thoughts on more firepower allowed for police (Lee: neighborhoods, live)

[Musclehead]

Originally Posted by doggiebus

Labeet obviously did not care for anyone but himself, obvious by what he did to the officer he gunned down. All with an ak47, what does someone need an ak47 in Miami, only for somethings not good. Last month officer Ryka gunned down in Pompano Beach and the other officer that is still in the hospital (not sure where he was gunned down). And I am sure there are other incidences that are less violent that haven't made the news lately. I have said this since probably around Feb, that something changed in South Florida, that the crime was up.

These are the type of people that live in our communities today, a sad fact, and it will only get worse if our economy doesn't get better soon.

I am all for the cops carrying whatever it takes to defend themselves and protect me from people like Labeet. Even with the bad cops...

Doggiebus ..... I second that emotion and agree with you and Eufo 100% !!

[tallrick]

With the economy getting worse and worse I expect more and more crime in Miami. I do not always trust the police but never trust criminals. My belief is that all violent criminals deserve to be shot during the commission of their crimes, even if they are police officers. While maybe 1 out of 10 or one out of 20 police officers is corrupt, there are others who are struggling to make a difference in the community. They deserve a fighting chance when up against thugs and if they qualify, whatever weapon is necessary for their own safety. We routinely train 18 year olds and give them real assault weapons, so why not a qualified police officer? People can wish all they want that guns would go away, but without guns the genetically gifted will once again dominate, and the weak will be their slaves. Criminals need to know that they stand a good chance of being killed during the commission of a crime and whether shot by citizens or police, will meet swift justice. I also believe that real assault rifles should be allowed on private property, in full protection of the Constitution. Rifles and all automatic firearms should not be allowed within city limits or public property, as is the case now. A pistol should be all the average citizen needs. Police, however do need additional tools to fight the worst of violent crime.

[thebigr]

Originally Posted by rogerbacon

You know, the cops do have shotguns already. If I was a cop and going up against a Labeet, who was wearing body armor, I would prefer a shotgun over an assault rifle. You aren't going to stop him with a body shot but a shotgun spreads out. A face full of buckshot will stop anybody cold. It's much harder to make a face shot with a single bullet from an assault rifle --and you can forget about hitting a precise target with automatic fire; that's just in the movies.

Do you have much experiance with firearms? Shotguns are for close range. Snipers use rifles. An AK47 is a rifle. An M16 is a very accurate rifle. Any person with a fair amount of training in weapons can hit a target from a good distance with a rifle. If you were coming at me with a shotgun and I had a AK47 you would be in pieces. They do have armor piercing rounds for rifles. A shotgun puts out one shot at a time. An Automatic weapon puts out 40 rounds very quickly. Also you can be hit in the leg with an M16 and the bullet can follow your bones and come out your back.
What happened in the Labeet situation? He had an AK47 and people died. The police had pistols and shotguns, Labeet escaped.

[rogerbacon]

Originally Posted by thebigr

Do you have much experiance with firearms? Shotguns are for close range. Snipers use rifles. An AK47 is a rifle. An M16 is a very accurate rifle. Any person with a fair amount of training in weapons can hit a target from a good distance with a rifle. If you were coming at me with a shotgun and I had a AK47 you would be in pieces. They do have armor piercing rounds for rifles. A shotgun puts out one shot at a time. An Automatic weapon puts out 40 rounds very quickly. Also you can be hit in the leg with an M16 and the bullet can follow your bones and come out your back.
What happened in the Labeet situation? He had an AK47 and people died. The police had pistols and shotguns, Labeet escaped.

In the Labeet situation the conflict happened at close range... well within the optimal range of a shotgun. I can only assume the police officers were not able to get their shotgun out in time due to surpirse.
Yes, I know how accurate an AK-47 is. It's so accurate it even made me look decent on the range and I'm a really bad shot usually. Still, that was target practice. Against moving targets at short range (what was it in this case? 30'?) I would think an area affect weapon like a shotgun would be preferred.
Don't get me wrong-- I'm not opposed to police carrying assault rifles. I just don't think it would help them in most situations any more than a shotgun would. For the few situations where it would they already have SWAT teams for that.

[Mikis]

I am an officer. My department allows me to carry an AR-15 as well as shotgun, but the catch is that we have to buy them ourselves. I own a shotgun, but haven't thrown down the $900+ for an AR-15 yet.

Different situations call for different types of guns. For example, in a high risk traffic stop (you have a dangerous felon in a stopped vehicle and several police units behind it), a shotgun is probably better. In a situation where you have a long distance shot or have to take a tight shot from heavy cover, an AR-15 would fit you best. That's just my personal preference.

I have seen and recovered SEVERAL high power assualt rifles from the street. It is extremely easy to get them on the black market.

If my department said, "Sorry, you cant carry a rifle because it looks too mean", then I'd have my application in somewhere else.

As police officers, we aren't suppossed to be out gunned, or even EQUAL gunned. Our job is NOT to have a fair fight. Our job is to stop the guy who wants to hurt you as quickly as possible.

Tallrick:

While maybe 1 out of 10 or one out of 20 police officers is corrupt, there are others who are struggling to make a difference in the community

. Where is your source? There are over 500,000 sworn law enforcement officers in this nation and, believe me, the media LOVES to show as many corrupt cops as possible. Being an officer who does his job, corrupt cops anger me.....but trust me, there are much, MUCH more good cops than bad ones.

[blackklight]

i thank you for your bravery mikis, it's sad how this nation has developed. people like you who risk their lives on a daily basis to ensure tranquility and peace are paid crumbs compared to people who just play sports. how does that work?

an ar-15... wow... i didn't know the police had that kind of firepower damn. purchasing a gun in miami is nearly as easy as buying a sack of weed, which to be honest, scares me.

[Lilybeans]

Originally Posted by Mikis

As citizens, we aren't suppossed to be out gunned, or even EQUAL gunned. Our job is NOT to have a fair fight. Our job is to stop the guy who wants to hurt you as quickly as possible.

Fixed it for you

[island mermaid]

Hello fellow posters,
I'm new to this area, I came here from a small town in Maine. I've only been here for 15 months. I don't know how you people live here. I'm scared to death to cross the bridge everyday. The news scares the hell out of me. I don't understand the mentality of all of the cop killers here. I just can't make sense of it. While I love living in this climate and feel very fortunate to wake up and look out at the beach everyday, it frustrates me to live in an area where this type of behavior exists. I'm so glad I'm not trying to raise children here. I don't know how you all do it.

[Lilybeans]

Originally Posted by Fort Lauderdale mermaid

Hello fellow posters,
I'm new to this area, I came here from a small town in Maine. I've only been here for 15 months. I don't know how you people live here. I'm scared to death to cross the bridge everyday. The news scares the hell out of me. I don't understand the mentality of all of the cop killers here. I just can't make sense of it. While I love living in this climate and feel very fortunate to wake up and look out at the beach everyday, it frustrates me to live in an area where this type of behavior exists. I'm so glad I'm not trying to raise children here. I don't know how you all do it.

You become very desensitized to it, after being subjected to a constant barrage of news about killing, rape, robbery. You don't realize how bad it is until you go somewhere else and see what goes on elsewhere. It really is a cesspool here.

[Mikis]

Lilybeans,

I totally agree.