Desert Eagle .50AE
My buddy had one of these years ago. Surprisingly it was a pleasure to plunk targets with. Drawbacks would be the low capacity clip and the expense of the ammo, youch.
Posted on 12/08/2008 8:11:45 AM PST by Born Conservative
Philadelphia police officers will be permitted to carry larger-caliber handguns next year, part of a wide-ranging effort that Police Commissioner Charles H. Ramsey is making to upgrade the department's weaponry to match adversaries carrying bigger guns. Ramsey announced yesterday that officers will have the option to replace their 9mm pistols with more powerful .40- and .45-caliber semiautomatic handguns. The sidearms are produced by Austrian gunmaker Glock.
Though two of four Philadelphia officers killed in the line of duty this year were shot by fugitives carrying powerful guns - one fired an assault rifle - Ramsey was careful not to characterize the decision to upgrade as an escalation.
"We don't want to get into an arms race, and that's not what we're trying to do," Ramsey said. "We're simply trying to make sure that officers have the type of equipment they feel they need to be effective on the street."
But a representative of the Fraternal Order of Police lodge said that officers increasingly feel outgunned and welcomed the opportunity for more firepower.
"As the bad guys get better, we need to level the field," said Mike Trask, a vice president of the police union.
Law-enforcement agencies increasingly are embracing larger-caliber guns. The Pennsylvania State Police now issue .45-caliber Glocks as service weapons. The Los Angeles Police Department has allowed its officers to use .45s for more than three years.
Officers will have to pay for the new guns out of their own pockets - even with a discount, a new Glock .45 costs close to $500. The firearms must conform to the department's specifications, and the officers will need to be trained and certified to use them before they can carry them.
(Excerpt) Read more at philly.com ...
You must be kidding. They are going to allow the police officers to as well armed as the criminals? How dare they. Now all they have to do is give them permission to defend themselves.
I don’t understand. I would assume that Philly, like most large cities, has very restrictive gun control laws. Why do the cops need guns at all, let alone big ones, if gun licensing laws are so effective?
i hope this comes to my city. it won’t, though. 9mm for a long time to come.
if a 9mm isn’t big enough, nothing is.
are you trying to say that a 9mm has the same stopping power as a .45 cal....??
Philadelphia PD makes their officers pay for their duty sidearms? One would think that is the department’s responsibility. Only an officer’s personal, off-duty carry pistol should be user bought in my opinion. The off-duty choice should be up to the officer as long as it is off a list of those the department has made with a view to which ones are less likely to be called by a defense attorney badly designed or with a reputation of going off without a user’s action. The off-duty should not have to be the same as the duty as small and light is more likely to be carried over full size.
The man in charge of the DC Sniper case. Didn't appear to be the sharpest knife in the drawer during that fiasco.
Wrong. The whole reason the 45Auto was developed is that the 38 caliber revolvers carried by our soldiers were inadequate to stop the Moro "warriors". The Moros were drugged and wrapped before taking on our soldiers with machetes. They killed many men before succumbing to 38 cal projectiles. On average, the 45Auto would drop them with one or two shots.
The 40 S&W is a good compromise between 9mm and 45Auto. In terms of "one-shot" stops, it compares favorably with the .357 magnum. The 40 S&W allows for more rounds in the magazine than the 45Auto (for a similar physical size magazine).
No matter the caliber, there is no substitute for good marksmanship. Police departments are "famous" for handing high cap 9mm pistols to cops with poor marksmanship skills. A hail of bullets that never strikes the intended target is a tribute to that poor policy.
Yes and what about all those tableloads of weapons turned in during those ludicrous ‘amnesty’ dog-and-pony shows performed in front of local news cameras?
what are you comparing your exapmle of bad marksmanship to? other departments? what do you consider a good rate of hitting your target which is most likely moving and not in good light while under duress?
"If we can fire one shot from a .40 or a .45 and stop the individual, vs. shooting three or four shots with a 9mm, we would prefer shooting one time only to neutralize the individual," said Capt. Mark Fisher, the department's firearms instructor.
How odd to read accurate firearms info in a newspaper.
Regardless of the value of hollowpoints, you can still be arrested for possessing them across the Walt Whitman bridge in NJ.
Beware crooks and thugs... you've been notified.
These guys just need more range time to practice their shooting skills. Most cops can’t hit the broadside of a barn.
Agree 100%. That would be like my company asking me to buy the computer I work on.
Didn't realize the Police Chief is "Moose" Ramsey. This quote makes it sound like he's afraid of the criminals....
As opposed to a warm, friendly hug rifle. Journalist love their buzz words don't they???
Desert Eagle .50AE
My buddy had one of these years ago. Surprisingly it was a pleasure to plunk targets with. Drawbacks would be the low capacity clip and the expense of the ammo, youch.
Armed private citizens who use firearms in self-defense have much higher shot-to-hit and much lower shots per individual fired ratio over the average US LEO stats.
The exact numbers escape me at the moment, but the difference is actually quite large and statistically significant.
Again, armed citizens are much safer, more law-abiding and more effective than our civilian LEOs.... Who'd a thunk it.
Also, the idea that cops are excused for misses and high-volume fire due to “duress” (you must mean fear?) is without merit-these men and women are supposed to be trained, experienced and cool headed. The reality of it is not so.
Note, I am not a LEO basher,(unless they obviously deserve it), rather I am very supportive of good law enforcement officers, training and operations.
God Bless and MOLON LABE
Pennsylvania is a "shall issue" CCW state. This applies to Philly residents too. I have several Philly friends with CCW.
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