[P95Carry]

The Star

"American citizens simply cannot count on the police to protect them from assault. Almost always, the only thing the police can do is show up after the fact and sort things out. Laws are not written to prevent crime; they are written to give society the means to punish the criminal after he has committed his misdeed. In short, when crunch time comes, you are on your own,"

writes columnist Michael Bowers.


http://www.starnewspapers.com/star/spedit/col/06-col1.htm

Just a small quote from the article.

Now for what the officers had to say. Perhaps most important is that slogans such as "Protect and Serve" are just that ? slogans. Meaningless slogans. Be real. There is no way police can protect everybody from harm. They just cannot be at all places at all times.

The men also addressed the myth that rank-and-file officers oppose gun rights and the National Rifle Association. Coercing officers into photo-ops, politicians such as Bill Clinton and Mayor Richard Daley would have you believe that police reject the Second Amendment. But 80 percent of street-level cops will tell you that if you want to protect yourself, get a gun.

 

[Bud White]

Wow that is a pretty good article and it makes sense how about that

 

[P95Carry]

and it makes sense how about that

Yep - makes a nice change.

It does show that just now again very reasonably positive press can happen - rare but - I'll take any they can write.

 

[SSKC]

That was refreshing to read, Chris. Thanks for sharing it.

SSKC

 

[P95Carry]

I hope SSKC it gets a good read from most here - because it is worth it IMO.

Got to thinking - Protect and Serve'' - is not only somewhat of a ''slogan'' but even taken literally does I think only apply in a lose community sense. In that respect it has some validity.

Meaning - the cops will serve a community and do their best to protect it - that tho is a long ways from any claim to be there to protect an individual. It is this which makes it wise and prudent for folks to see that they and only they - can take responsibility for their own protection.

 

[rocky]

yep, police cannot be everywhere or we would all have personal bodyguards. Too bad the liberals don't understand this better.

 

[Anubis]

Nice! I emailed a compliment to Bowers.

 

[Scott]

I only had interaction with two LEOs above the street level. All the street level guys were pro-gun and pro-CCW. The other two I'm not sure. The elected sheriff seemed pro-CCW. The other was a state police major and the issue just didn't come up.

I live next to a retired LEO now and he told me about the CCW laws and carry laws in our first conversation. So I think the attidue here is similar to VA from the LEOs on the street. You want to protect yourself, get a gun.

-Scott-

 

[Betty]

I also sent him a nice thank you.

The local cops I've encountered completely respect my decision to carry. I'll again quote what an officer acquaintance told me: "We're not babysitters."

 

[P95Carry]

I also sent him a nice thank you.

Excellent move Betty - you have spurred me to do the same :smile:

Sir,

I have to write to say a warm thanks for the article -

http://www.starnewspapers.com/star/spedit/col/06-col1.htm

I am a staunch defender of the right to carry and encourage responsible handgun ownership when I can - and being a certified NRA Instructor do my best to keep up what momentum I can in that quarter.

Kudos to the four LEO's you were with and how refreshing it is to see some positive gun press - all too often it is more colored toward the ''Brady Bunch''!!

I have carried quite some time tho only recently became an American citizen - I suffered loss of a large handgun collection back in '97 in the UK and always rued that as well as the UK's lack of sympathy toward peoples innate right (as I see it) to self defence.

True, oh so true - lawmen are not and cannot be baby sitters.

My thanks again - your work was well appreciated by many I am sure - including where I posted that on http://www.combatcarry.com/

Best regards

Chris (P95Carry on gun boards.)
===========================

 

[srfl]

Excellent piece.....meanwhile the right defend one's self and loved ones has been stripped in San Francisco as Proposition H passed.

Sad and very regrettable.

 

[acparmed]

Good read Chris, thank you.

I also sent a nice email to Mr Bowers.

 

[DirksterG30]

Thanks, Chris!

Excellent post, Chris.
I'm going to be passing that one on!

 

[Chad]

Very, very good column...many thanks for posting it.

It will be an excellent addition to the resources I use to try to help people 'get it'.

It's even inspired me to try a local version here in El Paso and at home in Florida...if I manage to dust off my ancient freelance skills. :tongue:
I'd be interested to discover other LEO opinions in both places.

Again, thanks for the post...great way to start the day.

 

[rstickle]

So, in the end, who are you going to believe? Four officers who have a combined total of 100 years of experience on the street?

Or Mayor Daley, the gun-banner who travels with a cadre of armed men ready to shoot anyone who might attack him?

This last couple of sentences also say a lot about what goes on. Good article!

 

[Kompact9]

"In short, when crunch time comes, you are on your own..." --

We called this a basic "truism" when I was young. We were taught to be personally responsible for our actions and safety as part of everyday life. With our societal moral decay and rising violence all around us, our awareness of our surroundings is paramount for our own well being. My daughter asked if I was paranoid and was that the reason I carry. The tried and true answer to that was a quote from someone--"I don't have to be paranoid, I carry a gun". CCW gives us "the last option", IF WE NEED IT, to protect our family and ourselves. Those that object to CCW probably have never been confronted with a potentially life threatening situation, otherwise they might not object so strenuously. 7 + 1 and a spare mag here...

 

[acparmed]

I just received a response from Michael Bowers in reference to the email I sent him. He says that he's gotten about 60 emails about his article and not a one of them was negative. He can't seem to figure that out.

Good Job Guys.

 

[Betty]

I got the same reply. :biggrin:

 

[Bruces45]

Very good article, going to save that one.

 

[BlueLion]

While in college I worked for an alarm company and I would often hear operators talking to cops in the field who refused to go out to homes if they did not have a permit even though we would tell them that the permit was being processed. Often times operator recorded messages would say: "You have called the LAPD if you are experiencing an emergency please wait and an emergency operator will be with as soon as possible." Now this would just keep playing until some picked up. That taught me you are your first line of defense. So Protect yourself.