[holymoly]

military-style weaponry that can match criminals' and even penetrate body armor.

B.F.D. What class of body armor?

Ballistic Resistance of Personal Body Armor NIJ-Standard 0101.04 (PDF)

Body Armor Performance standards
(Wikipedia; data from Underwriters Laboratories [UL Standard 752] and the United States National Institute of Justice [NIJ Standard 0101.04])

[Joe Brower]

[Sender]

LOL, this buffoon continues to claim that during the AW ban, everything was cool, but suddenly after it expired, gangs, thugs and cop killers just stocked up and started shooting cops.

The weapon of choice among criminals is the handgun, because you can't conceal an AR-15 in your jeans. Gosh, criminals must not be involved in hunting or sports. If any gang banger had wanted a rifle for some reason during the AW ban, they were always available to steal or buy with no flash hider. This is such a load of political crap.

So now, suddenly police departments have to militarize themselves due to the expiration of the AW ban? It sounds like hollow justification for the JBT to me.

[litehaus]

''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?''

OR...congresscritters and the ACLU DEMAND we be unarmed when attacked by some nut/criminal??

[Oztrich Boy]

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.

terrorists, drug dealers, gang members and thugs are using bayonet fitted "assault weapons" these days?

[John Jorsett]

Four years after the federal ban on assault weapons was allowed to expire, police are engaged in an arms race with criminals.

Notice how the lead implies that there's some sort of connection, while nothing in the rest of the article supports that thesis whatsoever. As far as this article goes, it would be just as valid to say, "Four years after the Indonesian tsunami, police are engaged in an arms race with criminals."

[Pistolshot]

military-style weaponry that can match criminals' and even penetrate body armor.

What an idiot A 30-30 from a lever action can penetrate body armor. Just about ANY bottle-neck cartridge can penetrate body armor.

Putting rifles in the hands of good qualified officers is a smart thing. It gives them a depth of confrontation where they can engage at a distance, rather than closer, which is needed for the shotgun.

[Dick Bachert]

If HONEST citizens were packing heat, they could probably put these perps down during one of their EARLY crimes (that liquor store or 7-11 holdup) and BEFORE they graduate to full assaults on cops. Has anyone else noticed that only the really stupid criminals hit pawn shops during business hours? Could that be because most proprietors of same are ARMED??

Some of those armed citizens might even be in position to take a clean head shot while these guys were trying to gun down the cops.

Do the politicians and their APPOINTED police chiefs REALLY think bad guys will turn in their guns? Duuuhhhhhh...!

WHY THEY WANT OUR GUNS!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j73SsNFgBO4

[Domandred]

Didn’t the DC Sniper and the West Hollywood Bank Robbery occur during the so called Assault Weapons Ban?

[G.Mason]

" ... Chief Bratton's question remains just as urgent today. Military style weapons have no legitimate place in civilian hands on America's streets ... "

Contrare, political Pimp-in Chief Bratton, and The Morning Journal rag.

Military style weapons are exactly what will be needed to water the Tree of Liberty.

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒE

[papertyger]

Exactly ONE of those 69 was shot by someone using an "assault weapon". Source NLEOMF (PDF). I can find this out with google and three minutes; disgustingly typical that the AP just leaves a lie like that standing. 23 posted on 03/23/2008 12:26:10 PM EDT by CGTRWK

Thanks to CGTRWK. This story is journalistic malpractice at it's worst! Writer & editor should be fired.

[Domandred]

Last year saw the largest number of police officers killed on duty in five years, with 69 shot to death.

Given the article doesn't have statistics to back it my bet is that most of them were not killed by "assault rifles".

[Jaxter]

"Last year saw the largest number of police officers killed on duty in five years, with 69 shot to death."

Gee, I wonder why they don't mention how many of these 69 were killed by the so-called assault weapons they want banned?

[decimon]

...''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?''

Bratton is somewhat Constitutionally challenged.

From a related thread here: "In 2007, according to preliminary numbers compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, 69 officers were shot to death, up from 52 in 2006 and the most in five years."

That "the most in five years" brings us back to 2002 when the assault weapons ban was in effect and had been in effect for some years.

[Condor51]

This editorial.....

There's zero correlation between the expiration of the AWB and LEO's getting shot.

HOWEVER, take a look at the rise in the number of gang-banging ILLEGALS invading the USA and LEO's getting shot and THEN you'll have something Bunky. Those maggots have no respect for law and order or the value of human life. They'll cap a cop in a heart beat so they don't get deported.

[VeniVidiVici]

Hmmm. Now what else do we have more of in the past four years other than this supposed increase in "assault weapons"?

Deputy Beaten By Angry Mob After Responding To Noise Complaint

http://www.wftv.com/news/15688136/detail.html

[eclecticEel]

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.

[wastedyears]

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.

[Domandred]

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.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

The left-wing extremists in Cleveland are getting panicky that the US Supremes won’t rule in their favor?

[from occupied ga]

That slurping noise you hear is the Morning Journal's editoral staff's collective tongues licking the anal orifices of the jackbooted freedom haters.