[Grut]

HERE'S A fundamental truth about police work in America:
In this country, only a law enforcement officer has the authority to use deadly force against fellow citizens in time of peace.

Is this as off-the-wall a statement as I think it is? My impression is that police officers have the same right to kill in self-defense or the defense of others as the rest of us. What they really have is 'a friend at court' so the consequences for them aren't as messy as they are for us.

[coloradan]

I was going to cite this line too. It comes from Baltimore, MD, one of the most anti-gun places in the country. ONLY LEOs can exercise deadly force in peacetime? Only in their wet dreams. They're working on it, but we're not there yet, at least not outside of MD.

[Lloyd227]

...police officers have the same right to kill "

I know this may seem like a debate in semantics, but... the word used in Mr. Simon's article was actually "authority".

I'm no legal scholar but I believe there is a distinction. As much as I do not like to admit it, I think that possibly the author is correct. Law enforcement officers do have the authority to kill.

As the author also points out, this authority was supposed to carry also a tremendous responsibility.

[Ajnin]

It really depends on the circunstances Grut. If the Fed shooting satisfies a political agenda like Ruby Ridge or Waco then you can be assured nobody will be held accountable. If Federal Agents such as those in the US Border Patrol shoot and kill an illegal alien that is using lethal force, the Border Patrol Agent can look forward to a criminal and civil lawsuit that will, in some cases bankrupt the agent. I know where you're coming from, believe me we only have a friend in court if we play the pc game. You will never ever hear about those that didn't play.