Hero NYC Cop Killed By Our Mania Over Guns

NY Post ^ | November 29, 2005 | Dr. Robert Kurtz

[dead]

Dr. Robert Kurtz, co-director of trauma and critical care at Kings County Hospital, fought to save the life of hero cop Dillon Stewart.

Dr. Kurtz said the time has come to get the guns off the city's streets...

THE country and the city are awash in guns and we have to do something about it.

New York, as we all know, has very restrictive gun laws and a very active police force that works very hard to get guns off the streets.

But when the whole country is deluged with guns, and when people can buy guns very easily in Florida, Georgia, and Virginia and bring them up here, they're much too easily available.

Consider what would have happened yesterday with stricter federal gun controls in effect. If this man were angry at Officer Dillon Stewart, he might have punched him instead of shooting him.

But when he could turn to a gun to settle a dispute, the results were tragic. What an utter waste of a decent young man. What a waste of so many lives.

Why have we allowed our city streets to become war zones — war zones that have made us so experienced at treating gunshot wounds at KCH that we were chosen to train Army nurses and doctors in battlefield medicine?

There have been a slew of bills out there in Congress to curb the gun lobby. But the armaments industry controls the National Rifle Association, and the NRA has intimidated politicians, both Republican and Democratic, making it impossible to pass suitably restrictive gun laws…

We've lectured against violence and we've let people know how important gun control is… Hopefully, the death of Officer Stewart will reignite the people's passion to bring the gun lobby to heel.

[George W. Bush]

Criminals would be less likely to use weapons like knives and guns if NYC had liberal concealed-carry as Lott's research indicates.

Want to curb violent criminals? Liberalize concealed-carry and other firearms laws.

[Rutles4Ever]

I don't see any other way. As long as this mentality exists, gun control will be an empty "victory" over the evil that causes murder. We'll never be rid of murderers just as we will never be rid of drunk drivers, yet those who promote gun control would presumably take away everyone's right to an automobile, by their logic...

[babygene]

"The scumbag sped through a red light, and this officer pursued him."

Isn't that what he's paid to do? In my opinion that doesn't make him a hero, unless his job description is "hero".

This hero thing really bugs me. The term is used way to frequently. Above and beyond the call of duty..., not just doing your job.

I have no problem calling a fireman who rushes into a building to save someone a hero, or a cop that risks his life and rushes in to a hostage situation to rescue a hostage. I do have a problem with calling a cop who shoots or gets shot by someone while just doing his job a hero.

[dead]

I think the fact that he continued the pursuit even after the suspect put a bullet in his heart shows a certain amount of dedication to his work.

But you don't have to call him a hero if you don't want to.

[SWAMPSNIPER]

"For highly educated people some are pretty clueless about the real world".

---

Higher education can just as well be negative as positive, it all depends on who the educator is.

[lesser_satan]

Quite right. The other fact they don't get is that there are these people called machinists, who make things out of metal for a living, and could use their skills to make pretty much any type of weapon they want.

[Born Conservative]

Surely this doctor has also seen a lot of motor vehicle related trauma. Why isn't he asking for the prohibition of motor vehicles coming from Michigan and Canada? There are a lot more deaths from automobiles than there are from guns.

[Ohioan]

What absolute garbage. The writer does not have a clue. Cops get killed in Great Britain, which has the sort of anti-individual policy that the writer advocates, and what is more, a lot of property owners have to endure being robbed without even the ability of self-defense.

In America, all of our institutions are premised upon an individually responsible citizenry. Why are there so many who do not understand what that really means--or the enduring benefits of maintaining that premise.

See The Right & Duty To Keep & Bear Arms.

William Flax

[Horatio Gates]

Good point.

I was careful to not paint 'em with too broad a brush 8>)

[ZULU]

you know, somebody once told me that medicine is the only profession that buries its mistakes.

[DuncanWaring]

If this man were angry at Officer Dillon Stewart, he might have punched him instead of shooting him.

Why not just pass a law against shooting policemen?

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Yes, the National Rifle Association is culpable for Kings County Hospital's heavily-traffiked trauma ward.

I'm glad that I live next to Victory Memorial, where the worst case scenario is being stabbed by a deranged visitor who penetrates the hospital's porous security, rather than being treated by a surgeon who appears to be a complete and utter retard.

Seriously, I can't believe that this blithering idiot is an M.D.

*sigh*

[thefactor]

motor vehicle accidents are just that: accidents. what he is talking about here is intentional, unjustified gun violence. although it is usually perp on perp shootings. but he also sees innocent kids caught in crossfires as well as cops shot in the line of duty. it takes its toll. his motives are pure but his logic is flawed.

[DuncanWaring]

If his motives are pure, why isn't he pushing for everyone to have a daily health screen for infectious diseases, and mandatory quarantine of anyone who might be contagious?

Think of all the influenza deaths this would prevent.

[PaRebel]

It is often misleading to call people with MDs and Ph.Ds "hihgly educated" although I realize that it is common practice.

I think a more accurate description of these people is "highly specialized".

I speak from experience having worked with both for a very long time. Some of these people are, in fact, highly educated, but most are not. They are highly specialized and most of them are so busy in their specialty that they have little time, or inclination, to pursue knowledge in any arena but their specialty.

So, the fact that you are the world's expert on the sphincter muscles of fruit flies does not mean that you much of anything about, let's say, guns, or anything else.

I long ago lost my sense of awe at people with lots of degrees. Many of them will astound you with their level of ignorance about many things. BTW, this is not from envy or sour grapes; I have an advanced degree, and come from a family of Ph.Ds. That's why I can speak with authority about the subject.

[geopyg]

And I'm sure he's called for outlawing drugs like cocaine and heroin too so we can get them off the streets. But what about prescription drugs that are used by junkies? I guess they should be banned too so they can't fall into the hands of criminals.

[Skywalk]

http://www.gothamgazette.com/community/40/majorissues "In the 1990s, surgeons from the hospital trauma center started Doctors Against Murder, which lectures against violence and works with local churches to campaign against gun use. "It's part of the responsibility of trauma centers," said Robert Kurtz, associate professor of surgery and co-director of trauma and surgical critical care at Kings County."

[sauropod]

FMCDH (BITS)

[thefactor]

that's a little too much of a leap for me to make. this guy is a major trauma surgeon who is respected by every nypd cop who knows of him, myself included. he kept this cop alive for over 5 hours so his family could be by his side and say goodbye to him.

this type of senseless death goes far beyond the nonsense you are talking about. i cannot blame him for speaking out against gun violence after watching another cop with young children die on his table.

[devolve]

  

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