Posted on 12/10/2007 7:17:07 PM PST by jazusamo
December 11, 2007
People for whom indignation is a way of life -- and there seem to be an increasing number of such people -- repeatedly have outbursts of outrage whenever the police fire a lot of shots at some criminal.
People who have never fired a gun in their lives, and have never had a split-second in which to make a decision that could mean life or death for themselves or others, are often nevertheless convinced that the police used excessive force.
As someone who once taught pistol shooting in the Marine Corps, it has never seemed strange to me that the police sometimes fire dozens of shots at a criminal.
While an expert shooter can run up impressive scores in the safety of a pistol range, it doesn't take much to make shots go off into the wild blue yonder in the stress of life and death shooting.
Even on a pistol range, it was not uncommon to see shooters not only miss the bull's eye, but miss the whole target, which was the size of a man's torso.
Among other things, this suggests that a pistol may not be the best firearm to keep for home protection. A shotgun is far more likely to hit the target -- and far less likely to have to be fired in the first place.
Any intruder who hears the distinctive sound that is made when you load a shotgun is likely to decide that he would much rather be somewhere else, very quickly. Nor is he likely to return.
Getting back to shootings by the police, now -- at last -- there is a study introducing some facts into controversies that have thus far been largely a matter of emotions, rhetoric, ideology, and politics.
This study shows how often the police in New York City miss when shooting at various distances during the stress of actual confrontations with criminals.
Even within a range of 6 feet or less, the police miss more often than they hit -- 57 percent of the shots at that distance miss and 43 percent hit.
As you might expect, there are even fewer hits at longer distances. At 75 feet -- which is less than the distance from first base to second base -- only 7 percent of the shots hit.
Moreover, just because a shot has hit does not mean that it is now safe to stop shooting.
First of all, this is not like an arcade game, where lights go on when you hit something. Depending on where the shot hit, the policeman who is firing may have no idea whether he has hit the criminal or not.
With the adrenalin pumping, the criminal himself may not be aware that he has been hit, if it is not a serious wound.
Even if the policeman knows that his shot has hit the criminal, the real question is whether the hit has rendered the criminal no longer dangerous. If the bad guy is still capable of shooting back, it is no time for the cop to stop firing, because his life is still in danger.
When there is more than one policeman on the scene, there is no reason for any of them to keep track of how often the others have fired. After it is all over, it may turn out that 30 or 40 shots were fired at the criminal.
But so what? It is very doubtful that the criminal has been hit 30 or 40 times.
Only part of the problem is that many people have no idea of the capabilities and limitations of different kinds of guns, much less how much difference it makes if the shooter is in the safety of a firing range or in the stress of a life and death battle.
What is a bigger and wider problem is that too many people feel no hesitation to go spouting off about things they know nothing about.
People who have never run even a modest little business assert with great certainty and indignation that heads of multinational corporations are paid much more than they are worth. People who know nothing about medicine and nothing about economics unhesitatingly declare that pharmaceutical drugs cost too much.
Maybe all this is a product of the "self-esteem" taught in our schools, instead of the academic subjects in which American children trail children from other countries.
--------
Thomas Sowell is a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305. His Web site is www.tsowell.com.
He would. But Thomas Sowell is too intelligent to run for president.
In a perfect world...Sowell would have won every award there is...but in this world the leftist establishment would rather give awards to garbage containers like Algore and Jimmuh Carter.
He is dearly respected as well by SC Justice Clarence Thomas—mentions him in his bio-— My Grandfather’s Son-—excellent!
Because only those who promote the plantation aren't attacked.
Correct...I read a piece about him in a book 20 or more years ago.
I understand that to be the case...and I plan on getting that book.
Hoot Dang!
This American is ready for a Black president, if it’s Thomas Sowell. Walter Williams for VP!!!
May be nit picking but I wouldn't have an unloaded shot gun in my house. I might not have time to load it. I have no little ones at home though and at Christmas time, when they are all here, there is no gun anywhere that they are likely to find. I say "likely" because I never underestimate the ingenuity of a toddler, they must be watched closer than a democrat on election day.
He’s referring to racking a round into the chamber of a pump shotgun, it has a very distinctive sound, you keep the magazine loaded with shells.
Well...those words make good writing. Excellent imagery, perhaps especially to those (his intended audience???) who would balk at any kind of loaded weapon in the household.
Sowell is a smart, shrewed, articulate writer.
The “red necks” aren’t the ones he’s trying to convince....it’s those who aren’t on his/our side. He ain’t there to preach to the choir. I’m sure he knows that folks who have shotguns likely keep them loaded.
I’m sure he also knows his audience would take that one snippet and focus on the loaded shotgun instead of the bigger picture: his entire message.
(And it may well be he thinks all guns should not be loaded...but, that is only conjecture.)
I admire Thomas Sowell greatly; but I have seen our local police shoot on the range (i.e., no pressure), and to put it mildly I was not impressed.
Dr. Sowell BUMP
THIS is the man that I would like to see become our country’s first Black president.
Unlike about 99.9999% of the posters here, I don't claim to be an expert shot. I aint too bad with a rifle or shot gun though!
With Walter Williams on the ticket too.
Yes indeed, both are very brilliant and honorable men.
I work for a large aerospace company. About 20 years ago, I had occasion to be at an old military base which was used for a variety of "miscellaneous" tasks which required a lot of room, and which also housed a federal prison.
We were testing remote-controlled parachute delivery of about a 500 lb payload, which we would drop from a helicopter, guide in to a landing, and then have the helicopter lift the payload again and repeat the process.
To make a long story short, the prison guards noticed the helicopter making repeated take-offs and landings, and 3 of them drove over to us in a pickup truck to see what was going on and make certain we weren't planning to swoop in and break someone out.
We had an interesting conversation with the guards, and I noticed that they were wearing belts with loops for shotgun ammo. The shot shells were nearly transparent and I could clearly see that they were not loaded with the 00 buck I expected.
I asked about this and one of the guards told me that they used # 2 buckshot which allows a much higher pellet count.
Now, I expect that at the ranges inside a house a hit from either would be devastating, and a miss would have no effect at all. But, for what its worth, these "professionals" used # 2 buck.
- - - -
To me, the problem with a shotgun is that it must be left in an easily accessible place in your house, probably in the bedroom. If an intruder comes in while I am out, this is the first place they will look.
I strongly prefer to use my concealed carry weapon as my home defense weapon. It might not have the punch of a shotgun, but I practice enough to make it effective, and it is always with me...
Best of all, I am not arming an intruder who starts out unarmed.
“People for whom indignation is a way of life ...”
Definitely a Top Fuel read! Let me know when his essays are available via syringe.
One word: typical.
You’re right, typical for King and most of the media.
I read where it’s the church she attends and also volunteers for security for another service. You’d think King would have bothered to find that out.
Just another good reason not to watch the turkey.
Very good Dr. Sowell, now say it in Hindee.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.