Posted on 07/20/2007 5:11:30 AM PDT by Mad Dawg
That makes it even worse. These officers were simply harassing the citizens of Virginia , unbelievable.
True, if the authors intent was to point out the failures of the VBPD and Sheriff’s Dept. then stick to that.
The race offered nothing of substance to the story, why mention it at all?
SZ
I carry everywhere it is legal, it is my job to protect me and mine.
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.
With a level three or four holster is would be VERY difficult for some one to take his gun. Was he using such a holster? I do not know but I am not going to judge the ease of having his gun taken especially when the COPS (or thugs in this case) had a problem getting his gun out of the holster.
What do the levels on a Safariland holster mean?
Safariland's Holster Rating System is intended for holsters in new condition and can be used to evaluate any holster permitting the holster is properly adjusted for the weapon. The holster should be mounted on an appropriate duty belt and secured as it would normally be worn. The wearer is not permitted to hold the holster or belt during the test. The attacker has five seconds and can use both hands to apply force to the stock of the handgun. No intentional force may be applied to the release strap mechanism in the direction that is normally used to open the strap.
Level 1 (a) Pull as hard as possible in all directions on the handle while violently twisting the weapon in all directions. If the weapon remains in the holster and the holster remains on the belt, make a normal draw to ensure the securing mechanism is not jammed. (b) Remove the holster from wearer, release external straps and invert with a light shake. The weapon should not fall out of the holster. If both tests are successful, the holster is rated at Level 1. If a holster fails, it cannot be tested for any other levels.
Level 2 Unlock the primary security device and apply force pulling forward, straight up, towards the side, and from the back. If the holster has an additional device which offers measurable security in any of the directions, it meets Level 2.
Level 3 The holster must have two independent securing devices during the Level 1 tests. If the holster offers retention with both devices open, it is rated at Level 3.
Level 4 The holster must have three independent securing devices during the Level 1 tests. If the holster offers retention with the three devices open, it is rated at Level 4.
________________________________________________
People reveal themselves in the details.
So far....
He should have left it in the car.
Where it can be stolen.
I've gone back to my truck (an old beater F-150) on three different occasions (while parked at Waterside), and have found it broken into and ransacked, fortunately the only things that have been taken were a stereo, some CDs/tapes, and my sense of naiveté.
Given that the article states the police themselves had difficulty removing the gun, I don't think it would have been any easier for someone else to remove the gun.
Do the words "Luby's Massacre" mean anything to you? I for one praise Mr. Syzmecki.
10-4
You mean like a police officer or security guard? Shall we just ban firearms altogether?
See my post #32
Ping
Somehow, I just don’t think a group of families, with a number of open-carry members, walking around the festival, would attract less of a police interest.
The article did not mention anything she did later that would make me believe it was relevant. If she had called “Chet” a cracker then I could see the relevance.
Now mentioning that the harassment has happened to white and black gunowners is relevant because it shows that they don’t care who has the lawful right to carry, they’re going after you.
SZ
This event, is no where near a state fair level of event.
Still I would hope that the point of this article doesn't get lost, or that Phil be tossed into the "racist" bin. The amount of work and dedication he provides to 2nd Amendment causes in Virginia is awesome.
So it's OK with you for cops to break the law by false arrest and intimidation just because you and they think a citizen licensed to carry a gun under the laws of the state shouldn't be allowed to exercise the rights granted by that license unless you and they think it's acceptable? When did you and the Norfolk cops get the authority to decide what the law should be and act accordingly?
In this case the victim of police brutality and harassment was in compliance with a state law which specifically overrides any local law concerning the carrying of firearms. If you and the Sheriff don't like that law why don't you lobby the VA legislature to change the law instead of allowing cops to use Nazi-type tactics to intimidate citizens in the hope that intimidation will do what the city or county can't legally do under current VA law? What happened there was nothing less than police harassment of the worst kind. The cops knew they had no legal authority to arrest the armed man, they just hoped to intimidate ALL licensed citizens from going armed in their bailiwick.
If there is any justice in VA the Sheriff's office will be forced to recompense the victim of his thugs in a large enough amount that his department will abandon Gestapo intimidation tactics and obey the law they are supposed to be enforcing. Nothing is more likely to breed hatred and disrespect for LE officers than totally unjustifiable thuggish behavior like this against law abiding citizens. Cops who know the law and violate it anyway should be held more accountable for their acts than the ordinary citizens who they are supposed to be protecting, not harassing.
In my observations, when they take a break, it is always away from the crowd, with more than one leo with them. I have not seen the police at these events, walk around carrying any food or beverage.
The modern Police Force is literally homogenized by recruits from all over the country. There is a fair amount of headhunting that goes on. One common point of entry is to establish credentials on a small town force (easier to get hired) and then move on to the big town salary. So it is no real surprise an officer who has been hired to balance diversity needs of a large department will be more confrontational and politically correct.
Since the gunowner in question was offered a choice- stay or leave- rightly or wrongly he probably should have left and filed his paperwork afterwards. Police in the 21st Century are on a hair trigger when it comes to confrontation and once that officer assistance call goes out over the radio a felony arrest is all but inevitable. (Felony arrest being defined as using techniques required to apprehend a dangerous criminal up to and including deadly force.) Eating a waffle when confronted by a testosterone addled officer (male or female) is a darned good way to escalate a situation right into deadly force.
Right now, a possible course of action is to subpeona the the Department CALEA standards governing Officer Conduct at Street Festivals and other public venues.
It may be necessary to rewrite those manuals to prevail in this instance.
Hope this helps
Best regards,
It might have caused more respect for the law than these officers portrayed. It’s a sad state of affairs when we have to remind the police to obey the laws they are sworn to enforce. Despicable behaviour IMHO.
I believe that argues against your point.
Anyone harboring thoughts of attempting to steal another individual's firearm is precisely the reason such individual chooses to exercise their legal right to openly carry.....
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