Gun Control

[Leonardo17]

   Another 18 year old college student is dead as a result of a stray bullet in Nashville / Tennessee:
 
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/tennessee-coll...57452.html
 
   This is very Wild Wild West to me. In the late 19th century the US was still a very rural place by European standards. So people needed weapons for their own security. Yet it doesn’t seem so logical for today’s mostly urbanized American society to allow such an easy access to lethal weapons. In fact, most of these people end up being used on ordinary people rather than criminals, marauders and/or buffalos, wolves etc.

   In fact I see it as a kind of miracle that US police forces are still able to operate and still be very efficient in their duty in a country in which gangs have access to weapons of active combat in a completely legal manner

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Nice sweeping generalization, Bowie. I used to kill people for less than $9/day, tax-free. When I wasn't in combat anymore I had no use for guns. Fifty years later, same-same.

[The Grand Nudger]

  

   In fact I see it as a kind of miracle that US police forces are still able to operate and still be very efficient in their duty in a country in which gangs have access to weapons of active combat in a completely legal manner 

The vast majority of shootings are not gang related.  Don't worry about The Cops, though.  

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Or

[The Grand Nudger]

They wouldn't even let us bring our brads when we deployed, but the cops need a 113 to serve a warrant to a 60 year old man at the wrong house.

Because gangs, probably, or antifa, or little gremlins that live in the closet or under the bed.... or whatever.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

If they suspect resistance they go kitted up. You would too. When I was doing arrests for the USN I stood well back, not getting paid to get shot.

[arewethereyet]

They don't all make it out unscathed.

https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/ne...swat-call/

An Austin police officer was killed in the line of duty Saturday morning, following a 911 call that turned into a deadly SWAT standoff which left three other people dead.

A second officer was injured during the encounter, and is in stable condition at the Dell Seton Medical Center, according to a media briefing provided by Austin Police Department officials.

[The Grand Nudger]

Oh absolutely. Unlike the cops, though...we weren't allowed to kit up to our vehicles, because no one believed that peace would be what followed from driving them into the crowds - and we were dealing with terrorists and gun runners. I've long been amused by how cops at home have a less restrictive roe and setup than soldiers in a conflict zone do.

We were mostly a shield and baton crowd, push em in and bodysnatch, but we couldn't call in an ifv for backup.

@arewethereyet

I'd be careful posting anything about cops dying in the line of duty, turns out plenty of them die dealing drugs or drunk driving or breaking and entering into the wrong house. It's not a dangerous job. For all we know this was another fuckup..and the signs are already there in that article.

The actions Henderson referenced in her post were undertaken during a 911 call that came in at 2:49am from a home in the 9300 block of Bernoulli Drive; the caller said she was being stabbed. Minutes later, officers arrived. A third person escaped the home and told officers the assailant was still inside and armed with a knife.

An hour later, around 4am, officers with APD’s SWAT team arrived and forced their way into the home. A shootout ensued, resulting in the death of Pastore and the injury of the second officer. After the shooting, officers found the assailant and two hostages dead, but it is unclear if any were killed in the shootout.

I don't think we'll be able to reverse the militarization of our police until we abandon myths about the us - that it's the wild west. Myths about gun deaths - that it's gangs or criminals - and myths about the nature of the job and it's dangers. Doesn't crack the top ten. You're more likely to die working in a tomato field than as a police officer. The back the blue nitwits are also the demographic most likely to shoot their girlfriends and themselves, and the us wasn't even wild during the "wild west" period.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

They don't all make it out unscathed.

Confirmation that we don't live in a perfect world. T/Y

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Oh absolutely. Unlike the cops, though...we weren't allowed to kit up to our vehicles, because no one believed that peace would be what followed from driving them into the crowds - and we were dealing with terrorists and gun runners.  I've long been amused by how cops at home have a less restrictive roe and setup than soldiers in a conflict zone do.

We were mostly a shield and baton crowd, push em in and bodysnatch, but we couldn't call in an ifv for backup.

@arewethereyet

I'd be careful posting anything about cops dying in the line of duty, turns out plenty of them die dealing drugs or drunk driving.  It's not a dangerous job.  For all we know this was another fuckup..and the signs are already there in that article.

The actions Henderson referenced in her post were undertaken during a 911 call that came in at 2:49am from a home in the 9300 block of Bernoulli Drive; the caller said she was being stabbed. Minutes later, officers arrived. A third person escaped the home and told officers the assailant was still inside and armed with a knife.

An hour later, around 4am, officers with APD’s SWAT team arrived and forced their way into the home. A shootout ensued, resulting in the death of Pastore and the injury of the second officer. After the shooting, officers found the assailant and two hostages dead, but it is unclear if any were killed in the shootout.

I got to ride the LA Sheriff's ram armored vehicle when I was serving Federal wants back in the '80s. It wasn't all that much fun.