Let me say this first, I am 100% for the right to own and bear arms!! I don't care what type of weapon ( even the so called assault weapons, which is a misnomer because they are not fully automatic) that a citizen chooses to own!! Our 2nd Amendment guarantees it and requires it as well as the citizenry maintaining a ready militia. That being said, I am having a problem with our paramilitary forces, i.e. the police. Paramilitary Forces carry and are fully trained to use non-lethal forces: Pepper Spray, Batons whether they are the wooden or expandable metal batons, and they carry taser guns. I'm sure most of our police officers would rather incapacitate an individual than shoot with deadly force, if at all possible. It is not a badge of honor for anyone to carry the weight of killing someone when you could have easily created a situation where a suspect willingly stops due to non-lethal enforcement. Why, are officers not only making headlines for killing individuals, but shooting them multiple times. Why? You are carrying a 9mm pistol or shotgun, maybe even an M-16. Why are you using ( and I don't mean this is as a pun) overkill in a situation that could easily place the suspect in custody instead of a coffin? If your life is in danger, fire only what it takes to stop the suspect, cuff them, call for back-up and an ambulance.
No, I'm not the one that has to face dangerous criminals on a day to day basis, so to say what I would do can't be used as a comparison. I know every officer's motto is to come home at the end of their shift. Right now, especially with the race baiters out there, any justified kill will be viewed as police brutality, especially if it is a white cop and a black suspect. If an officer has to go through monthly training to reinforce non-lethal as the first means of controlling the situation, than make the training a requirement so it is the first thought when having to draw a weapon. But damn, multiple shots by multiple officers or a single officer involved shooting where the cop unloads their weapon into a subject, oh come on! That's a cop with an intention to kill, not one that knows all they need to do is defuse the situation by first utilizing non-lethal procedures. Even if you have to bring a shotgun with rubber pellets in it, that will take them down and make them compliant or have a hail of rubber pellets again.
Citizens have the right to own and carry guns. All Citizens have the right to carry pepper spray and tasers of all kinds. A metal retractable baton requires training and a certificate similar to a CCP. We have to remind ourselves everyday that though we have the right to carry doesn't mean we have the need to kill (I agree, each situation requires its own response, lethal or not). When carrying concealed, carry non-lethal weapons as well and if you can use non-lethal to diffuse the situation, you...the suspect...as well as your and the suspects family will be a lot happier. Death doesn't mean you have resolved the situation, it may mean you open a can of worms that may tie you and the court of opinion and the actual courts for years. Look for ways not to kill as the first resort. Let it be the last resort.
Please don't confuse me with being a liberal. If you, as a person, place yourself into a position to have a barrel of a weapon pointed at you, well you should have thought about the end result before you decided to commit a crime. The old song sang by Sammy Davis Jr. from the show Barreta, "Don't do the crime if you can't do the time" can also be said, "Don't do the crime if you don't want a piece of lead in your head!". All I'm saying is, with all the radical terrorists, gang killings and violence in the world, with all the non-lethal tools readily available for an officer, isn't that what we would want them to use on us instead of throwing lead at us, not as the last resort?
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