but it tends to open up to 3-4" inches at 100. Then again, I can't imagine why the average cop would need to shot at someone from 100 yards away.