AndeyHall
Active member
I'm not bashing cops by any means. That's the line of work I'm planning on going in to. As a matter of fact, I've cleared all my background checks and interviews and everything and have been hired, just waiting on them to tell me when to start. So I definitely have respect for the field. My point was that just because they carry a gun does not make them experts with them and put them on a "do as I say and not as I do" type basis. Carrying with a round in the chamber, as this thread is about, does not require super extensive training. It requires a little common sense and some basic knowledge about gun safety.Please do not disrespect law enforcement officers. They may not be GrandMasters in the USPSA but they are masters in their careers. Just like any profession or hobby (yes shooting is a hobby) some are better than others. I am a real good shooter on the range and spent many hours at USPSA matches to gain better speed and accuracy. I was also in the armed services that taught me other tactics and techniques as firearms goes. I also spent time as a law enforcement officer that taught me other aspects in weapons (long gun, shot gun, handgun) and I am also a NRA pistol instructor.
That said I will be the first to say I am no expert in any of the above mentioned. I do take offense to some person saying law enforcement are basically amatures when it comes to firearms. You have to step in the shoes as a street cop to understand why I take offense to that. Cops spend many hours of training and not all of it is in firearms. I would stand next to any cop as my back up before any gun hoe guy on this site who claims to be a better shot than the average cop. Why?, because that cop will know when and how to use deadly force and the proper levels of force by following the use of force continuum set by his agency. Some guy that spends thousands of hours shooting a peice of paper or metal plate doesn't have a clue what to do when that target is moving, running or the target (suspect) is shooting back at you or is trying to stab you.
So please reframe from talking cr-p about law enforcement shooting or their level of proficiency. They may not win a pistol match but they will do the job that only a handful on this message board have actually done.
But as for cops always knowing the proper level of force to use, all I can say to that is this: http://www.scpr.org/news/2013/06/07/37624/trial-set-for-ex-fullerton-cops-in-homeless-beatin/
One of my passions for law enforcement comes from the numerous encounters that I and others that I know have had with law enforcement officers where the officer just can't handle the pressure of the job and takes it out on the "suspect" he is dealing with. I've never been the victim of physical abuse by an officer, but I have been arrested because of an officer's ego, and the fact that he didn't want to be proven wrong even though he was. I was 19 years old with a pistol in the center console of my truck. Nothing I was doing was wrong, but the officer swore up and down that you had to be 21 to be in possession of a handgun, which is not the case. So I want to go into the field and hopefully bring some level headedness to it. Hopefully...