Posted on 07/20/2007 5:11:30 AM PDT by Mad Dawg
Dear Sheriff McCabe,
As a former reserve deputy and chaplain in Albemarle County I am horrified and ashamed to read that your deputies are not only habitually violating the Second Amendment rights of citizens within your bailiwick but are doing so in a sadistic, brutal, and unprofessional way.
The detention on June 10, 2007 of Mr. Szymecki was a flagrant and disgraceful abuse of the authority of your office. It is evident from other incidents that some of your deputies either do not know the laws of this Commonwealth or consider it part of their job to harass citizens who exercise their rights under those laws.
I do what I can to encourage citizens to support Law Enforcement Officers. I know there are many wonderful, brave, and honest men and women serving their communities in this often thankless work.
When deputies and other Law Enforcement Officers take the law into their own hands, the consequences are very bad indeed. People lose respect for you and for other sheriffs. Time and money are spent in the court system and the Commonwealth Attorney’s Office nolle pross-ing cases which never should have been brought in the first place. And finally citizens, such as myself, of the Commonwealth have to dig into their pockets to support the lawsuit against Norfolk and your office which will almost certainly follow this dreadful abuse of authority.
I was very proud to be a reserve deputy and to work with Sheriff Ed Robb. I am also very proud to be a life member of the NRA and the GOA and also a member of the VCDL. I will be happy to give sacrificially to support any suit against Norfolk which addresses the habitual abuse of citizens by your deputies.
Very truly yours,
Mad Dawg [okay, I didn't use my handle]
I don’t understand why anyone would carry open, at a family festival event, with so mny people in close proximity to each other. Having both hands pre-occupied, lends itself to having one’s weapon easily taken. Regardless of the lagality, I think it was a pretty irresponsible thing to do.
VCDL?
It seems the Gestapo is making a comeback in Norfolk ,Va.
save
Right! There ought to be a law.
Don't use abbreviations until the writer has established in the FIRST paragraph what the abs. refer to!
by a black female Sheriff’s deputy!
What does this deputy’s race have to do with anything? Did you notice that you wrote that? I get the message of the posting but that line causes me to pause.
Could not disagree more. Same argument could be made concerning a police officer. Right to carry means nothing if one stops because of any number of negative scenarios. Right to carry means exactly that.
Thanks...I thought it was just me. I've sinced Googled it: Virginia Citizens Defense League
Because, according to Virginia law, we are prohibited from carrying concealed at events or places where alcohol is sold or served. The gentleman in question was acting in accordance with the law. What should he have done, not carried at all and left himself and his family unprotected? I guess it's been a while since you were in Norfolk, VA.
I’m not arguing the right to carry, I’m saying that I think it was irresponsible. In my opinion, the odds of a police man having both hands occupied and in a position to have his weapon taken, are much less, than a civilian walking around a festival.
I have found that if one does not exercise their rights, those rights are taken away.
I see nothing irresponsible at all in open carry. I prefer it. It leaves no doubt. In the first incident, the stoopid coppers couldn't even unholster his weapon while the guy was being cuffed. Try and tackle me to get my weapon and you're going to feel your eyeballs depressurize as my thumbs enter. Self Defense doesn't start and end with firearms. Blackbird.
I live in Chesapeake, I go to Norfolk regularly to attend the festivals. The number of instances where anyone has needed a weapon, at these festivals, is zero. The police are everywhere, on foot, on bicycle, stationed at every corner. He should have left it in the car.
Virginia Citizens Defense League and I’m sorry. You mean Virginia is NOT the center of the universe? My Bad.
“We don’t smoke, We don’t drink, NORFOLK! NORFOLK!”
One obtains a permit to protect his family, bad things can happen at a family gathering. I see no difference in a situation such as this and any other situation. One needs to be allowed to protect his family, anywhere.
I didn't like it much either. But I try to quote 'em as written, warts and all.
But I disapprove of the Norfolk Gestapo even more.
I did not say open carry is irresponsible in all cases, I said, in this case, I believe it was. Just because you can, doesn’t always mean you should. A little common sense should prevail. It’s instances like this, that give the anti-gun people more voice.
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