[Don W]

Twenty-one shots had been fired, and nobody was hit. The LAPD ruled last month that the officers acted correctly.

And according to the gun-grabbers,only the police and military should possess firearms. I would think that some serious time on the range, especially for the guy who had the back surgery, would be a priority. It certainly would be for me.

Then there's the 3 strikes thing: Would this guy have drawn and fired at the cops had the fear of hard time not been there? It seems to show that mandatory sentencing is counter-productive, unless you like firefights in the streets.

[KantianBurke]

3 Strike Laws are imho a lesser evil than having liberal judges, which Cali is riddled with, handing out slaps on the wrists to violent felons like candy. Such an environment led to the passage of the bill in the first place.

[Imal]

Then there's the 3 strikes thing: Would this guy have drawn and fired at the cops had the fear of hard time not been there? It seems to show that mandatory sentencing is counter-productive, unless you like firefights in the streets.

This guy was a twice-convicted felon -- and gang member, which means this guy almost certainly has committed dozens more felonies on a routine basis for which we was NOT convicted -- and was illegally carrying a gun in rival gang territory. When approached by police, rather than do something like, oh, say RUN, he starts shooting.

And you are suggesting that this is somehow a problem with the "three strikes" system? This murderous bastard is clearly far too dangerous to be running around free, and has duly earned the life sentence being prepared for him.

Your thinly veiled contention that laws are the problem, rather than violent habitual criminals, is both shocking and morally bankrupt.

You may want to think more clearly about this issue.

[jjm2111]

When I first got into target shooting a couple of years ago, I was amazed at the lack of skill exhibited by many police officers. Cops routinely use the range that I go to, and while some are good shots, some just suck.

For comparison purposes, I can put 8 out of 10 shots in the COM of a silhouette target 50 feet away with a reasonable amount of speed. The grouping is about 3 inches with one or two strays. I use a .45ACP pistol.

Granted my observations are completely unscientific, but from what I've observed many cops cannot reliably hit a man-sized target at 50 feet. There is no recognizable grouping with as many bullets completely missing the silouhette as hitting it. Additionally the police officers in question use medium caliber handguns (9mm & .40s).

This lack of skill is exhibited in an indoor range, w/out the stress of real combat (not like I've felt THAT either) or any physical exertion whatsoever.

On the other hand, police officers who are gun enthusiasts and/or recreational target shooters tend to me very good shots. I always assumed that LEOs were above average shots. I was wrong.