Back in the 60s they had -really- good toy guns with wood stocks, loud powder caps and the whole shebang.
I ran all over Hell’s half acre with very realistic looking pistols and rifles.
At no time did anyone I encountered find it necessary to fill me full of lead.
Back then we had peace officers.
Now we have cops posing as paramilitary without the noble restraint.
This is bullshit.
There were kids killed by police in just such scenarios then as well. . . They were considered tragic accidents and errors in judgement. There were also police killed by kids with real guns that the cops thought were toys. It’s a two way street.
But the sixties and the culture today ARE NOT the same. They simply are not. We’ve had fifty years of the drug war that have seen to that. . . and that has made all the difference.
My Dad was one of those. Worked for the Sheriff back in the 70's.
The major rule when confronted at the scene with an armed person?
DO NOT fire until fired upon.
Amazing how few kids wound up dead back then because of toy guns.
And what’s worse, “conservatives” on this site are willing to *defend* what would have been indefensible back then-—shooting a minor for *possession* of a a toy firearm.
In high school, during hunting season, nearly every truck in the student parking lot had a rack full of guns. Some students came to class in camo.
I am astounded that so many Freepers defend this criminal police behavior. Different times do not justify different morals.
The primary reason for having a police force is to protect the public. A Secret Service agent's job is to protect the president, to the point of risking his own life, so, bluntly, the President's life is more important. Same situation for private security guarding a celebrity - protect the client with your life if necessary.
Likewise, the safety of the public supersedes the safety of the police. All the public, even those perceived to be, but not yet a threat.