Posted on 03/24/2008 7:31:13 AM PDT by holymoly
Four years after the federal ban on assault weapons was allowed to expire, police are engaged in an arms race with criminals. More and more police departments now arm patrol officers with military-style weaponry that can match criminals' firepower and even penetrate body armor.
Sadly, the lawmen had warned Congress and President Bush about this very problem in 2004 as they tried in vain to be heard over the pro-gun drumbeat of the National Rifle Association.
Last year saw the largest number of police officers killed on duty in five years, with 69 shot to death. Six times in 2007, two or more officers were killed in a single incident.
''Our departments are moving to these weapons out of necessity across the country,'' The Associated Press was told by Chief Scott Knight, an official of the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Knight's own small department in Chaska, Minn., has ordered 10 assault rifles with 30-round ammunition clips.
Back in 2004, the then-head of Knight's organization warned, ''Weapons of this nature serve no legitimate sporting or hunting purposes and have no place in our community. Unless Congress acts, the firearms of choice for terrorists, drug dealers, gang members and thugs will be back on our streets where once again our officers will be outgunned by criminals.'' That has come to pass.
Miami Police Chief John Timoney calls the new arms race with criminals ''a national problem.'' He has armed his officers with AR-15 assault rifles in response.
Los Angeles police learned the danger of being outgunned by criminals wearing body armor in 1997, when 11 officers were injured, plus two civilians, in a gun battle with two bank robbers. That, no doubt, was on the mind of Chief William Bratton when arguing in 2004 to keep the federal assault weapon ban in place, he demanded to know, ''By what right does Congress and the President of the United States put at risk the lives of the young men and women who put on those uniforms and those badges?''
Chief Bratton's question remains just as urgent today. Military style weapons have no legitimate place in civilian hands on America's streets.
Four years ago, as the ban expired, we posed this question: ''Who in Congress will have the guts now to introduce a new and even tighter ban on such killing machines?'' The question remains relevant.
The majority of cops go through their entire career without ever firing their gun, whether that be an ‘assault rifle’ or the standard issue sidearm.
These people are plain stupid. I’d love to have a nice little press conference with them.
It would be in a junior high school, with their regular desks. If I had one person to help me out, it might be Ted Nugent.
I’d proceed to treat them like little children, explaining to them that a .22 is the chosen caliber of criminals.
Did some followup google searching and it seems that Police Chief Scott Knight has made the news several times as an anti-gunner. Did some checking on his town of Chaska Minn and seems pretty damned peaceful there. Nice and quiet and lower then average crime rate for Minnesota.
Me thinks Scott Knight just wanted to buy those AR-15’s for his police force and needed to find an excuse.
"Good afternoon my good man. I and a dozen of my amigos from the Mara Salvatrucha fraternity would like to purchase several AR-15 semi-automatic weapons so that we might engage in self-defense preparations as well as some leisurely watermelon plinking. Would you be a good chap and wrap those up and throw in a couple of thousand rounds of 5.56mm before the next LAPD shift change? Thank you ever so much."
The left-wing extremists in Cleveland are getting panicky that the US Supremes won’t rule in their favor?
There was actually a guy in the Strip District over the weekend that for some unknown reason started firing a .22 pistol at a passing car. He was very unlucky that the car was an unmarked police car carrying 2 homocide detectives that stopped, got out and proceeded to put 7 rounds into him.
How many were shot with their own weapon?
Michael Frazier
Exactly! The Second Amendment was intended for average citizens to keep an bear military-class arms to combat an enemy military. Of course such weapons would then be able to combat a police force gone rogue.
On average, about half.
see my new tagline.
"Now, I'll just need your valid USA drivers license and we'll do a quick computer check. No, it must be American. Yes, even if you pay in cash, I'm sorry. No, you can't have your sister come in and pick them up. No, I don't want your sister. I'm sorry, but you'll just have to shop in a poorly-regulated Southern state where gun show dealers illegally sell machine guns out of the trunks of their cars, placing the lives of our brave police officers in danger. Or you can just ask anyone on a streetcorner in LA. You can get anything you want. We're bound by the law, you understand. You boys come back when you're legal, OK?"
Are the officers ok?
Not an M-14 or AR but here is a BM 7.62
http://www.bushmaster.com/bcs/BCWBCSR20.asp?zoom_highlight=7%2E62
I do think the 6.8mm’s are cute.
I think one of them was hit in the arm. I don’t think it was serious. I’ll see if I can find a link.
Militarized “law enforcement” agencies are the standing army our Founders feared.
Exactly correct. So, immediately after first guaranteeing the right to free speech, they foresaw that problem and stated the solution.
Something about hunting, or sports, I believe.
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