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View Poll Results: Please check all/any statement you may think apply to you:
Cops CAN prevent crimes. 14 42.42%
Cops CANNOT prevent crimes. 8 24.24%
I feel safe where I live/work/shop, etc. 19 57.58%
I do NOT feel safe where I live/work/shop, etc. 3 9.09%
I think guns can/should be used for self-defense. 27 81.82%
I do NOT think guns can/should be used for self-defense. 1 3.03%
I carry a firearm for self-defense. 11 33.33%
I carry some other weapon for self-defense (peper spray, tazer, etc). 2 6.06%
The government has an obligation to protect me. 11 33.33%
The government does NOT have an obligation to protect me. 8 24.24%
The government wants to protect me, but cannot do it effectively. 9 27.27%
I have an alarm in my home. 6 18.18%
I am concerned about my personal safety/home safety. 10 30.30%
Every person should protect him/herself. 22 66.67%
Self defense is a RIGHT, not a priviledge to the rich/powerful. 25 75.76%
I don't know / I don't care. 1 3.03%
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 33. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 09-25-2007, 03:54 PM
 
Location: The best country in the world: the USA
1,499 posts, read 4,817,934 times
Reputation: 737

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Here is an interesting question:

Do you think cops are re-active or pro-active?

Now, what do you think of the following:

1. Can cops/government protect YOU from a crime that has not been committed yet?

2. Does the government have an obligation to protect you?

3. Can cops prevent crimes?


If you can answer YES to any of the 3 questions above, please state WHY.

If you answer NO to all questions above, think about the following:


1. Do you feel safe on the streets, your home, work parking lot, etc?

2. Do you KNOW for a fact the area where you work, live, shop is safe?



If you can answer YES to any of the 2 questions above, please state WHY.


If you answer NO to one or more of these questions, do you:

1. Think guns can/should be used to protect yourself.

2. Think guns should never be used to protect yourself.

Last edited by Nirvana-Guy; 09-25-2007 at 04:03 PM..
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Old 09-25-2007, 04:07 PM
 
Location: The best country in the world: the USA
1,499 posts, read 4,817,934 times
Reputation: 737
Default Did you know the US Supreme Court has ruled cops do NOT have to protect you?

Did you know the US Supreme Court has ruled cops do NOT have to protect you, even when you have a Restraining Order?

This might be a shocker to many.

Here is the case: Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005)

Castle Rock v. Gonzales, 545 U.S. 748 (2005), was a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States, in which the court ruled, 7-2, that a town and its police department could not be sued under 42 U.S.C. §1983 for failing to enforce a restraining order, which had led to the murder of a woman's three children by her estranged husband.

It means that this woman did not have an expectation that the police would protect her even though she had a restraining order. It also means that women who presently have a restraining order against a violent spouse may not be safe.

It means that the government cannot protect you despite the fact that they promulgate that myth. Oh after you are dead, they will come take a report and the coroner will carry your body away.


Sounds like guns are some of your best defense!! Those who counts on cops to save them will be "saved" by the cops. They will save your body in a bodybag on its way to the morgue!
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Old 09-25-2007, 05:11 PM
 
Location: in my imagination
13,562 posts, read 21,309,993 times
Reputation: 10052
Self defense is a right,not a privilage.Though it pertains to all people rich or poor.

Overall cops are the good guys,though no they can't always protect you.There may also be a few bad apples in the bunch.I think hurricane Katrina and the L.A riots proves all that.

It is not the governments duty to protect me,that role only pertains to maintaining a standing military for protection against a foreign military.

There are plenty of politicians though who would love to have your protection in their hands,though it's a sham.
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Old 09-25-2007, 05:15 PM
 
Location: Sacramento
14,044 posts, read 27,101,372 times
Reputation: 7373
Nirvana, I do some volunteer support work for our code enforcement and police, and agree with you that they cannot protect you effectively. Regarding a restraining order, they need to be contacted in advance of the anticipated contact, and you need to be able to explain to the dispatcher why you believe a "situation" will be unfolding. Even then, as you correctly point out, the protection is not a legal liability for the police.

It is difficult to argue that at some level, everyone is responsible for their own protection. How you choose to do this can be debatable for each of us, there is no single correct answer. Having a gun in the house with someone who is hotheaded may not always be a great idea either.
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Old 09-25-2007, 05:43 PM
 
8,978 posts, read 16,505,496 times
Reputation: 3019
I don't have a law degree, but I think the reality is a little "scarier" than the average citizen may at first think. The police, as I understand it have one, and ONLY one obligation, under their "charter", and that is to apprehend "bad guys" and put them in jail awaiting their date with the court system. That's all.

By getting the "riff-raff" off the street, the police may, of course, be making life safer for the average citizen, and "protecting" them, largely by removing the dangerous troublemakers. But that's the extent of their job. Cops are not private security guards, nor marriage counselors, nor juvenile welfare workers. Much as we may tend to think otherwise, they can't make an abusive husband be loving, nor a teen-age gang-banger respect authority, nor make your trashy neighbor see your point of view. They can do very little to prevent crime; the best they can do, if all goes well, is to move swiftly to pick up the "perps", so that they REGRET commiting their offenses. The cops can't give anyone common sense or a conscience.

To a large extent, the cops' hands are tied. All they can really do, in the end, is to "react" to the bad guys, and bring them in. And of course, they're not really "bad guys" at all, until they've done something provable. We'd like to THINK the cops can come over and "straighten everything out"--but much of this is just wishful thinking--or too many TV shows......
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Old 09-25-2007, 08:47 PM
 
384 posts, read 1,129,012 times
Reputation: 197
My uncle is a cop, and his job is hard. First, expectations of cops are very high. This leads to very high stress on his part, and he is suffering from post dramatic stress disorder now in his retirement. He is 55 and is in counseling.

It is hard work being a cop, not all fun and games. No, typically most cops will never pull out their gun in their careers. But at the same time, they get in situations where stress and courage come into play. I don't know what it is like, but try pulling a guy over at night, and not knowing whether he has a gun in his hand or not. It must be scary.

Everyone can't expect the cops to always be there, because it is impossible. Most small towns only have a police force of about 50, which believe it or not is not a whole lot. Much can go on at any point in the town.

Think of it from a cops point of view. Most cops I know, and I know quite a few, believe that self defense and the right for us civilians to own guns is the most important right we have in our country. I think they believe this because they believe most civilians will use guns for the right purpose.
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Old 09-29-2007, 10:23 PM
 
708 posts, read 928,435 times
Reputation: 364
Surely being a policeman is a stressful job. Many jobs are, and I believe it takes a certain type person to be a cop. If the police personnell are not supervised properly how do the taxpayers get what they pay for? If laws are not enforced who does John Q. Public turn to in order to have the law enforced?

Without a question stopping drivers for infractions of the MV laws is dangerous work but it must be done by whatever method is appropriate. Without enforcement wide areas can and do get out of control. It can be very offensive and dangerous. It reflects poorly on the desirability of areas and can effect residential and commercial values. It doesn't do much for citizens opinion of our police depts. either.
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Old 06-23-2015, 06:46 PM
 
731 posts, read 1,573,678 times
Reputation: 695
Law enforcement has changed considerably since the year 2000. At least that is when it got my attention when a younger police force joined law enforcement in this rural area of OK. They took the job very seriously all the time, strapping guns to the leg, always giving the mean mug to every person. They changed the way citizens
felt towards them. They have created "good cop _bad cop" mostly bad and they have no idea what laws that they need to know, That is what I have seen anyway.

Yes things change, law enforcement is more militarized than the good ole days. I smile when one of them is actually the epitome of Barney Fife in charge of the office when Andy Griffith is gone for a day. I like to watch new cops to see who/how they are going to put their mark on their beat.
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Old 06-23-2015, 06:59 PM
 
Location: Lost in Texas
9,827 posts, read 6,902,490 times
Reputation: 3414
Even if a cop is right there on the scene, the chances of you surviving an attack isn't that great. This isn't meant to be derogatory, but police officers simply don't get enough range time to be proficient with their firearms.. The average armed citizen spends more time at the range than do the police. The proficiency with a firearm is directly related to how much it is used. You are better off all the way around being prepared to protect yourself.
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Old 06-23-2015, 07:12 PM
 
1,603 posts, read 1,106,222 times
Reputation: 1175
I don't want the police "protecting" me.
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