Should Officers Carry Assault Rifles?
Should officers carry assault rifles?
Can you think of one battle in the history of the United States in which superior fire power didn’t add to the victory? It is a pretty well proven statistic; who ever has the bigger gun is going to win.
I have been around guns my entire life, I got my first rifle when I was 12 years old, and was taught the proper way to handle it. I was taught never to point a gun in the direction of any person, whether it was loaded or not. I knew what I was allowed to shoot at and what was not ok to shoot at. I believe my perception of guns is they are tools used to assist us in activities such at trap shooting, hunting, or just plunking cans lined up on a fence post. I never thought guns to be a way to solve problems, or settle disputes, which is common in today’s society as evident from the daily e-mail updates you post in my mail box.
I guess because of the way I was raised I never had a problem with gun issues. It seems to me that in order to beat any enemy you need to have an advantage. As these articles talked about, gang members and bank robbers are now wearing bullet proof vests, and arming themselves with fully automatic weapons. How are the police supposed to do anything when they are pinned behind their squad car, unable to get up because of the constant and relentless volley of bullets. In order for police to be able to battle the festering problem of automatic weapons being on the streets and in the wrong hands they need to have better or at the very least, equal firepower.
Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At Large) said, “He is concerned that residents will get the wrong message when they see officers carrying the weapons on the streets.” The only people that would be afraid in my opinion are the ones doing something wrong or illegal. What would anybody have to be afraid of? I sure as heck know that if I lived in a sketchy part of town that was known for its high...
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